Sharing a Cold and Wet Day of Fishing

The alarm clock rang out, my wife gently touched my shoulder and I raised myself to a sitting position. After convincing my arthritic knees and ankles they could once again support my weight, I staggered off to the bathroom. It was 2:30 in the morning and I was happy. I was going fishing. 245 miles later, Doug Hollen, Carl Sims, and I were fishing the Blue River in Oklahoma. It was cold and wet but we managed a few rainbows.

Doug struck first taking this nice one on a midge.

Carl answered with this chunk taken on a jitterbee of all things.

I have been determined to take a trout on a briminator. I began the day using them and promptly got broken off twice after vicious hits. Now that I know they’ll work, all I have to do is bring a trout to hand and get a photo of it with the triumphant briminator planted firmly in its lip. Then I’ll be satisfied. I did get on the board though with this guy who fell to another Doug Hollen tied midge.

Carl ended the day with this toad. It was the fish of the day and gave Carl and his little 4wt a run for their money.

At the end of the day, we were standing around saying our goodbye’s, when Doug commented on how it’s always fun to go fishing but it’s infinitely more fun when a day of fishing is spent with the camaraderie of good friends. He was absolutely right. I mean, come on getting up at 2:30 and driving over 200 miles to stand in bone numbing cold water waving a stick in the air is fun; getting to share it with a couple of buddies makes it special…

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