After being dormant for about five years, a couple recent prominent scrapes to the flint reignited the internal flame which immediately realigned the focus back to the internal compass, the one compass that actually matters in life.
This only meant one thing…resuscitation was in order, the journey has now resumed, and the higher purpose is to be reengaged and redefined.
On December 13, 2018, I loaded all my fly fishing gear in the truck and set out with one destination in mind, the Iowa Driftless Area. It was a beautiful drive along the Mississippi River while watching the sun rise giving way to a new day. I had some Robert Mirabal playing in the background as the anticipation continued to build as I got closer and closer to the targeted stream. Then finally a turn down a familiar Iowa dirt road into the valley where the stream meanders.
I got out of my truck, laid out the Simms taco bag, slipped on my waders, rigged up my rod, and selected the weapons of choice. Now it was time to hike toward the stream. With each step the anticipation built. It had been quite a long time since I’d been able to step foot on a stream. But that was to change today. Upon reaching the crystal-clear, spring creek perfection of a stream, everything stood still for a second and I looked up into the sky at that moment. I then was gazing at a majestic bald eagle directly above me and watched him hesitate for that second, give a shake to his tailfeather, then proceed down his glided path. It was at that moment that I realized I finally made it home.
The first step in the stream felt almost like baptism, a transformation internally and externally, being surrounded by nothing but extreme quietness, solitude, beauty, and connectedness with the Creator.
Now it was time to fish.
It was an unseasonably warm December day at about 40 degrees with no wind. I had my 10′ 3-weight rod rigged European nymph style with tandem flies. One was a scud imitation, the other a midge pupa imitation. Turns out, this was the perfect combination trout meal which resulted in one of the most memorable December fly fishing outings since I started this fly fishing journey back in 2006.
I spotted the first perfect riffle, run, pool, and got in position. Casting upstream and watching my sighter for any slight movement. Then it began. A beautiful wild brown trout full of color with bright red spots along the flank devoured the scud. I lifted it from the stream, borrowing some of its wild energy to rejuvenate and refocus myself. As I finished inhaling my first real, meaningful breath, I slowly lowered the trout back in the stream and watched it swim away.
The first half of the morning continued with a lot of subsurface action targeting the scud but then the temperature reached the ideal range triggering an immediate shift. The trout had shifted their targeted meal to the midge pupa, shortly thereafter I began to notice the midge activity on the stream surface as well as on the snow/rocks along the stream. This continued until about mid-afternoon and which point I decided I would begin the trek back to my truck and consider it a day.
Today marked the beginning, the resurgence, the reignition of that internal flame. I look forward to a refocused and reprioritized 2019; all to be shared here on Spirit Streams. Because the truth is, nobody owes you happiness. It’s up to you to find it, to be deliberate about your priorities and how you live your life.
-NM
Tags: A Deliberate Life, Brown Trout, Catch & Release, Driftless Area, Fly Fishing, Iowa Driftless, Midge, Scud, Spirit Streams Fly Fishing, Spring Creeks, The Spirit Streams Experience, Trout, Winter Fly Fishing
