I had to go south to Smokey Point Wednesday for business reasons and thought, as I left for home at only 1:00 PM, that it might be nice to check out the Silly Stilly. I happened to notice on my way south that the bar above I-5 was vacant.

I have fished there many times over the years but not recently and many who have been there know the reality of the old saying that...
Once a Guamish - Still a Guamish and...
Like many old guamishes I found it refreshing to return to an old haunt.

Not much has changed since the 80's when I was a regular there other than the access trail is now more like a road and the water at the bar seems to move a bit more slowly than it did back then.

I rigged up a half-n-half Dick Nite Spoon and began casting with illusions of hooking an eye blinding chrome monster fish for a glory photo in Dick's promotional collection. After about two hours I became disillusioned. Sorry Dick... I'll try to do better next time.

About then a boater comes down the river and right smack into the water I was fishing like he belonged there. It was a single guy, meaning that he was alone, not sure what his marital status was, in a canoe.

He stopped right there where I had been casting and we enjoyed a nice chat before he went on. I think we both welcomed the encounter and appreciated sharing a few moments in a beautiful setting close to nature.

Shortly thereafter I hopped in my rig and headed towards Sylvana hoping to fish a while further down the river. Believe it or not I did not make it.

You can't get there from the Arlington/Sylvana Exit. Island Crossing is no longer Island Crossing because the road across the valley through Sylvana to Stanwood and the Island is closed and will be for about 2-3 more weeks. I had to go back to the 236th St. exit off the freeway and drop down through the gulch to the Sylvana Rd. to proceed towards Stanwood.

I instead turned left and went back to Sylvana to see what's going on there at the tavern hole. One girl there fishing but no fish so I headed back and down the Norman Rd. to check things out. No one fishing there at all. I stopped at the corner hole and looked at the water but it was getting late and it didn't look real promising so I headed home.

No Fish Caught Wednesday. But more importantly, it was a nice day to explore a famous old river that once knew how to put out.

You'll get 'em next time, Plunk.