First cast of 2011

It's just over 2 weeks into 2011 and I've managed to make good on the promise I made to myself that I would get back into fishing. Since booking an impromptu flight to Belize to chase bonefish is out of the question, I drove a few miles to Silverbell Lake to put my Super Conservation License to use. I beat the water to a froth for a couple of hours with various lures, trying to catch one of the so-called incentive fish that got planted this week. Incentive trout are spent hatchery brood-stock with worn fins and scabby snouts but they're far larger than the small fry that form the bulk of the plants. Despite my derision, I wasn't able to get even a single strike from any size of fish. The skunking didn't really matter as it was a beautiful day, and there were plenty of ducks and herons to watch.

Last Saturday was a beautiful day as well, or at least it was until a madman caused an absolutely incomparable tragedy at Congresswoman Giffords' event. Tucson still feels quiet and sad, and maybe thats the real reason I wanted to be outdoors, doing something I used to do before everything got so hard to take.