Blue Heron on the Stream

   Kim and I had some time to go fly fishing together this week. After I got out of work we drove to a local stream and we geared up for a two hour window of trout fishing. The weather was perfect, very little wind and puffy clouds, at a temperature that doesn't make your legs sweat. If you have ever worn waders on a hot day you know what I mean.
   My hope was to get Kim into some new casting techniques that would produce strikes. The problems I needed to overcome were... the water was low and calm ... the hour was 3:00 in the afternoon. The sun was bright ... and the water was clear as glass. After a few casts we had spooked the trout to the bottom of the pool. But we continued trying to entice one of them to bite. And finally Kim had one on. As she struggled to retrieve the slack, her pole tip lowered and that was enough for the trout to spit out her nymph. So we went over some basic rules of retrieving line. Don't give the fish any slack, keep the pole tip up, strip in the line and don't reel the line in.
  Kim complains there are to many things to remember when your heart is racing from the adrenaline of hooking up. And that is precisely why we love to fish. The rush of catching a fish is like being a kid again. Do you agree?
   As we continued to enjoy our beautiful afternoon date. We saw a blue heron float across the sky in front of us and land in the stream about thirty feet away. Kim got her camera and started recording it. As she did a second blue heron sailed in and landed right next to the first. It squawked and one flew off. Kim continued to film as the bird tiptoed in the shallow water searching for a snack.

                                                                      Kim's video

   Nature is the other thing that makes fly fishing so enjoyable. To be where animals react in their natural surroundings has great benefits to our health and stress reduction. You might find nature on walks and bicycling also. But fly fishing at times can have you standing still with little movement while observing all that goes on around you. Don't forget to take your camera. It's a must for every tackle bag.
No telling when you'll see a whole family of blue heron on the stream or hatching from their nest.
   Kim and I ended up only hooking a few fish but it was well worth the time.