Lunch Break

With the winter reluctantly giving up it's death-grip on my throat, 54 degrees Fahrenheit seemed like a scorcher and incited a mutiny at the home office today.  I opted to take a stroll in lieu of lunch today.   I grabbed my 4wt and my camera before closing the door.  The little creek by the house has never given up her fish easily and I felt like a little recon might be in order.  The sun was high and the water sparkled with the siren song emerald green that makes the last months of shoveling snow and chipping ice a distant memory (and hope springs eternal once again).  The trout in this particular creek are the wariest I've ever seen.  Seldom big, they require stealth that I seem to be incapable of.  The great thing about this tiny trickle is that when the sun is high and the water clear, you can count the fish you've spooked.   I consider a "one fish day" on this creek a banner outing so today's 2 fish count was good karma.  At one point I crawled on my belly across the dried field grass and pointed the polarizing filtered lens into a pool to grab some "trout shots".  Why these fish didn't flee is beyond me.  A 4wt line false casted over them from 60' away would have sent them on a mad dash, but apparently they aren't threatened by a jackass on his belly.  This particular creek flows into a a larger stream whose junction I've never taken the time to investigate.  I hoofed the creek downstream to the meeting point and was happy to see some browns in the main stem as well.  Obviously, I need to do some more fact finding.  Sandhill cranes croaked overhead and the remains of a raccoon decomposed on the bank.  I had worked up a little sweat on this completely satisfying noontime trek and decided that perhaps foregoing the sandwich at home was a wise choice.