Today was a special day for me. My best friend and I skied this weekend 33 years ago for the last time. He was skiing at my side when he hit a patch of ice and slid off the trail into a stand of trees. I have a blog post about this called Solo. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of David "Fatty" Whittaker, he was my best friend. You can read the story there if interested. Today I went on my own for the reason to remember and reflect. Fishing was the side product.
I woke up late and didn't mind, made myself breakfast and readied my gear. Getting on the road I headed south to Scofield, Parker told me the ice was deep and solid and I hadn't been there since early season. I drove up and all the way around the lake to the river, looking for an access point that was different than we had been using. I found some but the walkout was deep and farther than I cared to trudge today. I ended up at the scout camp and seen the only other fishers on the ice camped across from the ramp. I turned north and set camp for a bit there in 8 feet of water. Caught a number of chub, which have the lake choked and the game fish in not good health. I figure it is my civic duty to take out as many as possible. I did manage one skinny cutthroat in this first camp.
2 O'clock rolled around and I moved out to a buoy in the middle of the bay. The water wasn't much deeper, but the chub were as abundant there as the other hole. This time I didn't manage landing a trout at all. I fished until 3:30 and called it a day. Again reflection and future was the focus of today. Reflection of what might have been except for that fatal day of skiing, where Fatty and I might have ended up as we raised our families together. Our boys would have been great friends, I'm sure of it.
Tomorrow I go fishing with a new friend and colleague in his boat on DC and the future continues. Love you Fatty, I will always remember you and have you with me.
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