Tribute to Billy's Fly Fishing

[Margm]

This has been a rough day, but I finished it up on a lighter note.  You see, I know Billy will probably visit me tonight.  You have to know, the last thing I packed up was Billy's fly fishing equipment.  That is not all of his equipment, but I wrapped some of those leaders, some of those $50 leaders around the rods, wrapped a lot of line around the rods to hold them all together.  Then I tied those leaders in knots.  Billy was obsessive compulsive. He was so neat and protective of his line and equipment. He would get into something and he went "whole hog."  He would write down rod lengths, line lengths, figure all kind of numbers (I hate numbers), and he would try to explain it to me.  I am not a good audience.  I was so bored.  He knew it.  I tried to listen but "spey" casting and Skagit "whatever" just did not interest me.  Throw the line out in the water and if a fish bites, that is good,  Set the hook and bring him on in,then turn him loose.  

When we first got married we did not have any money.  We spent our time down on Dorcheat Bayou close to where we lived.  We would go over to the borrow pits (and we pronounce them bar pits), and bring home 3-4 bass each time.  We ate them.  Bass fillets are the best to me.  I could not understand him wanting those Diawa (sp?) reels when those cheap Zebco did the same thing.  I graduated to the open face reels, but the Zebco was always my favorite.  Billy kept having to have more expensive and more expensive.  That was okay.  We never fussed over money.  

We tried night fishing on Toledo Bend.  One time when the kids spent the night with the grandparents we went fishing on the 5th night of the full moon, I am not sure if that was before or afterwards.  All I know is the next week I had bruise marks all over my chest and belly from pulling those bass in.  Best fishing trip ever.  We had a lot of those.

And the boats.  OMGosh, I learned how to drive so many bass boats up onto the trailer when Billy backed it down into the water.  Finally, we went to a lighter bass boat and I drove that sucker  up onside of the trailer.  Last time I drove a boat.  He could not beg me or make me ever do that again.

Moving to Arkansas, he had his fly fishing.  The streams he could wade.  No wading our lakes back in Louisiana, you sink down in mud.  He loved his fly fishing but we should have known this summer something was going wrong, it hurt his back too bad, so he would sit on the couch tying flies for later fly fishing, that was not to be.  

My son came in and said "Mom, do you mind if I try fly fishing with Dad's equipment."  Well, I think that is a good idea.  I think Billy would like that.  He is sure going to have a hard time untying those leaders though.

I'm not through yet.  I have not tackled the garage.  Putting away his caps and hats like to have done me in.  He was always saying "do you like my hat?" He was worse than Dr. Seuss.  He has all kinds of hats.  He was very particular with how they were placed and where they were placed.  Another reason he might haunt me tonight.  I was not as good to them as he was.   

[kayc]

I love your picture.  It took me to a year ago to let go of George's fishing hat.  I gave it to his best friend.  Everyone wanted it but it took me ten years to give it to Dan.    I have wonderful memories with him in his floppy hat with hooks poking in it.  He looked his happiest with me, fishing, and eating, and I'm not positive about the order...maybe tied for first place.

I'm glad your son will try fly fishing with his dad's equipment, Billy would love that, wouldn't he?!  We always love passing on our love for something.

[Margm]

 I have not packed that hat he is wearing.  He has 3-4 like that one.  I keep them together.  I keep them on the table his urn is on along with his Kindle and his cell phone.  I retired my smaller Kindle that was the size of his and now have a 10 inch one, but our Kindles are together also.  The last time Billy and I visited Walmart, he helped me pick out a new rod and reel.  Yep, a Zebco.  I have never used it.  I probably never will, but I am beginning to be able to look at his picture.  

[kayc]

Here are pictures of my George fishing the North Fork...

[Margm]

Beautiful.  Billy would have loved that.  He dreamed of going to Idaho and the rivers up around there.  Who is to know, maybe if Heaven is the perfect place we want to believe it is, maybe they are fishing golden rivers.  I would like to think that.  I would like to believe that.  Thank you for posting these.  They would have had a lot to talk about and I don't think George would have been bored.  

[KarenK]

I love both of your pictures. I'm sorry I have none of Ron in a setting like that. We fished a lot in the mountain lakes. He was also an avid fisherman, but not with a fly rod. He had around 30 rods and several tackle boxes. My son and I sold a lot of it, but he kept about 10 for himself and 1 for me. I did not like selling it at all any more than than the 40 or so guns we had to let go or all the John Wayne stuff. It is like I am slowly erasing him and with him goes me. It is so hard to believe he has been gone almost 3 years. This is still such a lonely place. I often think of my daughter's beautiful home, land, and horses. All gone now.

Some here are able to re-locate and travel and I envy you that. I don't really want to be here in this lonely house with all the memories. It is a roof over my head and nothing more. It is no longer a home. Like you Kay. I struggle each month to survive financially. So will stay here until they kick me out. Really have no future to plan for.

I hope Ron is up there somewhere with your "guys" fishing his heart out.

[Margm]

Well, then maybe Billy has two guys to talk fishing with.  Bless his heart, we went fishing together a lot, but he liked to get scientific about it.  I remember when he got his first "fish locator" and I think they are called something else.  I was so serious to the guys in the sporting goods department, I told them I could not understand why he just didn't take a long pole and gauge the depth of the water.  Louisiana lakes were not as deep as Arkansas ones..  Of course they saw the humor of that, but I was being serious for once.  Fly fishing took care of the boats.  Oh he tried a kayak (sp?) once, but he put it in the water in winter and promptly turned it over.  Brianna (granddaughter) and I laughed all the way home with the truck heater running full force.  He never got in it again.  

[kayc]

Margaret, was it a "Depth Finder"?  My kids' dad used to use one to find where the fish are.

[Margm]

Yep, that is what it was.  We did not like the lakes up here, (they are beautiful), although he fished in one small one that had "stickups" like Louisiana lakes.  But he sure loved the streams/rivers.

[Margm]

Thanks, almost felt like he was around for awhile.  Good memories.  Did not think I could ever do that again.  Thanks Kay and Karen, kinda a small breakthrough.  He would approve.