Coho's?

I was given a wonderful gift today.
I got to the river this morning about an hour before sun up , which is my usual play, ...teetering on the brink of a psychotic episode. I had spent the entire previous day looking after both of my kids who were both sick and I had finished off a week of work that had grated on my nerves so bad that the help wanted sign at the local Tim Hortons had me raising my eyebrows. The stress was consuming me. I needed a break badly and compassion aside, nursing sick youngens isn't exactly what I would call a soothing experience. In the middle of the day yesterday I had to deal with a diaper change that quite literally challenged my domestic convictions.....I kept looking over my shoulder at the door to the outside world...it was classic fight or flight....I chose to fight...and what a fight!
How something that foul can come from something that cute I will never understand.
:o/
....we were all glad to see mommy when she got home from work
Kimi must have sensed that I was hurtin' because she gave me the green light to fish today with out even so much as a perfunctory token guilt-trip. She will never realize what fishing means to me or what a wonderful gesture that was.
By the time the sun came up on my little stretch of heaven I was already laughing inside at the things that were weighing down on me. Christ....we are all going to die some day ....shame on me for letting things that shouldn't matter at all get to me. It is very strange that it is so much easier to slide into this mindset on the river than anywhere else.
I have tried to explain to my Wife what fishing provides for me .....how it is essential to my 'sane' existence ,but even though she tolerates my passion with a mixture of amusement and fear it is doubtful that she'll ever understand truly how much I rely on it to maintain my spirit and mental health.
I can only imagine that I get from a day on the river what most people of faith get from Church.
Todays fishing was a benediction.
The river was 'Low and Clear'... two ugly words if you are a Steelheader.
This was fine by me......I have fished it this way before and can approach these conditions with some confidence.
It was a perfect November day.
Slightly overcast ...a little nippy in the morning and damp.....and the best part was I didn't see a soul the entire time I was fishing.
I did see two skunks...closer than I would've liked....a fox,hawk and another giant Buck whitetail that obviously was a little faster than the inbred militia from last week.
Lost a huge fish right off the hop but quickly made up for it by landing the next ten.
Man the fish look so healthy this year ....very encouraging.
Shut 'er down at about 3'ish and began my hike out. On the way out I realized two things,....I missed my kids and I was looking forward to work.
I was regrouped and reloaded.....
I feel bad for people who don't have this as an option.I suppose the world would be a better place if everyone fished.This is an over-simplification but it sounds good.
...just so long as they don't fish my river.
At the spot where I parked I bumped into a local ''fisherman''.....complete with beer in hand.
He was kind enough to inform me that "all the 'bows' people think they bin catchin' are actually 'Coho's'.....just look at the gums dude".
I told him that sadly,I hadn't seen a Coho for a long time and wished him luck.
I also fantasised about punching him right in the throat.
Thanks be to the river.
Off to NY tomorrow.......