[Stan Wright]

Three guys were sitting by the fireplace at a fishing lodge when one ask "what would do if someone gave you a Million Dollars?"

The first guy, retired, said he would travel all over the world, fix up his home, and just relax.

The second guy, a small business owner, wanted to invest in his company, expand the business, and hire more workers.

The third guy, the fishing lodge owner and guide said: "I love what I'm doing. I can't see changing anything. I guess I'd just keep on doing what I'm doing now.... till all the money ran out."

LOL LOL LOL

[driftlessbamboo]

Originally Posted by Stan Wright

But then the smile on the face of an anglers first fish. That's something money can't buy.

Stan,
Your post made me smile thinking about a group I a few years ago. Two men and their wives. Both men were fairly accomplished anglers and great guys to spend time fishing with and not half bad to share a scotch with either it turned out.
The one guys' wife had just picked up fly fishing and had yet to catch a fish on a fly. She and her husband had been looking over a lot of pics of the area and the fish via pics I forwarded to them. Her goal was a "big" brown which for these waters is any fish of 20" or more.
I was to spend the first part of the first day with the ladies while the guys leapfrogged each other upstream.
We staerted with some casting instruction and then spent time practicing drag free drifts, mending etc. When I felt the girls were prepared we sneaked up to a deep pool known to harbor good fish. I selected a fly for each and stood back while the first lady made a presentation.
I was busy rigging the second lady up to fish when the first literally screamed! I looked up to see her 4wt rod bent dangerously and her backpeddling up the bank. I dropped everything and ran over to give whatever help I could which was mostly trying to convince her to release her death grip on the rod as well as the line before the fish broke her off.
This was obviously a big fish and put up a very spirited battle, always digging for depth and then making screaming runs up to the head of the hole. I was certain she had stuck a huge brown and as the fish tired I was even more sure. I could see the long heavy shape of a real monster bulldogging against the steady pressure of her rod. I pulled off my net and crouched down as she led the fish closer. Then I had my first real look at this thing. I was heartbroken for her. Here was a HUGE black sucker maybe 22" in length with the PT nymph squarely in its mouth.
She was absolutely beside herself with joy over this catch.....until I told her it wasn't a trout. I made up for it though by telling her that it was indeed the biggest sucker I had ever seen anyone catch. She wanted to keep the fish to show her husband when we got back. she kept that thing alive (and in my favorite net!) until her husband got back to the drop off location.
Both guys were a ways up the trail when she hoisted this thing in the net up for them to see. They actually ran to see what she had.
Being good sports they made a big deal over the catch and congratulated her.
They have fished with me every year since and I'm proud to say she has progressed from sucker fishing to become a pretty fair hand with a fly rod and has caught a number of good trout. But every time we fish we talk about that stupid sucker that started her on her way to being a lifelong fly angler.