Beer is good for the recreational activities depending on the hand eye. When engaged in darts or pool at the local establishment, calibrating the right amount of beverage can lead the recreationalist into a zone where the table’s geometry unlocks its code or the dart flies freely from the hand into the triple 20. It works in fly fishing as well, to a point.

Tall-boy assisted.

In cleaning out the detritus from the last season, I came across the broken rod from above. I used it to land the pictured bass over the summer. With the help of tall boys, I had the patience to endure the nonchalance of this fish as it repeatedly ignored my offerings. And, when it finally made a move, I had the numbness to resist buck fever and set the hook as I watched it all go down.

But there’s always a downside. A momentary loss of equilibrium as I bent to release it, a stumble in the mud, a flail of the arms and a sickening crunch underfoot. I forgot about it for a while until today. Memory is a casualty, too.