The sound of the Coleman white gas stove being pumped up awakened me. John, the one who is usually first up, was fighting that cantankerous beast to get 'er lit so as to make morning camp coffee. There is nothing better than coffee in camp or camp coffee and I am forever grateful that my brother goes to battle with the stove on our behalf each morning!
It was chilly out. 17 degrees at 7:00am. I lingered in the warmth of my sleeping bag before finally rolling out of the rack a few minutes later. The sun was out as we currently had clear blue skies and all the birds were singing their morning chorus and greeting of the new day. Morning greetings were exchanged among those in camp, I poured my coffee savoring the warmth of the cup in my cold hands as I gingerly and carefully sipped the hot liquid and basked in the warming rays of that giant heater in the sky.
It was decided we would have breakfast at the lodge this morning and after milling about in camp, stretching, yawning and, in general, waking up fully, we piled into the Jeep for the 20 minute drive to Gates Lodge for Julies Guides Full Day Starter breakfast of 2 eggs cooked to order, meat, homemade toast and ausable hash brown potato pancakes. After throwing down breakfast we milled about Gates fly shop in search of new "hooey" and to exchange pleasantries, along with the previous days fishing details, with a select few of the staff. There are some things you just do not blabber out loud to the general public or in the close confines of a fly shop for as Rusty taught us, some information is sacred and best kept secret to yourself and your closest allies!
Once again we wold be heading out to the Mason Tract and our beloved South Branch of the Au Sable River though in a different area, The Highbanks and Sheps Bend. Over the many eons nearly all the stretches of river have acquired different names. Each section is unique and some sections got their names by their physical attributes like Daisy Bend, The Baldwin's, other sections were named after individuals, Like Sheps Bend, and still others were named from experiences, Like the Ice Box or Dinks hole. Some of the named sections everyone knows, other names only a select few know once again, possibly, keeping things, or locations, a well kept secret.
There is once section of river I myself am very fond of, upstream from the Highbanks where there is a tight grouping of 3-4 cedars where one can lounge against them in comfort and style on the bank while still providing ample view of the river. On sunny, hot days they provide shade, on windy and/or rainy days they provide shelter from the elements and the moss covered ground provides just the right amount of padding and insulation when it's needed. I have sat at the base and shelter of these cedars many-a-hour, and have napped there while waiting for the hatch to come on and that is where I am this 2nd day of fishing or, in this case, fishing but not fishing. It has been said "Some men go fishing all their lives never realizing that it is, quite often, not fish they're after" I learned, long ago, that there is more to fishing than catching fish, catching fish is just a bonus to the overall experience of being outdoors. I am just a visitor here and a temporary one at that.
The forest is a bustle of activity and if one listens carefully it has a conversation with you thru its sounds and inhabitants. There is the drumming of the Grouse, there is the tap-tap-tap of the woodpecker, a rustle of leaves as chipmunks and squirrels scamper hither and tither and the symphony of gentle breezes thru the branches. Of course there is always, in the background, the gentle sounds of the river as it babbles continuously along. So I sit here, with my eyes closed, really quite satisfied and relaxed with how the day is panning out when I here my first tell-tale splash of a rising trout. It is not a loud sound, but it is a very distinctive sound and one that stirs the soul and makes the heart pound in excitement! I stand, grab my fly rod, quickly look over the river, see,and hear, another rise just down stream and I quietly and purposefully enter the river in pursuit!
Categories: Fly-Fishing
