Why trout streams?

We had forgotten how physical wading a trout stream is. This morning we actually waded a section of a trout stream, without falling in. On the other hand, our catching, in contrast with our fishing, was limited to two trees and one wildflower, each caught on a cricket imitation.

where we were wading

Photo by J. Harrington

It felt great to be back in the water, watching for rises, seeing the wildflowers and pollinators along the bank, being careful to avoid the wild parsnip. We may need to reconsider having foregone the PT exercises for our right shoulder. Standing in a stream, waving a stick, as John Gierach writes, requires a certain amount of physical and mental coordination and stamina. We need to stop making excuses and get back to getting out more. We will admit to cheating by carrying our cell phone in our fly vest. That's what let us take the pictures you can see today. We didn't use it to call anyone, honest. Don't report us to the ghost of  John Volker [aka Robert Traver].

butterfly on Joe Pye weed

Photo by J. Harrington

Testament of a Fisherman

By John Voelker

“I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful,

and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the

television commercials, cocktail parties and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world

where most men spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of

delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or

impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect

that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don’t want to waste the trip; because

mercifully there are no telephones on fishing waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without

loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup tastes better out there; because maybe someday I will

catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I

suspect that so many other concerns of men are equally unimportant — and not nearly so much fun”

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