|

|

|
"Fl-iTunes"
by Jim Lampros

It is 6:00 AM and I am
headed east, racing the sun (and anyone else with the same idea) to the
access parking lot. Ahead of me the horizon is beginning to take form,
cloaked in a shawl of blue and purple. At 70 MPH the old four-cylinder
is purring like an alley cat with emphysema. I’m halfway through my
second cup of black coffee and with 30 miles to go, my bladder is
screaming for mercy. I crank up the classic rock to drown out the noise.
About
the time the Jimmy Paige solo picks up in “Stairway to Heaven,” I start
musing. If steelhead were swimming around with little iPods, what kind
of tunes would they be jamming to? You’ve got to assume that, given the
nickname “metal heads,” their music libraries would include complete
collections of AC/DC, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. I see it now: A slew
of snaggers stand atop the ford as “Highway to Hell” blasts amidst the
chaos below. Then again, perhaps their musical tastes are seasonal. I
bet if you listen closely in March and April, you’ll hear the voices of
Marvin Gaye and Barry White coming from the gravel beds.
Of course this gives
way to more theories on piscatorial music preference. I’m certain that,
despite their differences, both largemouth and smallmouth bass perk up
anytime Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime” can be heard. And it seems
only natural that carp and catfish would be old-time blues aficionados,
tailing around to the likes of BB King and Mississippi Muddy Waters. A
life spent sucking detritus and the occasional chicken liver just can’t
be that exciting.

Tailwater and spring
creek trout must be the yuppies of the bunch. Their days are spent
basking in a blanket of sun, plucking midges daintily from the surface
in rhythm with Beethoven’s 5th. Their mountain-dwelling
brethren really get movin’ to a good bluegrass fiddle. Be mindful
though; even a half note out of tune and they’ll be put down for hours.
Just up the road, the tie-dye clad brook trout groove to the psychedelic
sounds of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, munching on anything that
looks like it might be food.
Eventually, I cross the
river and pull into the parking lot on the left. The rising sun has made
her presence known, and the air outside my car is warmer than I
expected. I try to box up my seemingly trivial ideas in a useful
package. In the quest to become the complete angler, we all seek the day
when we can suddenly think like a fish. Perhaps nailing down their
musical tastes would be to move one step closer to that point. Maybe
listening to the right song while gearing up can somehow make the fish a
little more inclined to the fly. Maybe, but I doubt it.
I pull my waders on
with the car still running. The sound of “Hells Bells” breaks the
morning silence.

Hey, I’ve been wrong
before...
-Jim
Lampros
February 12, 2008
Click Here To Email The Author
|
© 2006
FlyAndFloatFishing.Com Fly And Float™
All Rights Reserved. |
Advertising Available
Click Here
Support our Sponsors!

|
|
steelhead alley, ohio steelhead, centerpin, float
fishing, steelheading, steelheading ohio, flyfishing steelhead, fly fishing
steelhead, trout fishing, flyfishing for trout, steelhead alley, ohio
steelheader, fly tying, steelhead patterns, fly tying videos, fly tying lessons,
online fly tying lessons, custom rod building, hand crafter rods, custom float
rod, flyfish, flyfishing, fly fishing, trotting, float fishing, ohio float
fishing, spey fishing, steelhead basics, steelhead for beginners, steelhead
guides, great lakes guides, steelhead alley guide, ohio steelhead river,
centerpin with flies, centerpinner, pinning, centerpin reel,
flyandfloatfishing.com, pennsylvania steelhead, Pennsylvania steelheading, elk
creek flyfishing, grand river, ashtabula river, chagrin river, rockery river,
vermillion river, tying flies, centrepin, centre pin, centrepinning, fly
fishing ohio, ohio fly fishing, fly fishing, cleveland steelhead, steelheading,
centerpin for steelhead, centerpinning steelhead, trotting, float fishing,
floatfishing, float fishing steelhead, fly swaps, fly patterns, great lakes
patterns, great lake tributaries, great lake tribs, fly fishing gear reviews,
cleveland area steelhead, smallmouth, Cleveland smallmouth, fly fishing
smallmouth, swich rod, triple f switch rod, infinity rod creations, irs, sean
swatsky, domenic federico, swatskee, defjam, steelhead patterns, trout fly
fishing, centerpin for trout, salmon fly fishing, centerpin for salmon, salmon
fishing, fly fishing salmon, trout patterns, flies, fly patterns, fly
fishing video, fly casting video, fly fishing basics, centerpin basics, ohio fly
fishing, the backpackers shop, chagrin river outfitters, ohio guide service,
steelhead guide, fly fishing steelhead, centerpinning steelhead, float fishing
steelhead, float fishing smallmouth, smallmouth guide, trout guide, fly fishing
great lakes steelhead, steelheading, ohio steelhead, vermillion steelhead, grand
river tackle, ohio fly shops, steelhead alley, steelhead flies, steelhead
patterns, ohio fly patterns, centerpinning western streams, wyoming centerpin,
float fishing idaho, float fishing wyoming, centerpin video, centerpin casting,
how to cast a centerpin, float fishing video, learn how to centerpin, centerpin
articles, videos of centerpinning, fly fishing video, fly fishing terminal
tackle, how to fly fish, fly fishing basics, fly casting instructional video,
how to cast a pin, float fishing terminal tackle, shotting patterns, float
fishing shot patterns, split shot patterns for centerpinning, proper shot
pattern, fly tying videos, how to tie flies, fly tying basics, whip finish
video,