flyfshr8
06-07-2002, 12:38 PM
My friends, I am truly happy to be e-mailing you again.
On Wednesday this week, I truly thought I was going to meet the maker. I felt the blood pound in my face, and heard my own yells echo from the canyon walls.
Our story unfolds on a hot June afternoon of a fishing trip our friend Ezlehappy and I had arranged. After spending a fruitless morning on Mud Creek Bay on Strawberry, where not a single fish was brought to net we decided to head over to Current Creek, which was the original plan.
When we arrived, we fished together right at the Layout Canyon culvert/crossover, but decided to seperate after a time. Ezlehappy headed upstream and I went downstream.
Unbeknownst to me, sometime a little later, Ezle sees this moose butt and a pair of legs moving off through the willows........DOWNSTREAM.
I had just caught a smallish brown about 4 bends downstream on a size 16 tan elkhair caddis. A nice hole that sort of washes under a redrock overhang. I was poised cranelike, rodtip down, and waiting to set the hook on another unsuspecting trout. Oblivious as usual.
I swear to you all, I did not hear this THING UNTIL IT WAS FULL UPON ME. Some brush snapped just in time for me to whirl to my left, drop my rod, and jump back as he splashed into the same hole I was in! I remember the exact color and texture of every hair from that split instant. Dark Brown and black with light tips. I was too close to tell what it was that was about to devour me.
Well, all I could think of was...you got it... BEAR. And a Grizzly at that! Great, all they would find is my shattered Brodin net, and a single bloody wading shoe.
As I proceded to do my best Ben Johnson downstream, I put the skids on, remembering it's best to stand one's ground and respond savagely. "Wait,thereain'tnodanggrisslysinUtah" I thought to myself. The young Bullwinkle was scared as witless as I was, but was eyeballing me to make sure I wasn't in pursuit. I'd forgotten how big even the young ones were.
After he split, and I cleaned up a bit, I recovered my rod. It's only a Silverlabel but was still was a dollar stretch for me. It breaks the heart, but I was ALIVE.
Upstream, as I displayed the broken mandrel, I got the archtypical wideyed "SNAP......" from Ezle.
I would like to publicly thank my wife not only for sending the greatest lunches in the world with me, but a stack of baby wipes in a ziploc as well. Thank you honey- Clete :-)
On Wednesday this week, I truly thought I was going to meet the maker. I felt the blood pound in my face, and heard my own yells echo from the canyon walls.
Our story unfolds on a hot June afternoon of a fishing trip our friend Ezlehappy and I had arranged. After spending a fruitless morning on Mud Creek Bay on Strawberry, where not a single fish was brought to net we decided to head over to Current Creek, which was the original plan.
When we arrived, we fished together right at the Layout Canyon culvert/crossover, but decided to seperate after a time. Ezlehappy headed upstream and I went downstream.
Unbeknownst to me, sometime a little later, Ezle sees this moose butt and a pair of legs moving off through the willows........DOWNSTREAM.
I had just caught a smallish brown about 4 bends downstream on a size 16 tan elkhair caddis. A nice hole that sort of washes under a redrock overhang. I was poised cranelike, rodtip down, and waiting to set the hook on another unsuspecting trout. Oblivious as usual.
I swear to you all, I did not hear this THING UNTIL IT WAS FULL UPON ME. Some brush snapped just in time for me to whirl to my left, drop my rod, and jump back as he splashed into the same hole I was in! I remember the exact color and texture of every hair from that split instant. Dark Brown and black with light tips. I was too close to tell what it was that was about to devour me.
Well, all I could think of was...you got it... BEAR. And a Grizzly at that! Great, all they would find is my shattered Brodin net, and a single bloody wading shoe.
As I proceded to do my best Ben Johnson downstream, I put the skids on, remembering it's best to stand one's ground and respond savagely. "Wait,thereain'tnodanggrisslysinUtah" I thought to myself. The young Bullwinkle was scared as witless as I was, but was eyeballing me to make sure I wasn't in pursuit. I'd forgotten how big even the young ones were.
After he split, and I cleaned up a bit, I recovered my rod. It's only a Silverlabel but was still was a dollar stretch for me. It breaks the heart, but I was ALIVE.
Upstream, as I displayed the broken mandrel, I got the archtypical wideyed "SNAP......" from Ezle.
I would like to publicly thank my wife not only for sending the greatest lunches in the world with me, but a stack of baby wipes in a ziploc as well. Thank you honey- Clete :-)