Mid-morning, I've been up for quite a while but haven't been outside or looked out any of the windows. I decide to go fishing, open the door and it's lightly raining, quite a surprise as I was expecting it to be clear and hot, like the last ten zillion days in a row.

It is raining and hot instead. I go fishing anyway. I've been wet before and survived it, probably will this time too. It's warm rain and I'm wading in warm river water. I'm comfortable. I wade down to the Guinea Hole since the river is real low and has been for a week. I expect I can get down there, fish and return home without the river rising. Just so there's no suspense about the river rising, it didn't.

As I enter the river I look up and down stream. Up stream it's partly cloudy and not raining. Down stream it's cloudy and raining. I'm right on the edge of this rain. I wade down the river and deeper into the rainfall. Before I could get off the porch our Lab mix dog just about knocked me down the stairs as he ran by me to get into the river.

This is a big dog, weighs about 90 pounds, all muscle. He is and inside/outside dog. He stays around the house pretty much. Now and then he'll go across the river directly across from us, but he doesn't wander far or much. Until I go fishing or walking. It is as though he knows his territory is pretty much our yard, but when I move around I take his territory with me. He will go as far as I go and he will roam around me in big circles, just checking things out. Cool dog to have with me, other than him getting bouncy and trying to be playful with 90 pounds of unbridled muscle joy.

I work my way down to the Guinea Hole and pretty quick catch a nice red-breasted bluegill. And then a few more. After a while the light rain turns to a steady hard rain. It makes a nice sound hitting the water and the tree leaves on the bank. The distant thunder I'd been listening to gets closer, and then a lot closer. Lightning strikes are now followed instantly by the thunder, no delay. The rain is cooler than it was before, but not uncomfortable. I feel the breeze (too light to call wind) move to coming out of the north and it's cooler too.

I start thinking about whether I should go to the bank and get under trees or stay out in the river. Neither one seems like a good idea. Since I can't decide I just keep fishing, and hope for the best. I catch a small bass. The rain begins to taper off after a while and I get into a school of drum, catch several of them. The first one I caught I photographed, it was the smallest one I caught. Drum are great fighters, love catching them.

Eventually the rain stops and I notice this blue haze forming right on top of the water. It's like a blue fog that is about six inches thick. It is one of the coolest and most beautiful but subtle things I've ever seen. I take a picture of it and you can see it but the photo doesn't do it justice at all. Never seen anything quite like it. The fish bite like crazy for a while longer, and then they shut down.

I take my time going back home, enjoying the beauty of this place, and the quiet. I enjoyed the fishing, the catching was good if not spectacular, but the weather, that was really great. I'm soaked, smiling, and content.



Here he is, 90 lbs of pure joy and muscle. He sure knows a fly rod when he sees one, and knows what it means and where to go.




This is the blue haze, you can see some of it, but it actually spread across the entire river.

Nice report, I enjoyed the river with you.

Awesome post! Love the Bluegill!