Second Chances At Rainbow Falls Private Fishing Club: Anglers Covey Guide Rendezvous

“Then I know there is room in me for a second huge and timeless life”. Rilke

I knew the big fish was there. It lay in a hole of Trout Creek right below the culverts.  I had tried to fish this hole before lunch and caught some nice trout but I saw nothing of the monster 26 inch rainbow. It was then time for the guides and friends of the shop to meet for lunch and share fish stories from the morning. As I ate some wonderful barbecued chicken I kept thinking about that fish. I thought, “Maybe give it a bit of rest and then when I return I will catch it off guard”.

I trashed my plate, grabbed my 2 wt rod that was rigged for nymphing, and headed up to the pool. My two weight rod would be a weak instrument if I hooked the fish but with the creek being quite small I thought I would have a fair chance of landing it.  Plus I did not want to take the time to rig my 5 weight rod as I got the feeling there was not going to be enough time. And there was not, because as I was walking up to the hole I noticed my friend and fellow guide David Caraghar headed up to the hole. He arrived first and I knew the code of honor was that he who gets to the hole first, fishes the hole.

I was curious about this fish though so I continued my walk to the hole.  I thought, maybe I can watch David have a shot at it. He knew the fish. I think we all did. David called him, Walter. When I approached David, I asked, “Going for that big fish”? He said yes, but then added, “I am not rigged yet, you fish for him.”

Perhaps I should have been a better gentleman and declined his offer. But I had this big fish on my brain so I accepted the challenge. I guess I justified my decision thinking as soon as he rigged up I would give him the hole.  I would only fish it for a few minutes.

So I started drifting an egg and a copper-john nymph through the hole. The water was a bit off color so we could not see down to the bottom where the big fish lay. I thought he would lie closer to the pipes where the water had more velocity and more protection but numerous drifts in this run only produced smaller fish. Where was Walter?

It was about this time that I noticed David was not rigging his rod.  I was so mesmerized by the thought of this big fish taking my fly that I had not noticed that David was not only allowing me to fish this hole but that he was sort of informally guiding me by telling me that the fish usually lay a bit lower in the slack water.  And it was also at about this time that our conversation shifted.

We were talking about faith and spirituality and life. We were quoting beautiful poetry to each other. We were talking about second chances in life even as David gave me a second chance at this big fish and it was then when I was hardly paying attention that the big fish struck the fly.

Being so engaged in our conversation I barely reacted enough to sink the hook into his jaw. The big fish was on and fighting. It was a strong fish but there was not much room for him to run so it was just a matter of time before he tired and David netted the 26 inch rainbow.

As we admired the fish and as I thought about our conversation,  I realized how I was generously given a second chance in life; not just for this fish but also in a much bigger way. I know David felt the same way about his life and I suppose our little dialogue was in a way, a celebration and a sharing of life. I think we also knew that if we talked to many of the other guys fishing on this day, we would find that they too, each in their own way,  were given second chances.

What would faith and life be without second chances?