The North Fork of the White River- The Conclusion

So there we were, at the end of a long day on the river and without many fish to show for our efforts.  We unloaded our gear and Cris and I quickly started working on a gameplan for Monday.  You see, Cris has fished for wild trout before and understands that they can be tough to catch.  They are raised in the wild and educated on a daily basis from their birth.  They're not like hatchery raised fish that enter the stream at 12 inches long and dumb as a box of rocks.  With that being said, Cris was alright with a tough day on the water.  I too have had my tough days on the water chasing wild trout and had a few stocker browns to lessen the blow of tough fishing.  However, we wanted the other guys to land some fish and have some fun. 

We settled on stopping by old reliable on the way home; Bennett Spring.  We figured we would get loaded up and take a little detour by Bennett on the way home to try and land a few fish and put some smiles on some faces.  We didn't ever seem to notice that we would be fishing during the slowest part of the day because even Bennett during a slow time was probably going to be more productive than the North Fork after a cold front in canoes.  I would be remiss to mention the fact that we saw a good sign on the way.  Instead of having a skunk cross our path or spray my truck, we saw three dead skunks on the side of the road while en route.  I took this to mean that our skunking was over and a thing of the past. 

As we pulled in the parking lot and started getting geared up again, a resounding confidence could be felt among the crew.  We had no doubt that we were about to catch some fish and have some fun...and that's exactly what happened.  Most of our fish were caught near the hatchery outlets and downstream from the spillway.  Mark caught at least a dozen below the arched bridge while Cameron caught a VERY nice fish in the same stretch of water. 

The spring break fishing trip ended with smiles on faces, handshakes, and back slaps.  Like so many fishing trips, there were highs and lows, optimism and let down.  It was also like other fishing trips in the sense that we came home completely exhausted with batteries recharged.  I know that sounds contradictory, but it really isn't.  While my body was sore and tired, my mind was refreshed ready to tackle the rigors of day to day life again.  It always helps to restore my soul by spending time around friends, water, and fish.