Yesterday while getting blown away by the wind on Blue River fly fishing with my buddy Van, I commented to Van that I thought I would fish the pasture known as Forty Foot on the sea lane Rock Creek in pursuit of the carp Van has been telling me about.
However, the sun stayed hidden all day today behind a totally overcast sky and that's when I decided to leave the carp flies behind and grab the small and vividly colored flies that the little fellows so like.
I've noticed I am a totally different fly fisherman when pursuing the carp compared to pursuing the perch. When seeking communication with the carp I become a stalker and hunter and carry a heavy conviction to successfully meet one of the grand ones. However, when pursuing the perch I have none of the aforementioned tendencies and I carry only a state of relaxation, a peace with existence, and fond memories of my youth fishing alongside my grandfather. My grandfather taught me to fish by introducing me to the perch. To my grandfather... and the perch, I owe more than I can ever repay.
Upon arriving at Forty Foot I was the sole human being, but I did have company in the form and fashion of one solitaire goose. He was looking at me looking at him looking at me, or maybe I was looking at him while he was looking at me looking at him. I'm not for sure... it gets kind of confusing where your staring at a goose.
The goose seemed quite unconcerned about what I was doing and stayed around for a good bit until he took flight and flew directly over my head like a B-52 on a bombing mission. Fortunately he didn't bomb me.
As in most cases, the perch today were more than willing and I think this is one reason they are simply fun. Perch, whether it be the Long ear, Redbreast, Blue Gill, Red Ear, Rock Bass, or any of the others that make up the menagerie of the pan-fish community, always give as good as they get. I'm not for sure if it's their curiosity or voracious appetites that cause them to absolutely inhale a bright colored or small imitation fly, but I have learned that we always need to make sure to use barb-less hooks or mash the barb completely down. With perch, there is a high probability they will swallow our flies down deep.
Today, the perch brought a little sunshine to a somewhat gloomy day.
I am a fortunate man to live such a wonderful life through fly fishing. I wish the goose would have stuck around a little longer.
Good for you Barry! We have a limited selection of sunfish as none are native here. I pine for your fish.
ReplyDeleteGregg