7/19/2022
I checked the weather all day and into the evening. rain and more rain. So I texted Zane Jacobs around 9:00 - "looks like rain tomorrow so I am second guessing my involvement in tomorrow's adventure."
He understood. The weather has been a little unpredictable lately.
I was bummed. I had been looking forward to shooting some creek fishing for a couple of days. The idea came to me on Monday. I texted Zane; he was down to let me tag along and was heading out on Wednesday, so it seemed everything was lining up. But then, the weather.
I felt like a quitter. Sure, my cameras are weather sealed. But they are also 14 years old. Also, I don't like being in the rain. And yet, there was that nagging feeling like I should just stick it out anyway. I was torn on what to do, so like any sensible person, I just went to sleep.
7/20/2022
The next morning was cloudy but already drying out. I had just enough time to get gas, a taco, and start heading north. I texted Zane and let him know i changed my mind - again. He was kind of enough not to judge me openly.
By 10:30 we were parked and hiking towards New Town Creek. He told me sometimes the water gets around knee-deep; he did not lie. I'm glad I bought some hip waders before I cancelled/uncancelled. It was a short hike-about 200 ft. and then down a muddy hill and then there we were. In the creek.
As I always do, I over-packed. Two cameras, two lenses. A flash. 95% of the shots were with one camera/lens combo, although my favorite shot (the first one) was shot with the second camera/lens. That shot made the whole trip worthwhile, but I am glad I got some other stuff, too, of course.
Fumbling around with my gear, I actually missed the first cast. I looked up to see Zane already unhooking a fish. And just like that, the day was on. Cast after cast, fish after fish, they came to him - tiny, dumb fish. Over and over. It was a wonder to behold, really. I never knew there could be so many fish in a creek like this. But Zane found them, hooked them, and then released them.
He also recorded them. In some of the photos you'll see a camera atop his head. He likes to make videos of his adventures - fishing being only one of many. It's called "Doin' Stuff With Zane", and you'll find it on YouTube. I highly recommend it for its relaxing nature and entertainment value.
From where we started we worked our way upstream. From one fishing hole to the next; under logs, next to rocks, each cast precisely placed. It's hard to judge how far we went. With all the stopping and starting, maybe a half of a mile? Maybe. We went through plenty of bends in the creek, over or around a couple of felled trees, precariously climbing a tree dam and trying to not slip on rocks. It was a good few hours of fishing for him-a few good hours of shooting for me.
By the time early afternoon rolled around, the No Trespassing/Private Property sign appeared. Many fish had already been caught and many shots had already been taken. It seemed the right time to head back. So with gear packed away, we turned around; back over the logs, the rocks, back around the bends-ankle deep and sometimes knee deep, downstream through New Town Creek.
