042215

The day started off earlier than I would have liked because pain in my recently doctored toe and my body's increasing resistance to the effects of ambien. Although I can always just take another pill, it was the toe that got me worried. Thoughts of the Gangrene pictures on packs of smokes in New Zealand got the old mind working. So, even though I was heading out of town this morning with a day on the water ahead of me, it still started off pretty crappy.
Charlie and I headed west to fish a river we barely know to the point of which I could more honestly say we do not know. We had to get directions to the boat ramp from the shuttle driver, but we did look at the takeout and I judged where we should be by lining up with a cell tower a few miles in the distance. Solid planning.
As we pull into the launch area, we realize that there is someone already on the water. Thought of heading elsewhere come to mind, but I decided to just roll with it so we continued towards the water. Turns out that the rig ahead of is ol' FWP. Thought of a couple years ago and shocking boats on the same river on the same day come to mind. At first it hit me kind of like that sensation of recalling that first sip of Jack and Coke, but then it started nagging at me more like that feeling in my toe. Sure enough, turns out they shock here every year on the same day. "F IT" were my words and we went ahead with the float, thinking that either we would eventually get ahead of them or have a legitimate excuse for crappy fishing.
Never saw the shocking boat and ended up having an alright day of throwing streamers. Maybe the shocking boat was upstream of us, or maybe that's just how good we are? We'll never know, but we will know that I'm not afraid to throw streamers throughout one of those super thick blanket Caddis hatches that most fly anglers hope just to see at some point in their lives.
We found the takeout, mostly due to my precise morning planning and directional alignment. Lost the raft off the trailer as I was pulling up the ramp, but eventually got it done and made right with the world. Made it to Missoula where we enjoyed a half hour or so of casual festivities at a Cocktail party and had mediocre Mexican food for dinner. Got some antibiotics for the toe and getting ready to drop the first of maybe two hits of ambien.