Autumn Dream Day
by Elmer Prather, guest blogger
My latest puzzle is a 1000-piece titled Autumn Dream Day by Mark Susinno. Before I spend the time putting a puzzle together, I must have a connection to it. My connection to this puzzle is my interest in trout fishing.
Every puzzle picture tells a story. As I put this puzzle together, I tried to read the story depicted in the puzzle picture. I saw the muted colors of the Autumn leaves reflecting in the water flowing down the stream with four trout foraging for food above the moss-covered river rocks.
The fly fisherman in the puzzle came outfitted to fly fish and by looking at the trout pictured beneath the water he was going to have a wonderful day. He is wearing waders so he can get into deep water with his fly rod. As I was putting this puzzle together, I wondered what kind of fish were in the stream so I asked my fishing friend who is also a Natural Wildlife Biologist to identify them. After checking them out he advised me that the first two fish on the left side of the puzzle picture are brook trout, the large fish in the middle is a rainbow trout and the one on the right side of the picture is a brown trout.
I live in the Northern part of the state of Georgia, in the foothills of the mountains where natural reproduction of brook, brown and rainbow trout occurs in approximately two thousand eight hundred of Georgia’s four thousand miles of trout streams.
In addition to the natural reproduction of trout, the state of Georgia has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority TVA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Tennessee to manage a massive trout restocking program. Most of the streams these trout are released in are catch and release streams. A trout license and trout stamp are required for persons aged sixteen and older to fish for or possess mountain trout. This program has an incredible return on investment. More than 256,000 anglers are estimated to fish for trout in Georgia waters each year spending about seventy-three dollars for every dollar invested in the hatchery program which provided over a million brook, brown, lake and rainbow trout to TVA waters.
There is a second fly rod and a fishing tackle box sitting on the left bank of the stream. As I finished the puzzle and took an even closer look I thought to myself how great it would be if I were able to pick up that rod and reel and start casting.
I believe that fly fishing is a great outlet for exercise, relaxation and can be very therapeutic. To find yourself out in nature – experiencing its vast and peaceful qualities while fly fishing is a blessing. One does not understand this blessing until they have experienced fly fishing.
Elmer Prather
Canton, Georgia
U S A
