Yes, that was just the first day. Time for a boat ride, but first, gotta have a morning where we get to Salmon River Adventures, that was just the first day. Time for a boat ride, but first, gotta have a morning where we get to Salmon River Adventures an hour early. While my roommates Lisa and Dawn slept warm cuddled in bed, I woke to get all my gear on and stare out the window like a puppy dog. It occurred to me that I would’ve probably smoked 2 cigarettes by now, and then realized why I was sweating! No, that’s not menopause, but neoprene waders, 5 layers, and artificial warmers all over my body. Finally, the sound of a diesel engine rumbled outside, and I dashed to the big red truck. We ended up hanging out, chatting, and waiting for the properly timed people to join us. We signed in, and headed to our designated fishing launches.
Our launch point was Spring Bar on the Main Samon River, so we drove along the road which winds along the river with a rock here and there. Not all of the passengers were comfortable on the dirt road at first light, I don’t think the driver was either, but we got there, took pictures, and shoved off. I had met or knew most of the woman on my boat previously, some whom I knew had been in this tournament before. We all were on that boat for one thing, to have fun. Not one of us was there primarily to catch fish or win the competition, and that is unusual when money is on the line. I hadn’t fished an all female one before l, and found this refreshing! I’ve seen the worst in people in every competition, even fishing. You can try to use the right stuff, work at casting, go the right time of day, and comb your hair only to the left but if the fish don’t want to bite there’s nothing you can do about it. We each know this, even our Captain and bait boy. (Hate this saying by the way. It’s deckhand! I worked on fishing boats, and we deserve some respect. That is hard, exhausting work and anyone doing it for a living has a tough life. Our deckhand said he hadn’t been fishing for fun in 3 years. I was like that once it became a job. We’ll talk about that soon.) We are all there for an amazing ride up the river, dip our sticks, and hope to rip some lips
Yes, there was adult libations, it was freezing and we’re adults! Fireball. Peppermint, and Butterscotch shots were being consumed. Don’t worry, Beth made sure we had our breakfast, bagels with cream cheese, in fact I think she offered the whole town! After a few hours of fishing in icy waters with frozen guides on our rods (yes guys, this is true) we came on a boat disabled on the side of the river. We stopped to assist them and rocked out to good music until we could both get underway…
A Warrior Writes 