I transfer the rods energy from slack to a hell bent back cast stroke, The line straightens, teeth clenched…..I push the casting arc forward. My delivery is spot on, dead drift fly traveling the same pace as the current, The trout’s jumping rise brings on a grin and the caddis hatch is on.
I look up stream and catch a glimmer of another heavy hatch of Caddis, Grandpa’s eyes search for mine and finding them he flashes a toothy smile. “Having Fun?"He shouts….I nod my head emphatically and give him a thumbs up. And we keep it going until darkness prevails and the hatch finds sanctuary.
We walk and talk all the way home and I can’t remember a better time. And now I have the honor of teaching my own son this gift. Generation after generation it’s our duty to pass down our experience & know-how to the next. And just before I close my eyes tonight, I recall this quote…
“It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons”. F. Schiller - K.E. Carman 2016