CUT SHORT
I was headed out to a pond. No canoe as there is still too much water in the low spots. I know that I would get stuck. There is some dare devil in me to try when there is a chance, but not to do it deliberately.
I had just pulled to the side of the road when another pick up came buzzing down the road. The driver asked me if I would come and help him. There was a grass fire in the ditch up the road and he was afraid that it would get into the fields and really cause trouble. It would also keep me from going into this pond as the fire would go by it.
We got to his house and he gave me a quick lesson in driving the one tractor. It had a disc on it and he wanted me to run that out in front of where the flames were. He was going to be spraying water from a tank on the flames. We did manage to get the fire out, more to his work than anything I did. We did stay around for a while to make sure there were no hot spots that might start it again. Lots of excitement, but not as fun as fishing.
I headed back to the pond that I wanted to fish, hiked in and started casting. Had a few hits and lost the fish. Very light takes on this day. Down sized the fly and had better luck.
The retrieve had to be very slow. The fly had to be almost dead still for the fish to take it. But they did like the fly that way and I was getting some fish in my hand.
I had some smoke smell on me from what we had done before. I thought it was getting stronger. And decided I had better look around. Grabbed everything and headed up the hill by the pond. The higher I went the stronger the smell got.
At the top I could see that the fire must have jumped some place and that it was burning the grass in the next field. The wind was swirling and I was not sure which way the fire might go, but it was time for this guy to head out. I will admit that I moved fairly fast in doing this.
When I got out to the road the fire department had showed up. They were going to go in and fight the fire. I told them that they would never make it in this way as there was a low place that would eat the trucks. They would have to go about three miles to another access point and then come into the fire from that place.
I talked with one of the fireman later and he said that the fire had burned up to the pond and past it in some areas. They had a hard time getting the fire out.
I was glad that I had enough sense to leave.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick