Fly Fishing in Wisconsin
Old fishing hat was unflappable companion
JERRY KIESOW
To this day, I miss my old fishing hat. My Hat and I were together for more years than I can remember. She was more than just a hat to me - she was also home to an assortment of fishing flies. My Hat and I were inseparable, and we went to great lengths to maintain our friendship, even in the face of adversity. She stood by me in pouring rain and blazing sun, and when heartless winds blew her from my head and into lakes or rivers, I fought hard to rescue My Hat from drowning.
Time eventually took a toll on My Hat, and over the years, she lost her youthful luster and shape. My wife, who never understood the bond between My Hat and I, urged me to replace her with something new and more presentable. But I couldn’t let her go. But then, one fateful summer day, as I was about to dress her up she lost her head, or at least a portion of it. As I was rearranging the flies adorning My Hat to make room for another fishing fly tenant, her entire front panel came off in my hand. After all those years, My Hat had left this mortal coil.
After so many years together, I couldn’t help but shed a tear. As I was wiping my eyes, I recalled some of the time we spent together. I remembered how we went fishing for trout on the stretch of river known as the 18-Foot Falls (because the falls were 18 feet tall) on the North Branch of the Pike River. I reminisced back to the nights that My Hat and I popped poppers along the shore of the Peshtigo River and caught a mixed bag of bluegills and crappies with an occasional smallmouth bass tossed in just for the heck of it.
For years My Hat accompanied me on all my fishing trips, whether they were close to my home near the Milwaukee River or farther away on the Sheboygan River.
My Hat had been there with me protecting my head from the sun, the rain, and yes, occasionally, a little snow. She had done her duty and she had done it well.
I shed more tears.
I took a photo of my faithful friend to help keep her memory alive inside my mind. Then I hid her from my unsympathetic wife. Later, while at our cabin in Marinette County, and out of the sight of my wife, I bid My Hat a final farewell and cremated her mortal remains in the flames of the fireplace.
I felt it was the proper thing to do.
See you in the river and keep a good thought.
Jerry enjoys all aspects of the outdoors and shares them through his photos, stories, and workshops. His books, “Tales of The Peshtigo Putzer,” and “Photos, Poems, and a Little Bit of Prose” are available for purchase at Orange Hat Publishing, Amazon, and his website: www.jerrykiesowoc.com.