Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Along River Road

Saturday I put on an enjoyable 130+ miles on the Harley. Sunday I reserved for fishing with a friend from Pittsburgh. We met early along River Road to do some relaxing smallmouth fishing in the Clarion River.


Along River Road

The slow current flows around my lower body
The warm river water saturates my cut off jeans
The morning sun plays peek-a-boo with the cloud cover
Still rising, the banks are shaded by forest greens

 Everything appears to move slower in warmer conditions
 The birds seem to beat with softer grace
 Only the Damselflies show peppiness
 darting about when not hovering in place.

Mid river casts needn’t be meticulous
Vicinity is close enough when fishing smallmouth bass
With long timed strokes the fly line unfolds
The popper falls, as if parachuting, upon the surface

 Strip, strip, gurgle, strip, strip, gurgle
 My frog popper moves as if in plight
 Strip, strip, gurgle
 The commotion entices a strike

The popper is assaulted from beneath
Water spurts, line tightens, a fight pursues
The calmness of the morning livens
The challenger soon subdued

 As afternoon approaches the heat is felt
 Sweat beads upon my forehead beneath my straw hat
 I feel a cooler breeze against my wet brow
 There’s a moment of hesitation before I cast

Deep throated Harleys rumble along River Road
Breaking the tranquil sounds of the river
‘Not today‘, I relinquish the consideration
My frog popper falls gently near the vicinity
  of a shoreline rock formation


______doubletaper





1 comment:

  1. Very nice! I've traveled along River Road many a time.

    ReplyDelete