A Perfect Pause

Bittersweet October.  The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.  ~Carol Bishop Hipps

This quote sums up the way I feel about the month of October pretty well.  It's my favorite month - a perfect pause.  I love the crispness in the air on those first cool mornings.  I love the colors of Autumn as the greens of summer turn to oranges, reds and yellows.  I love the cool nights, sitting around a campfire, swapping stories with good friends.  And I love the fishing that October brings.

Trout are gorging themselves in preparation for the spawn and the hardships of winter.  They are lit up in vibrant colors that match their surroundings.  October is just a pause, and I know it won't last long, so I get out and enjoy it while I can.

This weekend I met a great group of guys from my local fly fishing board for the 24th version of PFF (Psycho Fly Fishers).  They've been doing this event twice a year for the last 12 years and were nice enough to allow me to join in this time around.  East TN was the destination of choice on what is arguably the finest trout river in the South.

Since I had never met any of these guys in person, and I was the new guy in an established group, I was a little nervous about how things would go.  I needn't have worried though as they made me feel welcome right away.  Each day began with a group breakfast and ended with a group dinner followed by ample campfire time.  Having a professional musician in the group was a nice touch.

The fishing that came in between was pretty good too.  Midging was the name of the game in the morning, but some sulphurs popped off every afternoon, giving us an opportunity to land a few fish on dries.

The weather and the foliage were as outstanding as the fishing.  Blue skies and mid 70s during the day cooling off to comfortable sleeping weather at night. 

Eventually, all good things must come to an end and this was no exception. The end came too soon, as it always does, but I got to meet some great new friends and catch a few trout.  The perfect weekend - a perfect pause.