Alive and Well in the Upper Midwest

[Ernest]

I'm one of the old timers here. I read everything on the site, but I haven't been posting much lately. I'm still alive and well in the Upper Midwest.

Took a half day on Friday and drove out to one of my old streams. It's a medium sized trout stream with a rock and cobble bottom and classic riffles, runs, and pools. It was a solid overcast day, and this stream is best under the clouds. I fished a small streamer, and caught about ten browns to eleven inches long in the faster riffles.

I drove upstream to fish just one pool. The state bought the land and removed the house. The renters who lived there last, and pulled the trout out of the pool on nightcrawlers, are gone. The pool is 100 yards from the driveway. From the tail of the pool I cast toward the alders hanging over the right bank, and caught a sixteen inch brown. Five minutes later I caught a nineteen incher. Good work on the little cane rod. Good half day on the old stream.

Yesterday Al came out from town and we fished two small streams. Both of them run through the woods, both are lightly fished. The first was a miniature of the Friday stream, and held little brookies. We caught them. The second stream, two miles away, was slower, with a sandy bottom and a lot of wood in the water. It was six to eight feet wide. Al went down into the trees, and I fished an old beaver meadow, finishing with five nice browns. I saw a big one, and while this will never be one of my all time favorite streams, I'll go back when I have a few hours to spare.

[adam]

At a minimum, I drive at least an hour and a half, fast to get to streams that hold trout.

Reading your entry, I realize that I am fortunate to have trout at all.


One day I would l love to live near a trout stream.

[Ernest]

Adam,
I grew up within bicycle distance of several trout streams. I've made decisions that have kept me close to small stream trout. We moved last summer. The nearest tiny trout stream is within walking distance of the house. There's some pretty good fishing for trout within a dozen miles, and hundreds of miles of trout water within a slow hour's drive.

We all have to work with the cards we've been dealt. I don't have a lot of money, but in some ways I lead a rich life.

[adam]

Wise words.

One day, I'm going to call what game AND deal the cards, hopefully I will still be able to play.

[mems]

Aloha Ernest, glad you are still fishing. We all have choices, and we should never regret the ones we make that enrich our lives. Keep fishing, Mems.

[Satoshi]

We all have to work with the cards we've been dealt.

Ernest, this is exactly what I'm always thinking. My cards may be worse than yours but still better than no pair.

Satoshi

[ofuros]

Ernest, its funny how a little streamside prospecting rejuvinates an aging soul & sharpens up our hunters instinct..
...something we rarely find time to use nowadays. Well done.

ofuros

[Ernest]

Thanks, friends, for the comments.

When we moved last year, we had options, but they were narrowed by the desire to stay close to streams. I am a trout fisherman. This isn't just something that I do; it is who I am.

My next move, if there is one, should be into assisted living. I'm staying right here until they have to carry me out, dead or alive. Meanwhile, I can reach my old creeks in less than an hour, and I have some nearer ones to explore. I've been back already to prospect on the last stream mentioned in the original post. It's a neat little creek with a variety of habitats, I can drive to within 50 yards of the water at several access points, and I don't think anyone is fishing it. I wrote that it will never be one of my favorites, but that's not the fault of the stream. It's because of the competition.