Looking Back

I remember it well, and just found the pictures.  It was May 2007, and if I was to put my life into chapters like a book this would be near the end of one of them.  It was a couple days after my brother's birthdays, and a few days before what I'd call the start of a new chapter, called my trip to Lesotho(a small landlocked country in South Africa where I worked with an orphanage).  This time in my life I was making some choices about my future and with that I was doing what has always calmed my mind and also allowed it to think clearly, and that is fly fishing.  

My brother and I when to a spot that has always treated us very well over the years.  I do not remember the exact drift or even when I moved to the spillway I was working, but the fish is still burned in my head.  It was a thick, long, heavy rainbow with amazing color and I think it might have had shoulders because it pulled like a mack truck.  I was fishing with my 5 foot 5wt full flex rod and well when you hooked up with a 20 inch fish using a light rod like this you know it.  It was the same feeling I had this year when I fished smith gill woods and missed that big fish on a dry.  

This fish was landed on a price nymph, I remember fishing the nymph with no indicator or dropper.  I remember the hook set and thinking I was maybe stuck on a log I knew was a the bottom of this section of swift moving water, but when the head shake started I only could think big fish.  My brother was down steam but not far because we were fishing together this day, and it was a good thing.  He looked up at me after the hook set and without any words at first, he started pulling his line in fast and coming to my aid. As he got close I think I said "it is a good one".  He past behind me and I handed him the net, and kept the pressure on this fish.  As I felt the fish tire I turned steady pressure into getting line back on the reel.  

Jason(my brother) was right there once I got to that sweet spot and I think instead of netting he hand landed even with my steady objection.  Some of the hand shots are of him holding it and I was probably jumping for joy between camera shots.  I know this fish ranks up there as one of my best I ever caught, compared to some people this fish is a shrimp, but I think I am still as proud of this fish on this day, as any other fish I have ever caught.  

I just want to point out that a picture is worth a thousand words, and when I looked at this picture tonight these words came to mind and I thought I would share them.  

I know I need to do blog work and I will because honestly I have not been fishing so I need to make this blog look good, feel good, and read well.  Lets hope I can get out fishing again soon so I have something new to blog about.  

-Bruce