Day 70 - Tedium

This past week I have to admit that I didn't venture too far away from the house. Given the fact that I don't have a job and the bills are piling up higher than I'd like to see, I chose to live off of Hot Pockets, Cheerwine, and an occasional baked potato. In case you're not from the Greensboro area, it rained last week... a lot! As such, my practice pond wasn't even much of an option.

These dark days of rain, cold, and boredom drive me crazy. At one point I even scrubbed the shower clean. And by clean, I mean I reverted back to my military days of clean. I don't know how other anglers bear the tedium. Maybe they get a reprieve from the dreary mundane by actually making a living. I think that would help, but every true angler has a piece of wild stream hidden in their hearts beckoning them back into the wild.

How I dealt with the monotony of life was that I (in between filing bills, playing with the Wonderpup, and cleaning the bathroom) read about fly fishing, watched videos on fly fishing, and even tied a few flies. Will this be the answer to the upcoming months ahead? Possibly.

When I lived up north, it may have been a different answer. The beginning of every season, my buddy Mike and I would gather on the frozen waters of Wisconsin and attempt to fish the opener. Sometimes it would just consist of us getting together and talking about fish as the wind chill, the snow, and the sub zero weather would keep us off the water.

But here in North Carolina, I have different expectations. It is the middle of November and today pushed the 70's. It dipped into the 50's a few weeks back and I put on a jacket when I got to church. As I was walking in, I overheard one of the ladies mentioning that this weather wasn't due until Christmas. Really?? When you add to that the streams remain open year round here, monotony may not get too much of a chance to set in.

This upcoming week I have higher hopes. I may not be able to hit a real trout river, but I may get some practice time in at the "casting pond" in my subdivision. The panfish I've got pretty well figured out (thanks to fishing that species growing up). I may try to work the banks and try for a few bass. I've been told by a fellow brother of the angle that there are some decent ones cruising in there. I'll have to find my box with the bigger bugs if I decide to go that route.

The last couple of times I've hit the panfish pretty hard. I mentioned this to my dad and he asked how many I kept. Sheepishly, I replied I threw them all back (despite having some decent fish). I may gather a few this week (if the regulations allow me to) and fry them up with a little cornmeal and some butter.

I guess no matter how you look at it, we all have to do something to keep us from going stir crazy when we can't fish. Some of us tie flies, others tell stories, while others listen/read those stories. In the end, I imagine that we do whatever we can to ease that calling of the wild.