You ain't going to believe this.

At my age and unknown miles chasing fish with a fly rod I have a hanfull of fish stories that would be so hard for someone to believe I will probably take most of them to my grave to avoid the ridicule and laughing from the non believer. Here tonight I find myself compelled to share just one of them crazy fly fishing events that happened just yesterday. On one of my favorite redfish flats at the start of an incoming tide I found a few redfish in a shallow section of an oyster bar cluttered mud flat. The water temperature was extremely hot as the 96 degree day heated up the shallow water. This high water temperature tends to make redfish lethargic and prone to be less aggressive. One of the redfish I had found was actually holding motionless in about a foot of water.With high expectations I made a few casts of a shrimp fly pattern in front of its face. I jumped the fly trying to get the damn fish to eat. On my third cast the fly landed about two feet in front of the fish. The fly sank to the bottom and the redfish just remained there showing no interest. I have encountered redfish like this before and decided this fish was just not going to eat. Feeling the heat of the day I decided to give the redfish a break and lay the rod down on the bow with the fly still sitting a few feet in front of the lazy bastard. I stepped aft to the consol and grabbed a cool one. What happened next is crazy. As I turned around with beer in hand I watched my fly rod and reel flying straight out of the boat streaking through the air like a missle. In just a few seconds it was heading to where the fish was laying. The rod and reel hit the water well out of reach and was heading to deeper water being towed behind this angry redfish. In disbelief I was not ready to give up so I grabbed a second fly rod and started stripping out fly line and started making a desperate cast with a weighted fly in the direction of where I thought my swimming fly rod and reel might be going. My mind was reeling with the thought of losing a nautilus reel, fly line and a decent fly rod in such a way. Trying to guess the sink rate of the fly by counting down to reach the depth of the water I thought the rod may be as well as calculating the last trajectory of the swimming fly rod I desperately made cast after cast trying to retrieve my loss. With hope fading fast and on about my fifth cast I felt my fly grab something. Could it be ? What is it ? Yes, it has potential. As I stripped in my line I could see the fly had actually hooked my run away fly rod. As I pulled it closer I also felt a strange energy. The redfish was still in play as I could feel it still pulling line out of the lost fly reel that I was now connected with. The fly I had cast in desperation had actually hooked into the loop of the guide on the tip of the run away fly rod. Finally back to the boat I grabbed the lost fly rod and frantically tried to get the hook out of the guide. Retrieving the lost fly rod and reel was my goal but I now feel as I just won the lottery with the bonus of the redfish still attached. The fish was a beautiful 25 inch redfish with a thick body. I could hardly believe how this played out as I laid the fish down on the bow of the boat for a couple of hero shots. I wonder if the redfish is telling this "you ain't going to believe this shit" story to his pals today as well ?