2,000 Miles and a Few More Memories
It isn't often that I get to head out for multiple days of
fishing—let alone travel across the country to do so. It seemed as though the stars had aligned,
the moon turned red and before I knew it my soon to be wife and I were in the
air headed east.
We left Salt Lake City International Airport to clear skies
and sixty degree temperatures—as usual the weather upon arrival was less than
stellar. When you have to schedule a
trip across the country the price of air travel becomes much more paramount
than the ten day forecast. But,
regardless of the conditions, I had decided to fish as hard as possible and to
enjoy the time away from the grind of real life as much as possible.
The first day was certainly disheartening—the James River
growled and snarled at more than 20,000 cubic feet per second and I only had a
couple fish to show for my efforts. A
nasty gully washer of storm had swept through the region the night before our arrival. After some bitchin’ and moanin’
to a local Richmond angler an offer was extended to join him on his boat on a
more docile parcel of river water.
My hopes weren't exactly elevated, but I was positive. At
seven the next morning the first day of catching commenced. Finned friends of all flavors made
appearances throughout the day on the water.
It was a gift to be able to make it out onto the water with such a
knowledgeable local who shares the same disease as I. It didn't take long to get on them and we truly made a multi-species day of it. Can't say thanks enough brother.
After taking a beating on the James I was reluctant to try
again. Luckily, passion persisted and my
father and I found our fair share of Hickory Shad right where they are supposed
to be. We waded, we fished from the bank, we slayed 'em--end of story.
Catching 15-25 fish per hour at times would be far from exaggeration--it's that awesome of a fishery. Shad aren't the only target, white perch and stripers on the fly are more than possible.
The next day or two were full of catching, laughing and
spending moments that I will not soon forget with the people I love--not to mention marrying my best friend, the most awesome person I have ever met!
