What To Do When Your Perfect Manhattan Isn't Perfect?

 

It's not easy trying to figure out water levels here on the Delaware system. It has rained every day but the rivers go up and down like the stock market when Trump announces or pauses tariffs. Today they were down despite on and off showers all day long. Temperatures got all the way up into the mid fifties although it didn't feel any different than the past three days when it never got out of the forties.

Jean came down so I spent a little time this morning sprucing up the place. Also managed to find time to tie a few flies. There was a band in the pavilion downtown and there were numerous booths set up with people selling their creations. Found a nice little garden store across from Bisbee's where we bought tomato plants, and then at about 2:45 we drove along the river looking for bugs and risers.

Saw the first bugs at 2:55 and the first rise at 3:04. Both the bugs and rises came in increasing frequency after that. Found an unoccupied run just a short walk from the "Fishermen Park Here" sign, and waded in for what turned out to be an hour and fifteen minutes, during which time three showers kept Jean in the car.

The fishing - Had fish to throw at the entire time , but the hatch was not as heavy as those the past three days. When the first shower started, every fish in the river fed like crazy for about fifteen minutes. I hooked what turned out to be a 19 inch brown and took a good portion of the time to get him into the net. Hooked two more fish that both came unstuck within the first ten seconds. After that both the bugs and rises slowed down. Ended up going 3 for 6.

Made reservations at a local Restaurant where we have had good meals previously. Jean's steak and my salmon were adequate. My Perfect Manhattan was not. When the drink is served "on the rocks" in a low ball glass and fills less than 1.5 inches of the glass, doesn't have the requested twist, and costs more than the 1.75 liter bottle of Canadian rye I use for my drinks at home, it's perhaps time for me to  find a place that serves a drink that is both more reasonably sized and priced.

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