Hello All,

I am continuing my story about a big fish I am currently chasing.

Yesterday was rainy all day long, so I didn't pursue him. This morning
I drove down to the spot to discover the water tinged but not blown. I
couldn't see his lie, but knew where is was, so I lowered a crayfish fly
down to him. I quickly got a strike, my heart stopped... and I landed
an 11 incher. It was dark and skinny, didn't look that good at all.

Now, before you all chuckle at my mistaking an 11 inch fish for an 18 to
20 incher, I did see a smaller one sharing the lie with my big boy
before. I was encouraged.

I just got back from there (it is early evening). I drove up to
discover the local trout bum at the same spot. I know him well - did
some business a few years ago with this deeply troubled guy. He said he
was ready to get really ****ed that somebody else wanted to fish there,
before he recognized me. We had a very brief, scattergun conversation
where he told me that he had been killing them, killing them and I told
him that I had not. I mentioned my big fish I was targetting, and he
said that he knew all about that one, and had gotten bigger. What could
I say - the man practically lives on that stream. He very abruptly said
that if I was going to fish there, he would find somewhere else to go
and sped off. I was sort of flummoxed by the conversation. I consider
myself on friendly terms with the man, hadn't seen him in a while, and
he took off after the briefest of exchanges. I decided not to worry too
much about it - this poor guy has the fragile psyche of somebody that
has taken the fishing life way, way too far.

I dredged the big trout's lie without a touch. It was still too dingy
to see if he showed himself. I pondered the things that the reclusive
trout bum had said - amounting to "the fishing here is fantastic if you
really, really know what you are doing". Maybe so. I also knew that
that particular ne'er-do-well had considered the fishing in that stream
good enough to quit his job and lose his family over. I thought about
how the manic desire to catch every trout in that stream led this man to
completely forsake his relationships. The mood I was in, I would have
welcomed a nice conversation just as much as capturing the big trout I
was after.

So I reeled up and went home.

Sorry to disappoint those who had wagers on my performance.

Pete Collin