"Two things we're never late for..."

A River Runs Through It.  A classic and a film that never tires for me.

"Church and Fishing."  One of the greatest lines to come out of the greatest fly fishing film, "A River Runs Through It".  I have said that many a time to a friend or relative who has been late to arrive roadside, boat side, stream side or wherever we decided to meet at whatever ungodly hour.  I have NEVER been late for fishing.  Not once.  And then there was today.

I can't blame daylight savings, or an upset stomach due to who knows what in the wee hours of attempted sleep or a faulty alarm (I mean the thing must have gone off...since when has my cell phone ever failed me???).  I guess that just leaves myself to blame.

My patient and gracious brother-in-law took it in stride.  After the fourth text, he went to grab some coffee and came back to the homestead and waited a bit more.  All told I threw the day off by a good 20 minutes, which, as you know, can be a game changer (at least in my superstitious or crazy-when-it-comes-to-fishing mind).  I hoped out loud that the fish gods would repay him for his virtue.

It was 28 degrees when we arrived at the snowy banks of the East Branch of the Croton Reservoir.  It wouldn't warm up for quite some time.  There was ice in the guides and there were leaks in our waders.  As it turns out, the fish gods were on the right side today and my partner netted the one and only brown trout of the four hours or so that we fished.  Nymphs, streamers, droppers, split shot, no split shot, you name it we threw it and moved up and down the river too!  Oh well, them's the breaks and I was late so what's a guy to do?

All in all, the coffee was hot, the laughter was kind and the stones were smooth and slick under ripples of fluid water and the early call of spring birds.  And the sun, when it finally beamed over the hills, felt to me as it must feel to the crocuses that are fledgling here in NY about now, just bursting through the melting snow without thought or reason.  Just kind of opens you up.  Spring is almost here.  The trout will soon be rising.

And I never did make it church.

The man with the patience and the only fish of the day.

(*** As it turns out, in the River Runs Through It quote there were three things they were never late for; work, church and fishing.  Well, It's Sunday and I don't want to think about work on a Sunday, let alone write about it. ***)