Like A Pro

I have a knack for bringing family members fishing in undesirable conditions, like the time I took my brother out in search of his first striped bass in 30-knot winds or when I brought my wife fly-fishing for the first time and she took a dip in a swollen Farmington River. Well, as they say, the best time to fish is when you can, so when my wife expressed interest in taking another stab at her first trout on the fly I jumped at the chance. As luck would have it, the morning we chose to have another go felt more like March than April and the water was high and cold. It's always fun to share things you're passionate about with your partner, but patience was running thin on both parties after two spots proved void of life. Before throwing in the towel, however, we drove by an iconic pool on the Farmington without an angler in sight, which is pretty rare for this time of year. We went up to the head of the run and things started coming together with her best drifts of the day. The Fish Gods must have been in a good mood because just as a sliver of sun poked through the clouds, my wife's strike indicator hesitated as a dark, feisty rainbow trout ate the green, buggy nymph on the end of her line. A panicked fight ensued before I ninja-swiped the trout with my net long before the trout was ready to give up. It was all high-fives and smiles until it was time to hoist the slimy captive for photographic proof. After a few laughable attempts, she gripped and grinned like a pro then sent the beautiful creature back to the depths so someone else can experience that same wonderful feeling down the road.

The smile says it all!