'East of Elsewhere'

East of Elsewhere
　
After sitting in the Periodonist’s chair for over an hour getting my gums cut, stitched and packed around my #30 molar I wasn’t in too big of a hurry to drive an hour and a half back to Clarion. When I left the office I was still a bit dazed from the 2 Advil and the bunch of Novocain shots i got before they proceeded with the crown lengthening procedure.
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I was also pretty sure some of the alcohol still lingered in my bloodstream, from the night before, were helping affect my brain cells also. I was hungry and thirsty being up since 5:45 am. to make the appointment by 8:00am. and the left side of my jaw was sore that the drugs didn’t reach.
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After passing by Wal-mart twice looking for a pharmacy to fill a drug prescription, something finally clicked in my confused memory bank that Wal-Mart had a pharmacy. I got the prescription filled along with two soft doughnuts and a bottle of some brand of cold milky looking coffee. Sitting in the parking lot, eating soft doughnuts and trying to sip cold coffee thru numb lips I was trying to plan out the rest of my day.
I was in my youthful territory in which I grew up. I knew of a lot of trout waters around the area and had a van full of trout equipment. I called work and told them ‘I wasn’t feeling well,” which I wasn’t. I told them “I was going to take the rest of the day off and visit with my mom since I was in the area“, which I had all intensions of doing before finding a trout stream. I called mom but the answering machine came on which I concluded she wasn’t home. I immediately called Mikastorm and asked him if he wanted to go fishing since I was in the area. He said he was nursing an aching back from splitting logs the past couple of days and couldn’t even get out of bed. I always thought that when a guy retires he takes things easy and leisurely so he can fish more!!!
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On my own now, I remembered Troutslammer told me where trout were gathered in a long pool in ‘east of elsewhere creek”. It is a small spring fed creek that I knew well. With a heavy canopy of hardwood trees and pines it kept the water cool all summer long. I got on the road again and headed north out of the Shenango Valley.
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The sprinkle of rain stopped as I pulled into the small parking area along the fly fishing only project waters. The overcast gray sky was turning blue and rays of light seem to dart thru the soggy forest giving subtle reflections off the glossy wet leaves. I opened the van door and mosquito’s met me like a bunch of blood thirsty vampires at a Grateful Dead midnight jam fest. I couldn’t feel the bugs actually biting but the gathering of bugs told me that if I don’t do something quick I’ll be quite itchy after the pain medication wears off. I doused myself with anti-bug spray and walked down to the walk bridge.
Two fish scattered as my figure overshadowed the creek. The water ran with a tinch of color resembling as if looking thru a glass of iced tea. I was hoping that the tinted water would be enough to hide my tippet and leader in the slow pool of water I was going to fish in. At the van I took out the short 4wt and nail knotted a fresh piece of 5X tapered leader. I figured once I get to the pool I can decide to either fish underwater with this or add a piece of 6x for top water dries.
Walking down the trail I passed on fishing the slow shallow and narrow water. I knew there would be plenty of fish below the falls in which I was headed and didn’t want to waste time getting there.
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Below the falls I stood on the bank and gazed into the water. When Troutslammer said there were lots of fish in the pool he was right. Some fish laid upon the bottom while other stayed suspended or swam around like a walk in the park. The sun was getting warm shining down upon me in my rain coat but the trees kept the sun rays off the water. I moved slowly as not to spook the fish beyond my vision. After taking off my raincoat I knotted some 6x tippet to the leader and tied on a red bodied black beetle. Casting was difficult due to the high bank and exposed roots behind me. I had sufficient room with a sidearm back handed cast but it would compromise my distance. It always seems I’m on the wrong side of the creek. I’ve thought about practice casting with my left hand but never found the time or gumption to do so.
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After a few casts the fish didn’t want any part of the beetle so I switched to a green bodied beetle. I had a few lookers but no takers. I convinced myself that black wasn’t the shade they were interested in so I tied on a #16 gray barking spider. Seeing a few rises, under the shade tree, across the creek I tried my best to cast the spider underneath the branches and into the water just off the bank. My spider fell short but a fish rose and checked it out anyhow. I was ready but he slipped back down below my vision and the spider slowly drifted under the tree and down the creek further. Keeping an eye on the spider I saw a head rise in the distance and take the spider. I set the hook and the trout stirred the water up scurrying up and down. The only thing I had to watch out for was a submerged rooted tree stump to my right about a few yards away. I managed to bring the brown trout in without damage.
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I continued to fish the waters with terrestrials and small midge dries. I wasn’t as successful as I wanted to but I did manage to catch a few more trout as time ticked by. The light breeze started to pick up now and then and in turn the leaves moved enough to brush against each other. Small dots started to appear on the water and this caused a feeding frenzy from below. I watched trout as they looked up to the water surface then rose and slurped something. Other fish darted upon the dotting of the water and sucked the unknown bugs from the surface. I couldn’t see what was falling so I slowly got out of the sun and walked along shore under the trees. I felt thin webs touching my hands but still couldn’t see what was attached. Taking off my sun glasses I looked more closely and small, I mean small, cream colored worms were falling or dangling from thin silk strands. When one of these worms fell upon the water it didn’t take anytime for a trout to pick it out and suck it in. I had nothing that tiny or cream colored. I went back and tied on the thinnest gray spider I had in my fly box. It just so happen by the time I got the thing tied on I could feel the wind pick up again. Trout started to rise and I flicked the spider just over the back of a nice size cruising trout. He turned quickly as my spider hit the water. He didn’t even take time to examine it, with the other trout on the prowl he mouthed the spider before any of his buddies got the chance. I whipped the line up tight with an evil grin as his head jerked slightly my way before he took off down creek. He fought as if embarrassed by being caught by the known guy fishing along the clear waters that all the other trout knew was there. He tried his best to shake loose but I played him out with patience. After releasing him he shot towards and under the falling waters like a kid finally being released from ’time out’ and still too mad to face his friends. After a few more catches my right jaw, tooth and gum area started to have feeling again and it wasn’t going to be pleasant if I didn’t get back to the van and take another two pills. .

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I gathered my raincoat and took notice of the fine looking creek and surroundings that I haven’t been around for quite a few years now.
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‘Great day to take off work’ I thought as I headed for home. A single cigar sat on the passenger’s seat as I remembered reading the rules for my oral surgery recovery!
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_____________~doubletaper