Chapter 58 Day 35 - Trout Season

Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives And Fly Fishing

There's a stew on the stove-top, and as I peck on this laptop the stew is in the stewing stage. 

With the weather being as brutal as it's been today, a chance at the river was out of the question.  Maybe, if I were a younger man a trip would have been possible, but a younger man I am not and that is fodder for another piece later on. 

The sky was gray all day and that somehow always says to me that it's the perfect day to go fly fishing for trout.  However, the temperature has not penetrated the forty mark and the wind is as relentless as I have seen this trout season. 

So, I cook today. 

And since I am cooking, it reminds me of the more eclectic approach I take to fly fishing these days and one of the aspects of that is... good food... somewhere along the way to the water or back.

For years, if you walked into Scotty's Blue River One Stop, Scotty was the chief, head cook, bottle washer, janitor, bait expert, trout fishing therapist, propane tank filler, and all-around good guy.  Back then, if you ordered a hamburger you got what is known as a "Scotty Burger".

However, there came a lady named Gloria and she took over many of the duties including cooking burgers.  Scotty Burgers would rival any hamburger, anytime, anywhere.  They were simply that good and greasy.  But, I, like others, learned something when Gloria came along.

If you go to Scotty's place today and he is on the grill then you ask for a Scotty Burger.  However, if Gloria is on the grill... don't dare ask for a Scotty Burger.  If you do, she will tell you quite promptly and plainly she doesn't cook Scotty Burgers... she cooks Gloria Burgers. 

You know what?  Her burgers are as good as Scotty's. 

Both burgers are so good, I've been thinking about trying to contact Guy Fieri and his show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and see if Guy would come shoot a segment on these wonderful palate pleasing patties.

Guy, being the hoot he is, would probably get behind the grill and flip a few burgers himself.  Then, as he usually does in front of the camera, he'll cram about half of one of Scotty's or Gloria's burgers in his mouth and declare, "Wow man, that's out of the park", or "Wow man, that's out of bounds", or Wow man, that's patent pending", or one of his other famous quotes.

After he wraps his shoot, I figure some of us could kind of surround Guy and begin to wear his arse out about fly-fishing down on Blue River.  We could have it all planned and staged, having a set of waders ready for him.  Then, we get Guy down there and put a fly rod in his hand to see if this fellow that can cook so good... can fish so good. 

It will be a blast!  And... Guy will probably catch some trout too.  

Two Bows To Go

Trout Season 2009/2010 Day Eleven Fishing

My Tuesday fishing thing is going south really quick. Today it looked like there was no chance of me getting to the river Blue to fish at all even though I had to go to Tishomingo.

But...nothing chanced, nothing gained so I gave it a go anyhow. I knew full well that at the most I would have fifteen minutes to fish and no more even if I got that much in.

Now some would question the sanity of a man who would gear up to fish for fifteen minutes. To that I would simply say desperation does strange things to a man. Also, I was that badly in need of a trout fix.

So, I scream into campsite 17 and put all the gear on and trot to the river. Fishing the lower end of 17 I capture two bows and then it's time to go. The workplace is ever demanding these days and I'm sure my absence was noticed.

Not so long ago there was a sweet older gentleman that accommodated Scotty's quite a bit. His name was J.D., and one day when J.D. noticed by hurried rush to the river on a Tuesday afternoon he said, "Barry...you're going to loose the farm for fishing."

From what I'm hearing lately at work...J.D. may very well be right.

Was today worth it? Wouldn't trade today's minutes for gold.

Would I do it again. Absolutely...may do it tomorrow.

Cyber Monday For Fly Anglers

Today is that day that many outdoor based retailers are offering great deals to fill those Christmas stockings.

If you are an on-line shopper you might want to take a quick look at what some of these retailers have to offer because many of their bargains end tomorrow.

I've picked out a few just to entice you and I hope you enjoy our visits.

Cabelas. Better act soon.

Bass Pro. Yep, their promotion is coming to an end soon too.

Orvis. Orvis is the King Kong of the fly fishing retailing world and they have some good deals going.

L.L. Bean. I love L.L. Bean and they are one of my favorite outdoor retailers.

Hope everyone finds that perfect fly-fishing gift.

One At 17 For Eleven

2009/2010 Trout Season - Fishing Day Two

I cleverly devised this plan at the workplace where I will be in Tishomingo each Tuesday and of course I'll only be nine miles away from the river. I figure this new plan of mine is going to add about twenty additional fishing days at Blue this season. Today, I put my plan to work but there were a few hitches. I got hung-up at one of the other stores and got a really late start going to Blue.

I arrived at Blue at about one o'clock and decided to spend some time with beloved 17. I would end up spending one hour with 17 and meeting eleven bows.

I could tell you that today was a totally different story from yesterday and I would be telling you the truth. And, I could tell you today was just like yesterday and still be telling you the truth. Today...was a combination of both.

At the bank at 17 I noticed how much clearer the water here was today, compared to the Flats yesterday, so I decided to tie on an olive-yellow split-tail size 12 bugger and fish it as we normally would fish a bugger.

My first down and across cast with a swing resulted in a strike but no hook-set. My second cast would end up the same, but on the third cast I met my first bow of the day. The down and across presentation with the swing would take six bows but bow number six unraveled my olive-yellow split tail.

Next I tied on a red ass olive bugger same size and on the first cast met another bow. But after bow number seven there was nothing. It was then I decided to try what worked yesterday with that being a straight across cast and mend like crazy. Three presentations this way brought three bows and worked quite well until bow number eleven. Then everything shut down, and I couldn't have bought a bow after that.

Before I left however I decided to tie on a Crackleback trailer with the bugger and the first cast resulted in a strike but no hook-up. I made twenty more casts and it was nada, zilch, nothing. It was time for me to go.

Even though I had only been with Blue for an hour it was a good hour but I had pressing things at home to tend too.

Again today I didn't dare take the camera into the river because I'm still not confident in my wading abilities with the extra flow and still somewhat dim waters. The river should be excellent in the next couple of days.

On my way out I saw Chris Adams fly-fishing at Chris's Pool. I didn't stop and bother him because he looked extremely contented. I left Chris to his water.

Every Dog Has His Day

He was born on Christmas day 1999 and instantly became my constant companion. Being a solid black miniature poodle the name Smokey just seem to fit and so he was so named.

The following year I decided to start taking him to Blue River with me because I have always believed that all dogs, regardless of their breed, inherently love the outdoors. Smokey was no exception.

It didn't seem to matter where I waded in the river, Smokey was always right behind me usually struggling against the current. He was never groomed as a poodle but was kept full and his thick curly hair collected a lot of water that simply caused him problems in the river's current. More than once, I had to dive almost face first into the river to assist the little beggar.

In 2002, Smokey started giving the weekly Trout Scout report on blueriverok.com. Silly thing actually, a poodle giving a fishing report, but the visitors to the website seemed to get a big kick out of it and it brought a degree of celebrity to Smokey's life. These days when Smokey goes to Blue with me someone will walk by and say "Hey look, it's Smokey the trout scout". And of course as all dogs do, Smokey laps up the extra attention from the folks.

About a month ago I begin to notice some changes in Smokey. We have a daily ritual of me offering a tidbit of people food from my hand and Smokey started struggling to find the offering right in front of his eyes. Then, in my fly tying room I have a foot stool next to my chair and each time I tie Smokey is on the foot stool. He has become unable to estimate the distance from the floor to the stool and now requires assistance. My initial fear was that he was losing his eyesight.

About two weeks ago I took Smokey to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area for a walk. He loves his walks. We had been there less than a minute and that's when Smokey ran head-first into the trunk of a rather large oak tree. That experience pretty much confirmed to me that Smokey is going blind, and the veterinarian has further confirmed this sad fact.

Dogs have always played a profound part in my life. Seems like I have always had a dog. There has been Black Labs, Irish Setters, Black and Tans, Blue Ticks, Beagles, and on and on. All of my previous companions were good friends but none to the degree Smokey has been.

Yes, dogs have been important to me. In college I was a good student but in junior high and high school I was terrible. My mind was always somewhere else, probably Rock Creek since it ran right by the school system. I only read two books completely through junior and high school and they were both about dogs. One was "Big Red" and the other "Weep No More My Lady".

I know that this will be Smokey's last season of Rainbows for he will no longer be able to go. It will be my job now to guide him through life in the days that remain. The fishing report he does may stay up because it's a vicarious thing anyhow and can be done by an alter-ego.

I plan on taking Smokey to Blue River one more time this season. We won't go to fly-fish because it will simply be his day and every dog has his day.