If you live in the country then this is what your dentists office looks like. Big old farm house with a long driveway set on 20 acres. Today was time in the seat. Possible extraction or at best a root canal on one of three teeth that are shot. I got to my 10 am appointment early because I had post-dental work time on my mind. First off was the numbling lotion, then the big needles that sent
electrical shocks from the hinge of my jaw to the middle of my lip. Then the fun began and it lasted 2-1/2 hours. All the while I was just sitting there with my eyes closed picturing the tide and time of day in a return trip from yesterdays outing. When I finally blew out of there I hit Route 1 going
north. I was making good time until I hit New Brunswick and the entrance to the Turnpike. There has been construction going on over the Raritan for months but today was extra heavy. I made good use of my time tying up some new leaders and getting my two-fly set up ready. I finally saw what
the delay was, a car fire in the construction zone. Sometimes they can be a doozy so I hope it wasn't a bad accident with a vehicle fire. By the time I got to the water I was catching the last of the outgoing tide. In some places that can be great, but in a silty and muddy river with a bottom covered with phosgene
and polychlorinated biphenyls the bottom usually means off color and dead, unless you're casting 1,000 feet away from the sides. Today was a different day, now NW wind, which kept the air at 45 degrees and made me cold after being out in for three hours. Luckily I had a work Zoom meeting from 230 -315
so I took a break and waited for the flip. Unlike yesterday the water wasn't like glass, and there was no fish chasing and leaving the water. It was a low and slow kind of day. When the water started moving I finally got bit. It was now going to be a race with the tide, time of day, and the sun. I
wasn't going to be staying into the dark so hopefully there was enough moving water with bait and bass mixed in to make it worth the while with a pounding right jaw. The fish were smaller today but what made it much better was my idea of lugging the viewing tank along. I love that thing.
