Fish were caught. Fun was had. Food was eaten.

We had blue skies, some wind, and wonderful temperatures for our event at Damon’s 7 Lakes. Luckily, the cool front and rain ended Friday night (we had over 3-inches of rain at our home)! Due to all the raining on Friday afternoon and evening, the camping part of the JSSFS event was cancelled.

I was excited to be going on a fly fishing float trip with the Texas FlyFishers Club (TFF) on the Llano River above Junction, TX. I spent a good bit of time on Tuesday and Wednesday, thinking through, gathering, organizing, and packing for the trip. Part of the fun of any fly fishing trip, for me, is preparing for the trip. I was so excited that I left early Thursday morning and arrived at the campsite around noon—several hours before anyone else arrived. So, I had set up my camp and was resting and soaking in the surrounding as others arrived. That afternoon, I headed down river to the CR 150 crossing to do some wade fishing. I was looking forward to just being in the water, experiencing the push of cool water on my legs, breathing in the fresh air, observing nature, and maybe even catching a few fish. After all, “down at the core of every fisherman’s heart is the belief that on any day something wonderful and unlikely could be made to happen. And that if you’re careful and patient it could happen to you.” (John Gierach) I had a good inaugural outing and caught 15-20 sunfish in a few hours of fishing. I felt my mind clearing, a peace in my soul, and I had a lighter step walking back to camp.