A Taste Of High Water Fly Fishing

Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style...

There is always a moment that every parent waits for...when a child, errr...teenager...,  decides to take you up on an offer to share a day trip somewhere.  Much to my surprise, my son, Ryan, who turned 16 Saturday...asked me if I would take him fishing yesterday.  I have asked him many times before, but you know...not cool to go with your mom!  Well, I knew that there was a reason why I bought my new Patagonia waders one size too big and too long!!!  Very handy today indeed!  Silly RD bought XLong Mens waders a few months back because they were the last pair at a half off sale!...Can you say "clown feet"?  Ya.  Anyway, it worked out fine today, as my son is 6'6 and 250 (Offensive Lineman and just a little bigger than Rufus T.)  And one of my good ol' fly shops that I visit often, loaned me some Size 15 Korkers...in hopes that this will stick and we will buy some down the road.  : ) Very nice of them too.. Now, the only drawback Saturday was that the freaking water was the highest I have ever seen the Provo River get...1400 cfs.  The average is 400?  And I fished two weeks ago in the 700 range, which wasn't too bad.  But, this was incredible to say the least!

But, it was his birthday...and this is the only thing he wanted to do.  He could have spent the day with friends and hung out, but he chose me.  So, we packed up and headed out.  I had looked at the river reports the night before and I knew the challenge that we were facing, as they did another dam release.  I thought that we might find some slower water along the banks to practice in anyway...so, I told him that we would give it our best shot.  We had our gear lesson and put on our duds...got a few pictures and took the long walk to where I thought we would have our best chance of hooking into a fish.  Ryan is a pretty athletically gifted kid and learns very fast.  In fact, his casting was pretty darn good for a new student.  He will show me up in no time!  Haha.



Raging Waters...



Calmer waters, but still high...

 

About an hour and a half passed and we could see that the challenge was not just tough fishing, but there was also a safety factor involved.  We did get in some practice which was good though and hopefully Ryan's small taste of fly fishing will beckon him back to try it again.  And so we decided to pack up and have some lunch down the road at a Mexican restaurant with a huge salsa bar!  And then, to get the best ice cream to cool us off on a scorching 95 degree day...Yummy!...Got to feed a growing teenager, you know!!  Lol.

Sunday Tippet:  Even in the worst of conditions, you can make some good things happen.  Quantity time is always good, but Quality time is even more important.  Make the most of your family time together...And NEVER give up on a hunch or a hope that something might break through with one of your children.  Kids are sometimes as unpredictable as "high water"... Just be there, ready for them!