WTF

So I go to one of my old favorite haunts, from which in years past, were pulled 20" rainbows, survivors of the rigors of put and take.  How they made it past all the killers out there is beyond me - anyway I used to waylay these 20 inchers (no shit) as they were cruising the shoreline of this little lake.  It was a bugger of a spot to fly fish from, bull rushes and cattails and thick emergent AVPs ringing the shoreline - bassy water really, but as I say it was a put and take spot.

So I go to this old favorite haunt because it's on the way home from another long day and I just have to have a little fix of something real. Maybe make a few casts, see a couple of ducks, feel the breeze, swat a mosquito, see a trout rise.  Relax a bit. 

But, where once there were bull rushes and cattails and a path, there now resides a concrete boat launch complete with a dock, class V gravel, and signage telling me that this is a managed trout lake, and how I should behave so that I don't introduce exotic, invasive, nuisance, aquatic, toxic biota - lest I fuck the place up, etc.  OK, I can read.

There are a lot of small fish rising, so I rig up real quick and step lively to the handy public dock. First cast and a rise and a miss.  Next cast the same. Then a tight line and a 5" golden shiner.   By the billions  !!!

Oh yeah, the signs work great.