The Young Man And The Sea

      Just a little while ago I finished reading The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway.  On coincidence, just a few days after finishing this great work of literature (which I would highly recommend to anyone), Matthew Clark invited me to go with him to Strawberry Reservoir to enjoy a lazy afternoon of fishing the lake and drifting around in a boat.  I thought it a grand idea as fishing is one of my favorite activities.  We headed up to Strawberry yesterday at about 3:00.  Strawberry is a beautiful place and we were fortunate enough to find the lake reasonably calm with little spots of silver shimmering on the ripples.  It was a good place to be, looking up at the sky and watching the sunny white clouds drift by.  Strawberry Reservoir is named thus because of the ruddy color that the rocks and soil around it sport.  It is also a great place to look for wildlife.  We witnessed a small group of elk trot down one of the hills surrounding the reservoir to lap up some of the cool, clear water.  Mule deer can often be seen near the shore as well.  As Chief, the personable black lab in the pictures, splashed around the shoreline looking for ducks, we launched the boat and, after starting up the small outboard motor, we were off.  After rigging up and trolling for a while we decided to try some jigging.  Picts below:

Yours Truly enjoying the sky and waiting on a nibble.

Chief and I sitting in a boat (I'm never one to state the obvious ;)

 My first catch, a fine cut throat trout.

And my biggest fish of the day, a good sized catch (if I say so myself).

All in all, it was a great afternoon fishing.  I once saw a prompt for an essay contest that asked "Why is a bad day of fishing better than a good day of school?"  I believe that anyone wondering the same thing has only to go on a fishing trip to Strawberry with good company, a friendly dog, and a fishing rod.  Whether they catch fish or not, they will return knowing the answer.