All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien

---

^{I couldn't tell if he was coming to say hi or pick a fight! I think I could take him! lol}

---

Walk With Me - Small Pond Fishing

My initial plan was to hit the N. Georgia mountains on Monday and Tuesday, but due to a surprise cold spell I opted to stay home like a bum for those days. I figured I would try some local ponds today. As per usual with me and my sloppy adventures, I was running late! After admiring my growing collection of tactical bags, I grabbed my fly fishing bag and my camera/safety gear bag, rods, and camera and headed for the vehicle. But I forgot the camera batteries and had to jot right back inside( this is pretty typical, so don't feel too bad. Anything worth doing, is worth doing twice! lol). Now back to the care for the adventure to begin! Wait, where is my pistol??? Ok, back in one more time. At least my Dane, Sasha gets excited each time I came back in. Grab my pistol and we're off, for real this time.

---

^{I have an obsession for tactical bags!}

---

As I mentioned, I was already running late. Well in theory. Can you actually be running late on an off day with nothing else planned to do? So, I figure it would be absolutely foolish and in bad taste to start a fishing excursion without the proper fuel. I decided upon Krystal because...well because they are God's gift to the South(along with grits) and I deserve one for having a day off. Well, I actually felt I deserved six, so that's what I ordered. The nice lady serving me must have felt I deserved six as well because she was all smiles and even told me to have a nice day!

---

^{Pre-Fishing Pit Stop}

---

I finally get to the parking area and begin my short hike to the first pond I visited today. Since spring is in full swing, the briers were a bit more robust and I got nicked more than once. But, that is a small price to pay to have an entire pond to yourself. I tried numerous combinations on my fly rod and on a spinning rod, but I only ended up catching one bream. I did miss several hits on dry flies and that is a good indication that with more and more warm days poppers and dry flies should be a go-to lure fairly soon.

---

^{Arrived at the first pond.}

---

^{Got eeem!}

---

So after a few hours, I trekked back to my car and headed to the second pond of the day. Since I caught a fish and since technically catching any fish would make a fishing trip a success, I felt I deserved to rewarded for my magnificent triumphs with a coffee. So instead of heading straight to the second pond, I made a slight detour to my favorite coffee house and ordered a large( and I mean LARGE) salted caramel breve. Once again, the barista must have felt my triumphs warranted this amazing caffeine concoction as well because instead of screaming "No way, Fatty!" she smiled and asked me if maybe I should get a piece of pound cake as well. So I started thinking, "You know what, I think it would be rude to turn down such a generous offer and I did, in fact, catch a fish so yeah...yeah I'll take my cake and eat it too!" So after a bit longer than anticipated coffee break, I arrived at pond number 2.

---

^{At the second pond.}

---

So I tried everything in my bag on the fly rod and on the spinning rod with absolutely no luck at all. The only attention I got was from a huge heron/egret. I'm terrible at identifying birds, but this guy was huge. At first I thought maybe he was coming over to say, "Hi" and congratulate me on my well-deserved Krystals and coffee, but something about his eyes gave me a cold shiver down my spine. I don't know if he was sent there by the anti-fat-guys-eating-coffee-and-pound- cake league or if he was just getting a little closer look at my empty string of catches. But either way he came across as a bit of a bully. Well, me being the bigger person, I felt I should probably leave before things were said that would be regretted and things heated up beyond repair. I mean, I think I could take this bird in a fair fight, but who knows what he is hiding under that wing, right? So, I left fish-less but full of the self-righteous knowledge that I did the right thing and didn't hit that bird square on the beak. Sometimes my humility and awesomeness amaze even me! lol Thanks for walking with me on this little adventure and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

---

^{The more I think about it......I think he was trying to push me around!}

---

Join us @steemitbloggers
Animation By @zord189