Before I get to the good stuff I guess I should tell you a little bit about me.  I love to fish.  I am addicted to it.  I like to get on the river around four in the afternoon and stay out all night.  It is so peaceful on the river at night. Usually anyway.

I launched the yak on the Big River at Washington State Park.  It started just like any other trip.  I work my way upstream so I can float back down.  I set out some limb lines then I fish until dark at which time I bait the lines.  Once the lines are all baited I tight line fish.  I usually back the yak into a gravel bar and fish out of the yak.  That is what I did this particular night.

I was all backed into a gravel bar.  Now this stretch of the river has had some meth cooking activity in the past.  It is about one a.m. and I hear a rustling in the woods behind me.  I really didn’t think anything about it.  Then about 10 minutes later it happens again and it sounds like a moose on steroids raking its gigantic rack through the trees.  Talk about getting rid of the new underwear smell!  A certain part of my anatomy slammed shut.  Well ladies and gentleman I am here to tell ya that I launched that yak and it looked like it had a 150 horse Johnson on the back of it.  I think I even got it up on plane.  I never looked back to see what it was.  I thought it was better that way.

After “Big Foot” (or whatever) chased me off the gravel bar I settled on another gravel bar down stream.  I calmed down and started fishing for cat again.  I had my rod and reel just laying against my tackle box.  Then it happened.  I had nodded off around 2:30 a.m. when something decided it wanted a closer look at my rod and reel because all of a sudden it took off out the boat.  A million things that it could have hung on and it hung on nothing.  Nothing at all I tells ya!

Now what does one do?  I knew the water was very clear and was only about 4 feet deep so I started searching for my rod and reel,  I was going from one side to the other when my light shined on my rod and reel.  It is just stationary floating in the river.  The current was so swift that it brought the rod and reel to the top.  I manage to maneuver the yak into a position for me to grab the end of the rod.  I am stretched to the max.  My fingers are so close and I am going to grab it and then………….it takes off upstream.  What?  Am I really chasing my rod and reel up river.  Is this a dream?  Guilty of chasing the rod and reel and no it wasn’t a dream.

After some time goes by I manage to grab the pole and pulled back at which point whatever was on the end of the line just kept on trucking.  It didn’t stop, or hesitate. Must have been “Charlie the Tuna.

Thanks for taking the time to read.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Share the love, be kind to each other and God Bless you one and all.

What  you lose in the fire, you will find in the ashes.