The Creek Critter has been the bell cow of carp flies this season. With the brown-winged, yellow body with orange legs tied on, I hit Charlie's Pasture around mid-morning to see if the carp were frisky.
No more than a minute had passed upon entering the creek when I heard a loud splash behind me. In the creek had landed a rather good looking and nice marked dog making his way to the near island.
I stopped where I was hoping this fellow would go downstream, but instead he circled around to the forward tip and fixed his eyes on me. I didn't dare move in the hope he would again find his way downstream, but as soon as I flinched... here he come.
With the intensity of a freight train he came barreling up the creek toward me. Instead of stopping when he got to where I was standing, he ran straight past me only to circle back around and circle again, and again, and again. I kind of felt like a passenger of a western bound wagon train of years ago.
Soon he settled down and came to my side where I offered him a pat on the head. Not knowing his name, I decided to call he Fido Funtimes. Funtimes went ahead of me of course, which was exactly not what I wanted.
They say every dog has his day and today must have been this dog's day. He was having the time of his life exploring every inch of the creek. I made my way to the island that serves as a harbor for the community of carp at Charlie's Pasture. Guess who also made it there?
This dog left nothing unturned. Up and down the creek, back and forth along the bank. Near side, far side, it didn't matter. This dog was on an adventure.
It didn't take long for the dog to do exactly what I didn't want him to do. Upon getting up on the island I spotted some rather favorable carp. And... Funtimes spotted them too and wasted no time jumping in the creek to pursue them. Of course, carp blew up everywhere and what was a fairly clear creek had suddenly become a mud bath.
At this point it would probably have been best just to call it a day of possibility that didn't go right, but since the carp and creek had been blown I decided to do some blind casting. This is when I would discover how curious or how smart this dog really was.
I knew the carp held across at the far bank. The dog was by my side with ears perked as I started stripping and shaking line out of the end of the rod to make a roll cast of close to thirty feet. The line went out and as soon as it straightened out on the now muddy glass, the dog went in.
This crazy canine was swimming parallel to the fly line and he was dead set on the end. It didn't take long to realize he was going for the fly, which he couldn't see. Flipping the line to the right in hopes of getting the fly out of his way, he turned right. Then I started stripping like crazy and this persistent pooch turned toward the bank and followed. As I lifted the fly up to the bank, this guy lunged at the dog-gone fly.
After that it was time to go, but this new furry friend of mine wasn't through frolicking. Nope, not at all. It's a dog's life and this dog was trying to live every minute of his to the fullest.
On the way back downstream, I saw a snake - the fourth of the short morning. With the arrival of autumn and cooler temperatures that have come, the snakes are on the move. Stopping to take a picture of the snake, ol' Funtimes decides he wants a closer look too. He tracks right across the top of this snake and somehow pulls it off without getting bit or rousing the snake at all actually.
Making my way back to the prairie schooner I get in as Funtimes tries to climb in also. I give him a pat on the head and wish him luck as I pull out of the harbor. He follows at full throttle for about a quarter-of-a-mile and then he sees a family having a picnic so decides to join them.
Guess I feel kind of bad not inviting him to the bunkhouse, but he looked to be well taken care of and I figure he was just out on an afternoon reprieve from his mundane life at home.
Regardless of what his situation is, today he was just looking to make a new friend.
Aren't we all at times?
