The other side of the river

[lastcast]

Since I haven't been getting into steel like some of you have I don't have any catching stories, but I do have fishing stories.

I'll throw this one out. Not too long I had the opportunity to injure myself at work. I was replacing a condenser fan and the block I was standing on tilted and my feet slipped out from under me. I had the fan in my hands on the inside of the condenser and my feet were outside so I gracefully fell on my ribcage on the rtu top. I felt a sinking in my lower ribcage and knew I had bent some ribs bad. I don't think they were cracked as I didn't hear anything (it was kindof slow mo) but it hurt like it. I've cracked ribs before so I know.

I tend to just wrap an injury and keep on going, my wife says I'm stubborn. Anyway, after working for a few days in major pain I decided I should go to the hospital, I mean the river. It was late summer, nice and warm out, so I found a good spot and of course, I wasn't alone. The splash and giggle crowd had the best part of the run. I noticed on the other side of the river was some good looking water so I decided to cross and fish there. Away from people I should find some good medicine. Remember I hurt, and my wife thinks I'm stubborn.

I look around and find the perfect wading stick. Grabbing the stick and my rod I enter the water and begin crossing. About midway I notice the current really picks up and gets deeper than I thought. At waist deep I also discover it really is not comfortable to wade with damaged ribs. I also forgot to mention I had picked up a very dead, dry stick. Believe it or not at this stage THEY FLOAT very well. Try wading in fast deep water, with sore ribs, a rod, and a wading stick that will not stay down no matter how much you lean into it. So here I am, stuck in mid river, in pain, with a stick that keeps popping up, above very nasty whitewater with a whole beach looking on. Somehow I manage to gracefully turn around and wade to slower water where I toss the stick in the river and let it float to its doom.

I ended the day fishing on the crowded side of the river, still in pain and a little humiliated, but I caught some trout and no one bothered me...just don't tell the wife.

[Jerry]

Nice story, no time for me to tell one now, but later ill tell you my lie to the wife I'm going fishing stories.

[Spade]

Nice story.

[spactrukn]

It could have been worse... Try wading across waste deep water with a strong current in the early summer without felt soles. The soles on the new Simms boots are dangerous from late spring through the summer..