Fishing wif de Wiz! What a Trip! What a man! What a Fish!

[DrPungo]

We did it all! We paddled, caught fish, practiced brotherhood, and had fun. Life IS good.

Polling twelve miles out across Lighthouse "Lakes" and praying for deeper water, I felt like the Volga Boatman! Kayaking in the mud builds shoulder muscles and character if not heavy stringers. Water like mother's bath and finding the cut, the cool, refreshing, life-giving cut. We waded in it. We bathed in it. We caught fish in it.
He said, "Come to a dead stop at the top of that back cast!" And the dreaded "tailing loop" disappeared from my fly cast. I had thoughts of changing my handle to "LeftyPungo." We took fish from the cut and laughed. The burning red ball sank into the water near Aransas Pass, and ended the scalding burn on my face. It was cool. It was beautiful and we started to sing.

Saturday night was getting dark and without a running light, I reeled in and started for Blue Flash. Standing knee deep and thirty feet away, Bill had an laser-focused look and made a last perfect cast back toward the mullet mob. He raised the rod tip and it bent under the load. Well into the struggle, speaking to himself, to the fish, to God, and me, he said, "Please don't let me lose this fish." Twenty minutes of demonstrated strength of will and heart in both combatants found the fish cradled in the arms of the Wiz.

In the fall of my life and the first summer of my fly fishing, I had just witnessed the element of inspiration that draws people to the sport. The momentary "wreckless behavior" of the fish drew an exquisite cast that resulted in this epic ending. Such a fine, fine day, standing with my brother, this phenomenal fish, and tropical music playing in my head.

[Mercy]

Excellent post Dr. P......gave me goosebumps actually....

[MarkT]

Reading this post, I felt like I was there. DrPungo gets my vote for Outdoors Writer of the Year.

Mark

[The Wizard]

Jim,

This is beautiful.

The Wizard

[Charlie Tuna]

Dr Pungo

Nice story.

But I have to ask was this written before or after the bottle of wine in celebration of the Big Red... Or simply the high leftover from the weekend. Or does composing such words come from fly fishing world. Or is it being in the presence of Hollywood Bill that raises one to a higher level.

Charlie

[Roostertail]

Charlie, I think you hit it with that last one. As several of us have probably noticed, hollywood Bill does use Quite a few of those four-bit words when his excitement level goes up. It usually happens when he's having a good time and wants to teach us laymen something new. Before long it starts rubbing off on you!! Keep up the writing Doc as it was very elequote.. DUH... How do you spell that word anyway Bill?

[boxybru]

Whewwww, feels like i sitting in my lounge chair reading a good story in one of my fav fishing mags, keep it up Dr. P

[TKFStubb]

Curt Gowdy couldn't have said it better !

[cyberyakker]

wow... Makes me feel like sittinn on the veranda with a margarita in hand while watching the waves break over the beach...oh, wait, I am nowhere near the water right now!

nice report

[DrPungo]

You know, being with the famous Wiz-man will raise a lot of things: IQ score, general intensity of effort, fly casting ability, fish predation skill and intuition, and need for cold Corona and a modicum amount of sleep. This trip was the most thoroughly enjoyable time (male bonding type) that I have had in more than a few years. It restoreth my soul. And while the fishin was fun (if not totally productive) the time spent in relationship with Bill was for me the real payoff of the whole event. We had a great time and even harmonized some out there on the flats. Mmmmm, maybe the reason the fish were somewhat scarce. YeeeeeHaaaaa!

[whitedog]

It was a great fish and a great story. But, dang! If I can say that on the family channel. You wrote like Hemingway. Quit your day job. We need a flats novel!

WD

[Mercy]

I'm with WD! I read Doc Ford novels by Randy Wayne White (try sayin' THAT 3 times fast!) which are always about Florida.....we need some Doc Pungo novels based in good ol' Texas!