Dont put off today...

living on a fantastic river can some times lead to less fishing.
to those of you who dont live near such water it may come as a surprise
but after years of learning the rhythms and watching the ebb and flow of the river, being out in all weathers, i found myself cherry picking my moments of fishing…and i mean moments…
you know?…those moments when everthing is “just right”…and they dont come along so often hence, i was fishing less
i had fallen into the trap of ease and comfort.
my fishing was …”nice”…but not satisfying.
yesterday ,the chores done ,sitting on the porch, sun’s out .
its warm but the northwest wind is screaming. forcast is for a southerly change and wind to stay strong….
Its not quite “right ” for fishing…
cue my mate casey.
phone rings…
you want to go fishing?
winds’ a bit feirce
yeah but you know a place out of the wind..
ah ok then.
pick you up in 1/2 an hour…

we are driving south, wind is howling harder than before,clouds building up to the south…
its not ideal.
we pull off the road and down a track to the river, dropping off the terrace and onto the flat.
suddenly …almost “calm”
we tackle up and wander to the rivers edge, winds starting to turn to the south.
There is a run into a big back flushing pool, a slow curling foam line and up wellings make for a difficult float here.
A few mayflies are starting to pop ,the eyes sharpen….
There ! a subtle rise.
I search and spot him ..mid column swinging side to side with each curl of the current.
Its a long cast across to him, winds gusting up stream in erratic fashion .
I watch…patient
He rises again, slips back and out.
Upwellings push the foamline towards me, wind drops,a window of oppertunity opens…
The cast goes out and the fly alights, the world holds its breath….the decieption complete..
A thrashing of panic then a decision made, diving hard seeking refuge, found….
my line comes slack back to me .
I look out at the snag of dead sunken trees, smiling to myself, i feel….enlivened
I feel…satisfaction…
the wind has turned to the southeast and temperature has dropped we fish on.
another trout comes to our fly and slides back into its liquid realm .
slowly the trout that were feeding seek comfort of the deep as the pressure drops along with the temperature, we turn and head for home.

as i sit here writing this , remembering that cast,that moment,i cant help but think our lives often mirror this truth…
if we wait for thngs to be “just right”. not much happens, not much changes.
Get out there.
​Dont put off today because you may miss that one opportunity.