My apologies to the Idaho Fish-In participants who were looking forward to teaching me more about trout fishing (and there’s a lot I need to learn). But conditions at my end changed unexpectedly, so I won’t be at the Fish-In after all.
I’ve been living in Boise, Idaho since early May, living with #1 son for the summer just to see what a long-term stay in Idaho is like? But a few weeks ago my stepdad passed away, so I figured I should head back to Lawrence, KS to keep my Mom company. I got back to Lawrence a couple of days ago (and went fishing right away, needless to say).
The fishing’s good here and my Mom’s doing Okay, so life is good.
But I’ll miss seeing Danbob, Ken and Bob again (all from Colorado), the guys I hung out with at the Fish-In last year. Also lumberjack/treetopper/woodsplitter John, one of the most interesting guys I’ve ever met. And, of course, I’ll miss the chance to let Sir Castwell critique my stroke again. (Or maybe, it’s Sir Castwell who will miss the fun of critiquing my stroke again – that’s probably closer to the truth.)
I will take this opportunity to apologize to FAOL readers for not having submitted any Warmwater stories this year. It’s been a difficult year for me. I underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix, followed by a long hospital stay, back in January. In March, I moved out of the house I was sitting for a friend. I then moved into an apartment that needed constant work to make it livable. In May, I moved to Boise to spend the summer with my son, just to see what it’s like out there.
There was little time for fishing before I went to Idaho, and once in Boise I could not find the sort of fishing spots in south Idaho that I anticipated finding. The north end of the desert sure isn’t what I expected. Last but not least, $4.00+ per gallon gasoline pretty much kept my shoes nailed to the floor all summer. (Surely lots of us were, and still are, affected by those gas prices.)
But now I’m back in Lawrence and things are settling down. My regular good fishing spots are close to home again, my health issues are…well, I’ll keep my mouth shut so I don’t jinx it. Anyway, y’all should be hearing from me a little more in the future, storywise.
Again, sorry for missing the Idaho Fish-In. Hope everyone who attends this year has great fun, either from catching fish, visiting with buddies, learning new skills, consuming beverages, eating grilled steaks, tying flies in the Rumpus Room and…well, all of the above plus more.
I guess above all, I hope Deanna Birkholm’s shoulder is back to battle ready status and this year she hits the Lochsa and the Selway and catches hell out of the fish.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”