The Trip of a Lifetime; Part Two of Two


This brought me to a beautiful hole, which got me excited and almost made me forget about the long detour around the falls. Clearing the ice from my rod ferrules, I made my first cast delivering the fly just above a large boulder where the water rushed around both sides. This looked like a perfect spot, a whole where the big one would be laying in wait. The fly, drifting in concert with the waters movement, slow picking up speed as it approached the boulder, moving around the boulder just as I had envisioned it. I was prepared to set the hook and then, nothing, "man", I said to myself in disbelief, I just knew that big one was there waiting just for me on this snowy day.

I had to try it again! Another cast found the fly in the perfect position once again. Here we go I thought, as the fly made its slow journey to the boulder, then rushing around it dropping into the hole. Whoa, this was it, he was on. I knew it, I just knew there would be one there. I wanted this one so I was being extra careful when all of a sudden -to my total disbelief- here come a bear, barreling straight towards me. About the same time here come Ron and David down the ridge after their arduous detour around the falls. "Caught anything" Ron hollered as they approached? This did not freighting the bear one iota! However, at the same time Ron, David and I hollered the same four letter word, shoot -well, that’s close enough.

They took-off back up the ridge, which they had just come down. I, well I didn’t want to loose that prize fish, and I didn’t want to leave my fly-rod, -it was my favorite- however, I didn’t particularly want to loose my life on this particular day either. So, what did I do? I turned fly rod in hand and took to climbing the ridge, which seconds before Ron and David had taken too. Now, if I would have wanted to do the thing that was to happen next, I couldn’t have done it in a hundred years. As I said, with fly-rod in hand, -now this is where it gets tricky- and fish in tow -yep, I had about twenty foot of line out and that prize fish was following me up that ridge. I was wasting no time and for the life of me, I will never understand how that fish was staying on the hook. Now, nearing the top of the ridge I took the time to look back and the bear was still coming. Well, that was enough for me! To heck with that fly rod and fish, I didn’t need either bad enough to let them slow me down so; I dropped my rod and started down the other side of the ridge. About fifty yards down the ridge I looked back again, the bear was no where in sight.

The copyright of the article The Trip of a Lifetime; Part Two of Two in Fly Fishing is owned by Lee Ennis. Permission to republish The Trip of a Lifetime; Part Two of Two in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic