Chapter 58 Day 110 - Trout Season

Derby Saturday

Derby Saturday turned out much more pleasant than the forecasters had led us to believe.  The forecast called for steady rain all day long, but, the only rain I encountered was on the way to the river.

Today was a pleasure for me because I finally got to fish with Van Stacey.  Van and I didn't get to the wilderness area until around 8 o'clock and began working our way up.  Van would pick up a fish here and there and I was culling the smaller fish. 

By the time we got to the wilderness Chris "The Machine" Adams was probably about through fishing.  As a matter of fact he told me that he had to wait until his nephew Matthew caught up with him.  Imagine that.

Chris and Matthew fish a honey hole if you will and if I'm doing the math right the two of them pulled 17 pounds of trout out of that one hole.  Not bad for a short morning on the water. 

I wouldn't get to this honey hole until probably 11 'o clock.  There was still some fish left remarkably and I would get three fairly nice trout to hand.  I suffered heartbreak twice while I was there losing two really nice trout - two pounds or better. 

About thirty minutes before hitting that honey hole I took a rather significant fall into the river.  Even though I had that walking/wading staff that Charlie made me, it's not going to help a guy who doesn't have the sense to not hop from a flat rock to a bevel shaped rock. 

I went down in the river up to the chest, bummed the elbow up, and cut the hand.  It was about that time, I think, that I told myself a beer should would taste good.  But... I didn't have one. 

Ending up with close to seven pounds of trout I weighed them in and headed for the prairie home where an Epsom salt soak was surely awaiting me. 

Soon as I weighed in it began to rain so that was all the more reason to not stay for the ceremonies. 

Tomorrow is derby Sunday and a brand new day.