Sunday, January 20, 2008

Perfect Life





Lost Coast Loop

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." F.Scott Fitzgerald

January of 2008
My trip began at place on the Eel River at the Mendocino - Humboldt county line at a hole called,"County Line Hole". It had not rained for two weeks. The rivers were clearing in that characteristic manner Steelhead fishermen know. I had four days to roam Northern California with "advice" and intuition as my guide.
I fished until dark with out a bump.
From there I drove north then slept at the banks of the Van Duzen where I fished the next morning,
It's current cuts caves marking eons and flows through an empty town for sale on Ebay.
Then drive north to where,
"Everyone's been nailin-em" - the Mad River.
Sundown and still no success.
Now south, with headlights on narrow mountain roads
In search of (the-never-before-fished-for-me)Redwood Creek.
Which was
Right now,
"Perfect".
To sleep in a strange dark forest.
When pale grey shafts brings morning and a hike through a misty grove of old growth redwood -
Named then renamed as politics and wealth demand.
I thank God the trees remain uncut.
And where the creek joins the river Eel.
I enter through a cut in the bank, like a giant gate.
Scrambling, hopping on boulders the size of sleeping elephants, a mile up,
The little creek ( Redwood Creek) - the size of India Brook (on that other coast, in that other life).
The water flows,
That perfect blue
That perfect green.
Flipping a fly in all holes deep enough to hide a fish,
Like throwing matches in a dynamite shed;
I am hoping for an explosion.
Then stumbling back down like the water over rocks.
I enter the Eel, again,
And ford at the top of a riffle,
The grey stones shining as various as the colors of a rainbow beneath my boots in the shallow water,
And pass a twenty-something sunbather with her dog.
A North County girl in denim with a scent of patchouli.
Had a kind smile for this old fool.
I fish again.
An hour later I return.
In the shadow the giant trees the day is short,
The beauty on the beach has gone but beauty remains.
Forty-eight hours older County Line Hole looks the same.
Standing on a milk crate casting into a :

Perfect day at the perfect hour
Perfect month in the perfect time
in the Perfect Water:
Perfect green, perfect blue
with the
Perfect line, perfect fly
Perfect cast, perfect drift
to the Perfect Fish.
Where are the perfect fish?
Where are those perfect fish?



original blog:

Hey Chris,

Hello readers. I'm re publishing this post to check site feeds etc.
My trip started on the Eel at a place called Piercy on the Mendo-Humbolt county line at a hole called, of all things: " County Line Hole". From there I slept at the banks of the Van Duzen( where I fished the next morning) then a quick drive to the place where; "everyone has been nailin-em" - the Mad River. Hopped in the fish mobile at sundown in search of the never before fished Redwood Creek which was rumored to be "perfect right now". Had a great adventure finding the mouth of the the creek hiking through a magnificient old growth redwood grove. Then I scrambled about a mile up the little creek ( the size of India Brook) fishing all the holes that were deep enough to hide a fish. Passed a twenty someything sunbather with her dog. She had a nice smile for this old fool. Came back down to the mouth then forded the Eel at the top of a riffle. Fished a great long beauty of a hole. By then it was approaching three and I wanted to hit County Line Hole befoere sundown. Foty-five minutes later I was standing on my milk crate casting on the :

Perfect day at the perfect hour

on the

Perfect month in the perfect time

in the

Perfect water; perfect green, perfect blue

with the

Perfect line, perfect fly

Perfect cast, perfect drift

Where are the perfect fish

Where are those perfect fish?


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