Vernon asked if I’d go with him to drive back the side by side while he drove the little excavator back from the latest water project. Sure thing…. Best of all, I decided I’d go fishing along the way! We’ve both recently received our Pioneer Fishing Licenses. They’re the lifetime fishing licenses for old people that have lived in Wyoming forever… and we qualified!
I was hoping they’d be a cool plastic card with a neat logo and my name… but no. Just your average paper license. C’mon, Wyoming, give us old residents something to flash to game wardens with a smile!
I left him filling in a ditch and made my way to a creek crossing. I dug around in my little tackle bag… oh, no! No swivels for my lure? I dug around and finally found one… whew. I tried this crossing and that one… bushwhacking through the jungle that this place has become doesn’t appeal very much to me!
I reached one likely spot and stopped the side by side midstream. Why not?
I cast and whomp! Went the line. What was that? I reeled it in, and found only the top half of my swivel still attached to the line! The bottom clip and my lure were gone! I looked out and there set my lure on top of a rock. It’s there in the center of the photo. I’m not proud. It’d cost me wet shoes and jeans, but I walked out and got my lure!
Then I had to dig around for a pair of pliers to bend the swivel back into shape. I couldn’t find any but Vernon did have his kit for doing electrical work (like the pump they’d just installed) and I used his wire strippers to mend the swivel which put me back in business! Good thing…
Is that a golden trout??? If not, what is it? Congratulations.