Worth Your Weight in Gold

Originally Posted December 7, 2016

You wake up, it's still pitch black out. You can hear the rain pouring down outside. 
Drink coffee. Grab fishing gear. Bundle up. Make sure you are as waterproof as you can be. 

You leave the house and head out. Sure it's wet and cold, but the fish are already wet and cold, so it really doesn't matter. 

You arrive at a soft, still, run; bubbling from what appears to be rain. The closer you get, the subtle differences between a raindrop hitting the surface and trout feeding on the surface becomes apparent. Every so often you can see bright, yellow tails break the surface, taunting you and making you even more aware of their presence. 

Every cast is an effort in futility. Size 24 dry flys are no match for the mighty raindrop.

 Cast. 
Drift. 
Apply dressing.
Repeat.

It's an excruciating process, one you only participate in if you are truly, certifiably crazy. But you will be rewarded for your mad routine, with gold, in the form of a brown trout or two. So, you continue this crazy pattern until your hands are so cold and wet you can no longer set the hook. You warm yourself with good conversation and beer and go at it again, only to repeat this pattern as well. 

Eventually, you decide that you're soaked and good conversation can only go so far to warm you, the car heater does a much better job. You make your sojourn back to the car, soaked and tired and slightly buzzed. You may look broken down and smell like a wet dog, but you leave knowing that you are worth your weight in gold.