It was going to be one of those weekends when I just sat at home and tie for hours, untill I recieved a e-mail from my friend Alan about inviting me to go to the SuperBoo conclave in Fairfield. I was so happy, jumping around everywhere and talking about it all week long. I called up a friend and before we knew it Alan was at my front door ready to take us up. Alan had been up there MANY times, and he knows the river and the area like no one else. We were out the door in no time, and even the long ride up was enjoyable, talking and sharing fishing stories with Alan. The conclave was inside the Junior high school, and when I walked in I was immediatly greeted by friendly faces that reconized me from the rivers I fish and the forum I go to. Up on the wall were beautifull bamboo fly rods, ranging from $500 to $5,000!! I was so afraid of them. They were so beautifull, and they drew me to them. I took one off the rack and started casting. I couldn’t help imagining having one of my own. Around me bamboo lovers and makers wereeverywhere, talking about their masterpieces. Time flew by, and after casting a ton of rods a Alan said he was going to take the group to lunch and then to see the river. After lunch, we drove to shawmut. I was so scared, the river over powered me so much, I was in shock. Big, rapid water that held fish!! I was so mad I didn’t bring my fly rod. While Caleb and I were complaining about not bringing the gear, a friend of mine said “you want to fish?’ My heart jumped. He took out an old bamboo fly rod and we started to fish with the flys Caleb had gotten for free and the wooden fly stick. After a while fishing from the shore, Alan wanted to show us Madison. This part of the river is amazing. Alan had landed a 24” wild brown in here, and he said they get even bigger, at least up to 28”. We drove back home around 5, and I can’t wait to hit it hard this year. Well, thats my story, and the 2005 season awaits us! Tight lines everyone!
great story fisherboy – i get a sense from reading all your fishtales – that you are more familiar with fishing smaller streams and rivers – you mentioned how overwhelmed you felt by the powerful kennebec and the enormousness of it all. here is a little tip that marshall-d shared with me and you can use it all your life – i do.
he said this – “always look for the rivers within the rivers.”
so – whether your fishing the ocean or big river systems don’t focus on the totality of things. look at things from a micro perspective. find the seems, the runs, the little eddies within the big water and treat each of these as their own little entities. you will find that it will make things much less overwhelming. also you will start to get very good at reading all kinds of water and seeing things that are not obvious to the casual observer.