The Sausage Man...

At five A.M. the alarm beckoned. Time to shower and hit the road for some much needed solitude and reflection. As of late my work weeks have been short by measure of days but long by measure of burden. It had been an interesting week to say the least and I was looking forward to a day on the trib by myself. I watched the conditions fall into play nicely and on the heels of a decent report from Gene I was really looking forward to catching a few fish. As per the usual game plan I arrived pre-light and geared up for the hike. I arrived early enough to have a few minutes to relax, have a leak, and admire a big doe I kicked up across the river. I suspect she was bedded down there for the night and I was her wake up call. Temperature wise is was leaning towards the negative but nothing to be overly concerned about. The deep wintering hole I chose to start at looked very nice and I marvelled at it's overall condition for a few moments. This poor river has hardly been in shape the entire season and it really felt good to see her come together again. There was even a trace of a mild stain to her. The bite has swung over from roe to artificials the last few outings with the onslaught of negative temps so I jumped right into the pinkies. The fish were more than willing to take my offerings but the bite was ever so light. Numerous times I set up only to have a 4.5g loafer in my face. I had much success in the wintering hole but I thought I should move on to the top end and enjoy this run with the ideal conditions. Half way to my destination I realized I was once again not alone. The ATV tracks sent chills down my spine. The "F'in Sausage man" I thought to myself.I arrived to validate my concern. The top end had been fished hard for the past couple of hours. Not one to give up I slid up to a large bend above the two gentlemen and waited for them to finish up. When I heard the ATV head up river past me I slid back down. One of the gentlemen stayed there but was more than willing to share the run with me. We managed a few fish and parted ways. A few hours had passed since I left the wintering hole so I decided to slide back down and give it a decent go now that it was mid day and the temps had increased 1 or 2 deg. I arrived back and had the hole to myself once again. I set up on a spectacular buck which gave me an unexpected workout and some beautiful pics. Then I heard the footsteps followed by a distant ATV. The gentlemen from the top end came down and slid into the run with me. I was determined to not let this ruin my day so I made the best of it and offered to share the drift with them. My good deed rewarded me exponentially as the bite swung back to roe.
My day went from a high to horror to finish up with one of the best days I have had on our little river. These fish never cease to amaze me with their raw beauty, power and grace. I even amazed myself and made a new friend. The Sausage man ;0)