It was a late May 2012 in Southwestern Wisconsin. It was unusually warm for May. There was an odd wind coming out of the Northwest. Typically winds from the Northwest this time of the year were cold. The temperature raised about 10 degrees warmer than the day before. The warm up intrigued me. I thought the trout may turn on because of it. I hurried home to get my gear and get out fishing.
It was 2 pm by the time I hit the stream. The wind was warm, but a little too blustery at times. My casts were not the best at the beginning of the outing and I ended up in the trees a couple times. It was hard to feel frustrated on this warm May day with the wind in my face and a rod in my hand. The ground was still quite soft from the winter melt off. I decided to take the good with the bad and continue on. The trout were eager when I did get a good cast in.
The stretch I picked was a long one. It was owned by three different land owners. I had permission on the beginning and ending stretch. The middle section was a wade only stretch. I finished the middle stretch and the last stretch opened before me. It was wide open with a fallow pasture. The cows had not manicured the grass yet. The grass was about mid-thigh high. I was happy to get out of the water and walk stream side.
There was a cow path on the edge of the stream that I used because I was a little tired from the long walk. The path had some wear, but it was not beaten down like years past. I was up higher out of the stream and could see much better ahead of me. The wind became a factor again and the chop on the water was bad. I actually was enjoying the odd wind in my face and the smells of the stream. It was refreshing because of the long winter. I had to time my casts between gusts. It seemed to work well. It was getting late in the afternoon and it was overcast. I kept telling myself, “This is my last cast. If I get a decent trout I will quit for the day.” I trudged on for that one last decent trout.
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