Fishing Buddies

Everyone ought to have a few good fishing buddies. They are people with whom you share a common interest...a love of fishing and all that goes with it. They are on your wavelength, and you on theirs. In everyday life you may be very different, but you see eye to eye on fishing. You have shared special times together. It doesn't matter if those memories involve sitting on a riverbank in the dark by a campfire drinking a few beers and watching a rod propped up on a forked stick for signs of a big carp nibbling at your dough bait, or standing side by side in classic dry fly water casting midges to fussy, dimpling trout. 

Maybe you don't see some of your fishing buddies very often. Maybe you only fish together two or three times a year. But at some point, usually during mid to late winter, there will be a phone call or a visit. And you'll talk about old times and old fishing stories. There will be a favorite story you'll want to tell, and although the buddy has heard it dozens of times before and you know that too, you'll tell it yet again and they'll listen willingly and enjoy it. And then they'll tell you one of their favorite stories that you've heard more than once. And you'll return the favor gladly. You'll make plans for trips to come, maybe mad pie-in-the-sky plans about going to some exotic locale. Or maybe you'll have a spirited discussion about a favorite rod or tactic. But there will be no serious disagreement. Maybe there's a special place you go fishing with your buddies, a trip that has become a tradition. 

As the departure date nears, many phone calls will be exchanged. A sudden interest in meteorology develops, and long-range weather forecasts take on a new importance. Inquiries are made with far away tackle shops regarding stream conditions and hatches, even though you know you're going no matter what! And when you arrive, it's magic. It seems like the preceding year has been merely waiting for this week to arrive. And no matter if the water is high or the hatches off schedule, something always happens to make it worthwhile; maybe seeing a wild turkey and her poults, or a fawn sheltering in the grass along the stream, or a mink running along the bank carrying a trout bigger than any you've caught that day. Or maybe just being in a special place with special friends. 

Yes indeed, everyone should have a few good fishing buddies.

--Mary S. Kuss--
Fall 2009 Issue