22 April 2010
The Circling Dogs Continued
)Published on April 22nd, 2010 @ 12:20:26 pm, using 697 words, 41 views
From the previous blog we will continue with Joe the somewhat hungover guide preocuppied by Ms. Chewbacca from the Top Hat Bluegrass bar beginning their fishing day with Bill and his wife Rosie.
As I pull up to the front of the shop I notice Bill and Rosie are pretty organized and seem to have everthing. Always a good sign and some mornings is a contrary position to my a.m. circumstance.
Joe - “Do We have everything? Licenses? Rain Gear? Reels?"(Lunch, Dishes, Flies, Water, Propane, Floatant)
Rosie - “We are good. I checked it over, hard to keep Bill organized with fish on his mind.”
Joe - “Let’s roll I want to hit Kona bank with the first fly.” (Sounds like a cool gal.)
The next ten minutes of conversaton will focus on where are you from, how many kids, how long in town, etc. Then Bill is going to go for the throat at some point and figure out what how bad a newbie guide he drew and just dropped $450 a day to fish with.
Bill - “So how long have been in the guide business?” (Please at least a second year guy)
Joe - “Well, I guess I should let you know right now. This is my first day of guiding. If you guys see a river that looks good please let me know and we’ll give it a shot.” (Game on, your move Bill)
Bill - “I figured as much when you called my fly rod a pole and my floating line funny colored string.” (He IS a young one, kinda of prickly fellow. This might work out after all.)
Joe - “And I will need some help getting the boat in the water, either one of you know how to back up a trailer? Whenever I spin the wheel it goes opposite of where I want.”
Rosie - “I can back one up, but I heard you Montana boys don’t take well to gals driving your trucks.” (Smart ass, kid)
Joe - “Well I’ll give it my best, the river is big enough eventually I’ll hit water.” (This might work out after all, they have character.)
Rosie - “Thats exactly what I tell Bill when he is casting.”
Laughter and the ice is broke. No body trusts anybody yet, but at least we have a chance before the flies get tied on.
Joe - “Actually guys this is my first year guiding. I am born and raised here and while I’m not the boatman that I wish I was, I will work hard for you guys and I seem to find adequate numbers of fish. (That’s the truth and either way you are in my boat for the day, so lets make the best of it.)
Bill - Works for us. (Yeah, you can kind of see the local inbreeding around the eyes. I am 100% sure that is stale whiskey.)
In the end the gig is trust. If you have been guided with a good professional that calls the eat right before it happens and for seemingly no reason changes the fly and produces another off water weirdo lay trout, then you understand water trust.
When we say 5 feet off the log and twitch it twice. We mean it. 3 feet won’t get bit and 7 feet is over the dink trout. Exactly there in the magic trout shoebox where it happens. If you trust me you will be ready. If you don’t, the dry fly gobble will come as a surprise and you will tell me he missed it, or it just rolled on it, or it was a short striking trout nibbling the legs. Either way you don’t get the trophy trout picture and I don’t get big tip.
And if you put it in the magic water shoebox and it doesn’t happen, then I haven’t earned your belief. I accept that. Somedays those little finned bastards beat me.
Rightly so this guiding game is two way street. If either party checks out its a solo dance.
A grown man in waders dancing by himself is an uncomfortably grim sight, especially if they are playing sentimental 80’s music.
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