I used to enjoy Easter even more than Christmas for what it represented. Now it represents an opportunity for retailers to sell a wide variety of multi-colored eggs and pretty much anything that can be shaped into a rabbit. Or a chick.
Even Santa Clause was patterned after Thor the God of Thunder standing upright in his chariot pulled by a string of goats. Had to do something to keep those Germanic barbarians happy I guess. Why not come up with marketing schemes to get them all out shopping.
Government holidays have become more of the same. Having a day off on the specific date of an event or birth date of someone like Washington or Lincoln actually was a learning experience. Now everything has to fall on a Monday. Retailers have won out with their sales. Extending holidays into three day weekends lets them build up the excitement of President's Day with massive half off sales.
Many years ago Martin Luther King Jr., Day was created. A few months later I was at an art gallery where an artist was exhibiting his latest work. One of the pieces was titled "The First Annual Martin Luther King Jr., Day Sale." You can imagine how that went over. If I recall correctly, even the Chicago City Council was called into the fray to have the painting removed. I do believe the effort failed.
A few years later retailers held The First Annual Martin Luther King Jr., Day Sale. It was a success. I forget what number they are up to now.
Personally, I'm waiting for The First Annual Casimir Pulaski Day Sale. I'm expecting a massive reduction in the price of pierogi and house dresses. Perfect time to stock up on presents for my mother.
The one day that everyone should get off with no questions asked is their birthday. No other day really matters. There should be no pressure from employers to do otherwise. On that day you should do absolutely nothing that you don't want to do. No demands should be made on you from family or friends. If all you choose to do is sit and stare off into space, then even the dog should be banned from bugging you to go for a walk.
The reasoning behind this one important day off is simple. There's always the chance it's going to be your last one.
I haven't had the opportunity to take advantage of this personal holiday for 20 years. Even weekends were tied up with work because of the seasonal nature of what I do. That has all changed. The work I do has pretty much all got shipped off to India where they do it for about 2 percent of what I used to charge.
On this day I dutifully went to work. We were a little busy and a project had to get wrapped up. By 1:00 P.M. that was done. Not a cloud was in the sky. The temps had approached 40 degrees. I was done for the day and headed home. Initially the plan was to go home and take a nap. I was tired. But the sun was energizing and just felt good. Within 30 minutes of getting home all my gear was in the car and I was in my finest wading regalia. Off to the crap plant to fish away the rest of day light.
The river was flowing at just above 1600 cfs. This was approaching the upper level of where I felt comfortable wading across the river. Has nothing to do with depth and everything to do with push. The first half of the walk across the river would bring the water barely above my knees. The second half would at most get the water just above crotch level. Problem was that the bulk of the flow of water of the river was concentrated in this second half.
Despite not fishing much over the winter anymore, being in the water and feeling my legs surrounded and buffeted by moving water felt more natural than trying to walk down a snow covered street. I'm actually more sure footed in a river. The river had never come down to normal levels all winter, which meant that ice never got the chance to form out from the shore. Except for strange ice formations created by the rising and falling water, the river was pretty much free of ice. Shore line land marks though had taken on the look of sculptures created by surrealist ice carvers.
I almost chose to spend the afternoon exploring these creations, but I also had the need to feel something tugging on the end of my line. I kept going across the river, letting muscle memory take over to keep my steps sure footed. I don't even have to think about it anymore. The crystal clear water was a pleasure to wander through. It's only the winter months that you get to see the Fox in this condition and wandering around in it is a learning experience no wader should pass up.
The benefit of being able to approach the crap plant after wading across the river is the chance to sneak up on the best fishing spot. Hop up on shore and walk along the fence for 100 yards or so. About 100 feet from the outflow, drop down into the river and approach at water level. The first cast should happen on that approach. Fish tend to sit on the edge where the warm water of the discharge meets the cold water of the river. As long as other conditions are met.
Today the other conditions weren't there. Sky blue skies are the worst. The water is so clear that the bright skies tend to put down the fish. You should catch fish on your initial few casts if things are in your favor. If that doesn't happen, move on down stream. You're just wasting your time.
The out flow was pretty strong this day and it extended out a good 20 feet from shore. I covered every square foot from shore out to that 20 foot mark. Other than rolling a few carp, not much of anything. Nothing out towards the current break and still more nothing hiding in the under cut banks. Then there was the hit, the heavy pull and the big boil on the surface of the water. Winters I switch to 6 pound test Trilene XL to make the line disappear better in the water. I had enough sense to have loosened my drag ahead of time. It now buzzed as the fish headed down stream. I knew immediately that it was a carp. No smallie or largemouth I've ever caught can do that.
Reel it in, let it pull out line. Did that a number of times till I was able to reel it close enough to see a good 2 foot long carp hooked in the mouth. Only in winter have I seen them hit lures like they wanted to eat them. The dilemma became landing it and getting a picture. With carp I usually drag them up onto shore. Makes it much easier to get them to settle down. Here I was up against under cut banks. There was no possibility of getting it up on shore with out an effort to lip it or get a grip under it's gills. The gill grip failed and the line snapped as the carp was dropped back into the water. I hate leaving lures in fish, even if they are just carp.
I kept wandering down stream hoping for one hit from a smallie. Sitting on shore I noticed a possum digging through the grasses. I thought for sure it would take off as I approached. Possums seem to be more skittish than the other animals I come across while out on the river. This one refused to move.
Many years ago I was walking down a path through a field. I came across a baby ground hog sitting on the edge of the path. Back then I was using a camera that was good, but not that good. To get a good shot you had to get close to the subject. I hunkered down on my haunches, dressed in full wading outfit, to get a close up of the ground hog. Got the camera within a foot of it when it suddenly bared it's teeth and jumped at the intrusion. This sent me head over heels backwards into the tall grass on the other side of the path.
I was not going to have this happen with this possum. I got within 10 feet of it and it still wouldn't move. I'll be the first to concede that most animals I come across in the wild fit an odd definition of cute. Coons, squirrel, rabbits, chipmunks, you name it. Poor possum. If God created all living things, then when God created possums he was either extremely tired, drunk, or some combination of both. Damn thing was just flat out ugly.
Eventually it got up to wander off. It's full rat like, large rat like, stature was exposed. Disgusting creature indeed.
I wandered further down stream when I got another hit. Identical to what had happened earlier. Another 2 foot carp, another effort to get it on shore next to an under cut bank and another snap in the line with a carp swimming off with a lure in it's mouth.
The sun at this point was low on the horizon. The beginning of the outflow would be in the shade. I headed back and gave it one more shot before heading home. Another hit on the lure and I expected the same drag screaming results had so far. That didn't happen. Instead the fish moved a foot, sat on the bottom and moved it's head heavily from side to side. Hard as I would try, I could not get this fish up off the bottom of what is about a 4 foot deep pool. Because of the water flow I could not see what was on the line. Two more times it would move about a foot and start shaking side to side. The only other fish I've had on that does this is a flathead catfish. I've seen them up to 3 feet long swimming in this area.
Then the lure popped out and up into the air. Fish gone, I'll never know.
I was done. I climbed up on the shore where anglers come to sit and shore fish. As most shore anglers do, they like to leave their garbage behind. I have no clue who they think is going to come by and clean up after them, but it won't be me. I'm done with that. I normally fish where shore anglers don't go. It's rare that I come across the sloppy habits of fellow anglers. Its rare that I come across fellow anglers, period.
But I should send this to the Palmisano family. Tell Steve to put up a sign in his store, Henry's Sports and Bait Shop on Canal Street, that would read . . . "Dear customers, please stop driving the 60 miles out to the Fox River and leaving your frigging garbage with the Henry's name on it in Ken G's spots. He knows spots along the river where bodies can be dumped and never seen again. Thank you."
