God Loves Ugly

After bangin out the bill payin work for the day, Porkchop and I headed out on a little excursion to check the water conditions.  Shipwreck city.  I mean cookin. 

I thought about what days like this mean to other anglers.  As one who pursues river fish, your life revolves around the flow.  In cycles.  We ride along on this rocketship while the water is right, but one storm or bump in temperature is all it takes to change us into this "high water zombie", prowling access points and staring at unrecognizeable runs or holes thinking: "Damn It".  Some are satisfied with just looking up the numbers on a website.  I however, seem to embrace the visual effect the sight of the river has ripping along, high and muddy.  I get lost for a minute and my life slows down. 

Its part of the pursuit.  Watching a river is something I simply cannot help.  Just like it's impossible to look at a beautiful woman and not wonder what she looks like naked.  Think if the first time we laid eyes on every river we ever fished, they were all running high and dirty.  Would some be like that girl you thought was hotter than she actually was once her clothes were off?      

When the water sucks, we bottle ourselves up.  Get on the vices (literally and figuratively).  Get bored with tying.  Go to the beer store.  Go to the head shop.  Go to the fly shop.  Go back to the beer store.  Go to our other fixes that are readily available until we've exhausted our patience (or money) and then go stare at the river some more.  Everything slows to a crawl when the river is fast. 

But maybe its the way the water balances us.  High water days bring us back to our "civilian lives" just long enough to make us remember why we'd rather pursue one in waders.  Dishes get done.  Clothes get washed.  Sleep gets slept.  Girlfriends call off search parties.  Fly shops see the guys they like.  Booze flows like the river, and who doesn't want that?  If anything, I think we should enjoy our bad water days as much as our good water days!

So in celebration, I have a 6 pack of craft brew on standby and some fresh materials to tie with.  I think I can smell breakfast on Thursday morning.  Now here's your daily dose of Slug, you'll feel better in the AM.