Group C arrived on the scene of Extravaganza 2009 with a couple-filled bundle of energy and left on the same high note, with at least one day (the memorable but otherwise fishingly forgettable Fourth of July [as long-time veteran Cam Carlson ably summarized fishing that day, "The adage about fishing and working was wrong today..I would have rather been working!]) better left unsaid other than to say all had as hot of a time on the water that day (temperature-wise only, that is) as Miss Piggy did that same day on the bbq. That notwithstanding, Day 2 for Group C DID see veteran Larry "Moon River" Klaustermeier shown above doffing yet another Yellow Hat for his 19" cuttbow along with Spencer Graham's Yellow Hat tying 19" rainbow.
But, as fishing is, THEN there was Day 3 for Group C when the scoreboard began (for the first time in a while around here, folks) to light up...and light up it did for Boat One (captained by our unsurpassable outfitter "John The Great But Propaneless" Gould and crewed by RCR and 2009 Rookie of the Year, Orlando's own Olivia Kingsland [shown above all smiles], so awarded for her 20+ fish day and for coming one brown trout short of the Grand Slam [five different species of trout caught on the same day] on her very first day of fly-fishing) followed by boat report after boat report of higher and larger fish tallies--fish totals averaging 20+ (a welcome and extravagant sight, indeed!). The big fish of the day went to Josef Shepard for his 19 1/2" rainbow with other stories of "the humungous ones that got away" filling the laughter filled outside boat report deck.
Whether it was "the Clark Fork of the Bitterroot" reported by now-designated-"blondie" Eliza "Blondie" Shepard, the canyon of the Blackfoot or the West Fork of the Bitterroot, FINALLY weather conditions had calmed down enough to provide plenty of fodder for the evening's report. The adjectives "magical", "wonderful", "breath-taking", "father-son bonding" and simply "great" filled each report, from that of the SS Klaustermeier vessel to the Garret/Shawback boat, to the Nici/Johnson report on the beauty of the Blackfoot's canyon, to the best report of them all [to wit: Spencer Graham and Elizabeth Pressler's very wise and poignant decision to put the rods down and "just enjoy the beauty around them"--bravo to that wisdom!] the day was an apt one to cap off Extravaganza 2009--a day filled with indelible memories of God's natural bounty seen as it should be: naturally.
Kudos to Nicholas Shepard, shown above proudly displaying his Yellow Shirt awarded for his 20 1/2" inch catch on Day One, and to the Nicholas-Josef Shepard combo that amassed an amazing three (count 'em) Yellow Hats between them, leaving town to return home to Napa in a golden blaze. Indeed, fish pictures filled the monogrammed frames handed out on Group Three's Awards Night--all except for that given to "Gene, Gene The Fishing Machine" whose greatest catch in the early goings of Group C was the pitcher of beer that he was kind enough to share with his fellow Group Cers (after polishing of the top half solo, that is!).
Best to all from the quieting post-Extravaganza scene of it all,
Rock Creek Ron
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