I went to the Kalama on Sunday and decided to fish some water I don't usually fish. I had a friend with me and a good idea of where I wanted to get on the river. Unfortunately, in the dark, I missed the spot by one rock and another fellow got the spot I'd hoped for. We watched him catch 3 nice fish, including at least 1 winter fish. But the part that saved the day was this guy, Joe, who came along while we were fishing. He was a friend of the guy on the lucky rock. This is the second time I've met Joe and he is a really good fisherman. He fishes jigs that he ties up himself and they are pieces of art.

The first time I met him was back in June. I was fishing below this same spot and I watched him three times hook up from this same lucky rock and wade down through the slot into the riffles where I was, chasing these nice summer fish. On the third time down we started talking and, as he was done for the day, he took me up to this rock, showed me exactly what he was fishing over and exactly the jig and set-up he was using. He was friendly and knowlegeable and just had a great attitude about the sport. He didn't mind sharing some knowledge and I even got a few jigs off him for a nominal amount.

I found him to be the same on Sunday and it was good to see him again. I'm a pretty intense fisherman and have been accused of not even taking time to breathe while I'm fishing. I was kicking myself pretty hard for not getting us into the right spot. We got to talking a little about jig fishing and he showed me a couple of jigs that he'd had luck on lately. The jigs he showed me were ones I'd buy by the dozen if I saw them for sale.

Anyway, that put a pleasant spin on an otherwise frustrating day and I was able to learn a little to boot. So its this kind of thing that, if I can't catch a fish, makes the experience worth while in any event. If you can't have the river to yourself, it's nice to meet good people, with good attitudes, who aren't looking at you like you are trespassing on their mothers' graves and who are just pleasant to fish beside.

So I took time to breathe and enjoyed my day, despite only watching people catch fish.