Ichthus goes swimmin, ends up 1000's of miles away.

[Windknot]

ICHTHUS,
Thank you. The morning drive was dark, damp and typically dangerous, Marta was its usual interesting self, and the system is only part way up. Your story brightened my morning very much. http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif Keep up the good work! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

A groggy Windknot

[ICHTHUS]

Ichthus went for a little swim today and ended up at Island Ford. What a beautiful day for a trout. The skies were overcast so it didn't hurt his eyes to look up. The water was low, slow and clear. Best of all there were mayflies every where. Thousands of them. They were a little small but no matter, there were so many to go around everyone could get his fill. Late in the afternoon a man showed up. Ichthus went to the bottom to hide. The man came and stood on a rock right over Ich. He had on a hat with the letters NGTO on it. He wore it proudly. He had on lots of clothes wrapped tightly around him and he was carrying a long stick. Ichy has seen many of these stick carriers lately but today it would seem the cold and rain kept most away.
The man seemed excited. Every time one of Ichy's friends would rise up and take a fly the man would look their way. He leaned over as if to look in the water. He took out a little box and stared at it. He finally picked something out of the box and put it away. He messed around with the long stick a while and then began waving it the air. After a couple of dozen throws of the stick he performed this ritual again, stare at the water, in the box, mess with stick, wave it in the air. After repeating this many times Ichy heard the man mutter something about his left arm for a size 20 mayfly. His excitement was not as strong now. He took another from the box and started again. Suddenly his stick bent a little and he raised it high and began to smile. He turned the round part at the end until another fish swam into Ichy's pool. The man picked up the fish after wetting his hand, held him for a moment and then let him go.
The man seemed satisfied. No longer did he seem in a hurry. He looked up and down the river. Only one other man did he see. He looked at the low gray sky and turned his face into the light rain. He closed his eyes and drifted away.
Suddenly Ich realized things were different. The sky was still the same. The air was still cold when he rose up to see what had changed. The light rain was still falling, But the water tasted better, cleaner. There were no buildings to be seen. Ich realized he was with the man.
A giant coastal brown bear walked down the rocky shoreline several hundred yards away. A mature and graceful bald eagle dropped from his perch in the top of a huge fir tree and glided to the other side of the river and out of sight. This sent Ich back to the bottom. He soon was aware that he was not alone either. A large silver flash caught his eye and then another. These fish were like himself only bigger, much bigger and every where. Some were all silver, some had streaks of bright red. Some had hooked jaws and some had sea lice still latched to their sides. STEELHEAD!! Ich had heard tales of these powerful cousisns, their trips to the giant ocean and back. Now they were all around him.
The man waved his stick back and forth, then lowered it close to the waters surface. He seemed to follow the current downstream with it's tip. Quickly he raised it high and immediatly it bent over hard. The long stick was bent into a giant u shape and the tip was bouncing wildly. The round part on the end was singing loudly--zing--zingzing--zzzziiiinnnggggg--zingzing. Ich could feel and hear loud powerful splashes. The man held tight to the stick and seemed to dance with the rythum of the bouncing tip. He wore a grin from ear to ear.
Off in the distance a car horn sounded and the man opened his eyes. He seemed refreshed. He said aloud "God is truely good".
Ich was back in his pool, mayflies floating overhead, green moss on the rocks. The man walked slowly away waving his stick in the air.

It's funny where a little cold air, a fly rod, and solitude on a river can take a man, but Ich would like to go there again someday------When he's bigger than an appitizer.


I hope you all don't mind my weak attempt at creative writing, but so many people were calling today miserable, dull, terrible, lousy, blustery, etc. I saw it much differently, in fact beautiful, and wanted to share it with you.
Ichthus

[Owl]

.................................................. .( speechless).........................uh,,h=uh,...wo w.
was there, too..thanks to the great story. I can't remember the title, but it reminded me of a story I read in HS about someone about to be hung( hanged?) and the rope breaks...he descrbes his escape in depth and then, swoosh...your back at the gallows and the door drops. He was just imagining it all, to ease his fear of dying. I liked the Ict-fish story even better. Just easy enough to read, just hard enough to follow..... http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

[Loren]

Ich,

Just read your story. Not bad for a trout!

Loren

[Owl]

read it again....just as good the 2nd time around ! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/redface.gif

Owl

[Owl]

ooooops, i'm red-faced ! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif