The River Welcomes Me Back with Open Arms

Since my entry made almost 8 months ago, my line has barely been moistened. Other than the occasional couple hour respite with nothing other than a spat hook, or a broken leader from fish that refused to reveal themselves to show for my efforts, I haven't been anywhere near the places that I used to call home. Contrary to what you might expect, I did not live in complete and utter misery during my time away. I have discovered a new joy in this life, and that is fatherhood with the arrival of our son, Ethan. But even the most dedicated father needs to occasionally revisit the old places that brought him joy, passion, and the things that have come to define him as the person that his children will grow up to know and hopefully learn from. To me, fishing is one of these things.

The river is where I have spent countless hours in pursuit of truth, sanity, and these beautiful finned creatures; and today I returned to it, abeit for a brief moment.

The Scenic Way Home

Heavenly

The Advent of Spring

Still waiting on that first fish of the season. . .

Fish Tales

There must be a ton of fish stories floating around about me!

Better Late Than Never

Finally, I had the opportunity to fish the Trico hatch with my good fishing buddy, Dave W this morning.

The Tricos were prolific, as were the fish rising for them; however, our fishing success was not quite so exemplary.

It always amazes me that these little gems can discern our tiny size 22 handmade concoctions from those naturemade ones even in swift, riffly water. But by this time of year, these little fellows are much wiser than those pursuing them - particularly on this given day.

We did get lucky on occasion.

Today, I realized how much I had missed fishing, and with the imminent arrival of our (my wife and I) first "bundle of joy", it may prove to be difficult in the coming months. But we still have 5 more weeks of waiting, and with the migratory salmon fishing only 1 good rainfall away, I plan on making the most of it.

See you on the water soon.

Beauty and the Beast