A Brief Reprieve

            It was down to the last day of Wisconsin’s inland trout season; literally down to the final hours.  Like anyone, I was in need of a brief reprieve to purge my soul and refuel.  For me that meant I needed to get into some water.  It’s been a different year for experiencing outdoor adventures; different as in lacking.  For the record I went trout fishing with my Dad back in May, I had the “Panic Stricken” trip on a hot day in early July (See previous blog), and then the trip into Northern Michigan with my son and cousins.  These were noteworthy outings, but not nearly as many as I typically can have throughout a given season.  Life can be like that.  Other things can become more important and therefore take precedence.  Life can also be cyclical, however, and I know opportunities will present themselves in some fashion or form in the future.

            Twenty-one years ago I caught my first couple of brook trout in the headwaters of a blue ribbon trout stream east of where I had grown up.  My young family and I were up visiting my parents that summer.  The following summer, twenty years ago now, I went again and Dad took my first picture holding a sacred brook trout; deep in the white cedar swamps so common to that area.

A Sacred And Native Brook Trout - Back On July 2, 1998

Excited To "Get Out Of Dodge"

Excited To Get Into (Freezing) Water

A Video Of Wind On The Milkweed Plant:

            With these memories in mind, I left school as soon as I could this past Monday, October 15^th.  My Jeep was loaded with the necessary gear, and I was bundled up in several layers.  The temperature hovered at 40° but it was falling into the 30’s.  Standing in a cold creek with a slight breeze was going to be…shall we say, perfect!  The skies were clear and sunny, despite the cold temperatures, due to the high pressure.  After the latest flooding we have had these last couple of weeks, the water level was high but manageable, while clear down to the sandy bottom.

A Video Of Tranquil Waters:

            The fishing itself was marginal, but even marginal is exceptional when it’s in lieu of the constant drive that can wear you down to a frazzle.  I caught and released three brook trout.  I had wanted to catch at least one.  It was a tribute to those first native trout caught so many years ago under the hallowed cedar boughs “Up North.”  

A Video Of A Brook Trout Release:

Releasing My First Brown Trout

I also caught two brown trout as the Sun set, and the chill sank deep into my interior.  By that time I couldn’t control or move my fingers, my feet and toes felt like bricks, and I could no longer see anything in front of me.  My total time in the water may have been less than two hours, but I literally fished until I couldn’t fish anymore.  At that point I was finished for the season.  I did decide to keep the last trout that I had caught.  It was a 10” brown that I would cook for dinner when I got home.

A Video Of The Creek At The End Of The Season:

            I stumbled along through the water under the dim light of a half moon, and then climbed up out of the creek and began the trek back to my Jeep.  Along the roadside section of my walk, I jumped through the ditch and into a cornfield a couple of times to protect my identity and hide from oncoming cars.  It was late when I returned to my wife and home.  I showered to try to get warm and then fixed an iron skillet of potatoes, sausage, and eggs to go with my trout.  It was the perfect meal to settle in, relax, and watch the Green Bay Packers pull off a miracle win over the 49ers.  All in all, the afternoon and evening was a brief reprieve, and just what I needed going into this late fall.

            See you along The Way…