Opened a can in 2012, but not a worm in sight.

It was a misty morning and I had finished up with a team meeting around 9:30.  

"I'm goin' fishin'," I tell one of my associates. 

"You're not going to catch nothin'! It's too nasty out."

And I believed him, too. It was a rainy, nasty day. Water temperature couldn't have been above 45 or 50 degrees. I figured I was just going to go out there and open up the 2012 can - minus the worms - with some practice casts.

My brother was gracious enough to give me about 100 flies last year, one of which is a deer hair mouse. I tried a dropper technique for the heck of it: #2 Olive Woolly Bugger dropper on the mouse. The casting was funky, but thanks to the L.L. Bean Ultimate Guide to Fly Fishing, I knew to cast bigger loops.

Third cast in, I pulled the largest Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) out of the water that I have ever seen. Not saying much, but they are usually stunted little fries. This one was 6 inches long and about a quarter pound, and I didn't catch many smaller than that in the dozen or so that I landed.

Yep, I said dozen. Definitely wasn't just practicing casting.

Second to last fish of the day was my actual quarry on this dropper. She was a spawning female. I must have landed right on top of her prespawn bed, because the mouse barely touch the water before flying across the surface as she took the Olive Woolly. 

Nope, no worms here. 

Also had the wonderful opportunity of enjoying the morning of my good friend's 2 year old son's birthday by going fishing. Father and sun had a good time, and I'm glad I got to take pictures.

 

As for my baby girls and their fishing experience? I look forward to adding more and more memories. Below is Ruth holding a little bullhead in the net Meredith got me for my birthday. She wasn't sure what to think about it.