Crappie Dreams
It is a beautiful late Spring morning. The rising sun reflects on the water. Birds are singing. An eagle watches me from his perch on an old dead tree. Deer are at the edge of the lake for a morning drink. I see no other fishermen. I have the water all to myself.
I cast my crappie jig toward some standing timber and start working it back to the boat. I feel a thump and set the hook. My rod doubles over. The fight is on. It feels like a big catfish but it is not. It is the biggest crappie I have ever seen. Maybe even a new world record.
The line hums as it comes off my reel. I gain line back little by little. My arms are getting tired from the battle. Finally, it is close to the boat. I reach for the net.
Suddenly, there is a buzzing in my ear. The huge crappie disappears as I reach across my body to shut off the alarm clock. I lay there trying to get thoughts of the fish of a lifetime out of my head. Then, my feet hit the floor.
I head to the kitchen to put on the coffee, check my weather app, and make a visit to the bathroom. The order of events sometimes changes. Maybe it is because I’m getting older.
The boat is hooked up and ready. So am I. As I drive to the lake, I cannot get the crappie dream out of my head. It was so real to me. My arms felt tired from the battle with this huge crappie.
I am sitting at a stoplight. I see geese flying in a V formation heading north. I wonder why we notice them more when they head south for the winter rather than north for spring and summer.
I want to roll down my window and tell the lady next to me, “Look at the geese flying north! Do you know why they fly in a V formation?” She would think I was crazy, so I don’t.
Did I hear a goose honk?
No, the guy behind me is honking his horn to tell me the traffic light is not going to get any greener.
Is he pointing at the geese in the sky as he passes me?
If he is, it is the wrong finger.
I exit onto the busy highway. It will be a while before I reach the lake and exit again, but I don’t mind. Unlike those around me, I am not texting or talking on my smartphone. This is my time for daydreaming.
My daydreaming takes me to many places. Sometimes I am at the cabin we used to own. Hummingbirds swarm around the feeder, or I am at the creek fighting a big smallmouth bass.
You can’t believe all the deer I have taken in my daydreams. Daydreams have taken me back to the mountains and oceans I have been to. Some come from your imagination, others from fond memories.
The clicking sound of my turn signal brings me back to reality. I am at the lake. I unload the boat, park my truck, and I am ready to go fishing. Maybe, my night dream will come true. The odds are not great for that, but it is good to be fishing anyway.
I catch a limit of crappie but no world record. I get back in my truck and go down the same roads. I will daydream again on my way home. Daydreaming is an escape from the world we live in today.
Yes, I am a dreamer. I have always been and always will be. Maybe I will catch that world record crappie again in my night dreams.
