A Hauntingly True Fishing Story

October 27th

The fishing yesterday was amazing. I caught one on the first cast. Usually that means I got there too late but yesterday was different. I lost count on how many trout I got in. Each one was bigger than the last. Then I hooked into one that was bigger than any trout I have ever seen. It was bigger than any I have ever heard of. I fought him for a good thirty minutes before he decided he was done playing. He stuck his head out of the water. Looked at me. Smiled. Then spit out the hook.

After my adrenaline wore off I felt embarrassed. At no point during the fight was my gear going to allow me to bring that fish in. He was just toying with me. On one hand I’m glad no one saw it but on the other I wish someone had seen just how big that fish was. It could be a new species altogether. Yes . . . it was THAT BIG!

That’s what I decided to name my new lure. THAT BIG!

I planned on going back tomorrow morning with heavier gear and see if he wants a rematch. Unfortunately, when I got back to camp something else had been there. My stuff was scattered everywhere and most of my food had been eaten or at least chewed on. I would have thought it was a bear but there were dog tracks everywhere and I even saw him scampering off.

After seeing him I almost wished it had been a bear. This was one of the biggest, meanest, wildest looking dogs I have ever seen. I guess everything here grows bigger than normal. Great for fishing, horrible for a feral dog getting into your camp. I would have thought it was a wolf or he was completely wild except he was wearing a collar. Complete with a shiny little metal thing that probably has his owner's name and his name on it. I bet they gave him something ironic like “Muffin” or “Sweety”.

Or maybe he ate his owner.

Either way I have to go into town tomorrow to resupply. I found a place on Google that looks like a grocery store. It has a grocery in its name at least. Not a lot to choose from around here.

I have to admit this place is a little more secluded than I had imagined. I didn’t see a single car once I got off the highway. It was a good hour to get to my campsite. I thought it was a good thing when I first got here but now . . .

It doesn’t matter. That’s just my imagination playing tricks on me. I’ll be back after that new species of trout by mid-morning and then I have the next few days to work out a way to get him onto my net.

October 28th

O.K. that was a little weird.

People in small towns usually recognize each other. If someone looks unfamiliar it usually means they aren’t from there. When I walked in the first person, I came across asked me if I was new. I told her what I was doing and why and she looked at me like I was crazy then smiled like she won the lottery. When I mentioned the fish, she looked shocked, (which is kind of what i expected, the fish was ginormous), but when I told her about the dog she looked scared and walked off and started talking to someone else who both started looking at me in a way that made me uncomfortable. I don’t even know how to describe it. I’ve never been looked at like that before. I’ve never even seen people make that look before. It started to make the hairs on my neck stand up and I got goosebumps. Unfortunately, there isn’t anywhere else to get supplies and there is no way I’m leaving without landing Gigantatroutous.

Coming up with a name for him kind of eased me back into normalville and helped me to forget about the creepy looks I got at that place. I made sure to get enough so that I wouldn’t have to go back.

Seriously. It was a weird experience.

Getting back to fishing will definitely help me forget about it. It was just . . .dread. . . . mixed with joy . . . .or something I don’t want to understand and am probably very grateful I can’t understand. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me again. That’s probably it. Nothing to worry about at all. They were just people. . . .Really, really, weird people.

I’m starting to feel a little weird myself. This place is definitely off the beaten path. I’ve only been here a couple of days. Who knows how long they’ve been here? How long does it take before I start looking at people like that?

I need to calm down.

At least the weather is still nice. Actually the weather is great. Clear skies, fall colors, and just cool enough to make the fish bite without making me shiver. I’ll unpack. Keep the food in the car until needed, and fish away. No better way to get rid of fear than a good plan and a positive attitude.

I wish me luck . . .again.

Later that evening

Well, luck was with me again. I caught several trout I would brag about in any circle. I actually caught more than I missed, which is amazing in itself but the size of them made it almost unbelievable. Then it happened. I hooked into Gigantatroutous. I didn’t manage to land it, but I did get him in closer before he got off. About an hour later I hooked him again. Either I’m hooking the same fish over and over again or they’re really a new species here that is bigger than any known species.

I have made a choice not to leave until I land at least one of them, or that one. Whichever way it goes. An opportunity like this only comes around so often and I can’t pass it up. I’ll stay till it’s done.

. . . . or I run out of supplies and can’t fight off hunger anymore. The thought of having to go back to that store would be a reason to leave. I might be half crazed with delusions of Gigantatroutous, but I’m not all the way crazy. I really did NOT like the way I felt around those people. I don’t want to know why . . .It was horrid.

October 29th

That was the worst night's sleep I’ve ever had. Normally I sleep like a baby when I’m outdoors, especially on a fishing trip but last night was unexplainable. Everytime I managed to fall asleep I had nightmares about being back at that store. I tried leaving but they all just kept following me. Eventually I made it back to camp when they surrounded me. Then I got woken up by that feral dog. His barking wasn’t like any dog I’ve ever heard. He would bark long enough to wake me then nothing. I would fall back into that hellish nightmare and just as they surrounded me. The barking again.

All night long I was either tormented by a horror of my subconscious or that infernal barking. This place is so bizarre, but I can’t leave till I land Gigantatroutous.

. . . or have completely lost the rest of my mind and have joined the crowd that haunts my nightmare.

In the morning I’ll have a small breakfast and get down to the stream. The faster I land this thing the sooner I leave this place. Trust in this: After I land this fish, I’m packing up and leaving right after it.

I’ll be glad when the sun makes its way over that ridge so I can start the day. This place is starting to get to me . . . or it’s just a lack of sleep. Maybe that’s it?

That Evening

The weirdness never stops here. I waited for an hour for the sun to make its way over the ridge before realizing it already had. Clouds have moved into the valley blocking the sun. It was like fishing in twilight all day. I think it made me even more tired than I already am. IDK, something about this place just isn’t right. It’s messing with my mind and I’m forgetting what I’m doing.

Several times I found myself just standing by the stream. Just standing there in a daze. I managed to catch a few fish and even hooked Gigantatroutous but not once did I feel an excitement. I didn’t feel anything. Something is draining me here. I’m being pulled into the nether world by forces I don’t understand and can’t control .

. . . or it’s sleep deprivation. That sounds a lot better. A good night's sleep is all I need and I’ll be back to myself and landing a new species of trout bigger than any the world has ever seen. Tomorrow will be a day for the history books. All I need is a good night's sleep.

. . and a good meal. I’ll eat and hit the sack. Tomorrow will be different.

I wish me luck.

October 30th

I don’t know what comes after the worst but last night did. It was almost the same nightmare as the night before except the mob tried speaking. I assume that’s what they were trying to do. I could make out a few words but most of it was unintelligible to me. I’m not even sure what language it is. Their stare is hypnotic. They’re consuming my mind. Over and over and over. The only respite came from that infernal hound. Like they're in a war over my being. I don’t want to join either side. I just came here to fish. At least I think that’s why I came here. It’s getting harder to remember. I’m not even sure how long this has been going on anymore.

The sun is still refusing to come out or it is purposely being hidden from me to try to turn me into . . . one of them.

The sooner I catch that thing I can leave. All I have to do is remember what I’m trying to catch. I think it’s in the stream.

. . . . I need my gear. My rod . . .flies. . . I’ll skip breakfast . . . Then I can catch it quicker. The sooner I catch that thing, the sooner I can leave. All I have to do is remember what I’m trying to catch. . . .

What is happening to me? Where is the sun? Why do they look at me like that? I have to keep it together.

Try and focus . . .

The sooner I catch that thing, the sooner I can leave.

I think they might have put something in my food. . .

Don’t eat . . . There’s no time. Only time to catch that thing. All I have to do is remember.

Remember . . . .something . . .

GRAB YOUR ROD AND CAST IN THE STREAM!

That’s it. I have to fish! I have to catch that fish. Giganta . . something . . .new species.

JUST GO!

Stagger down to the stream and cast. That's all I have to do. That's all I can do. Just fish. Forget about them. Forget everything else and just fish. Just Go!

? (the day no longer matters)

I am lost. I can’t remember how long I’ve been here. It’s just the dream, the barking, staggering to the stream. Always lost. Always the same. It never ends. I am lost.

I know they are coming. Each one wants to destroy me. Each wanting me to join them. Two sides of the same hellish coin.

Where am I?

I need sleep but sleep returns me to the nightmare. I need food but that will keep me from casting.

The sooner I catch this thing, the sooner I can leave. All I have to do is remember.

Remember.

THEY’RE COMING!

I can hear them coming over the hill.

I’m surrounded. The hound . . .

The barking.

I am lost. I need to remember.

I need to run.

I should hide.

I should fight.

JUST GO!

I can’t leave!

The sooner I catch that, the sooner I can stay.

This isn’t the dream.

They are here.

What is barking?

The sooner I can stay.

That look.

What are they trying to say?

I could stay here forever.

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!

The last thing I remember is a really bright light. Then I woke up in my bed. Covered in sweat, exhausted, and I felt like I hadn’t eaten in a week. It was like the whole thing had been a dream, or a really realistic nightmare. The date on my phone hadn’t even changed, it was the morning I was supposed to leave.

I staggered outside to try and get my bearings. As I got nearer to my car I noticed everything was still packed like I had done the night before. Until I opened the back hatch. As soon as the seal broke the smell hit me.

Wet Dog.

I stood there for I don’t know how long trying to understand what had happened. . . .trying to remember . . . .Then I noticed the tracks. Going from my car up towards my front door were muddy dog paws prints. Then they disappeared. They just stopped 5 ft from my door. After that . . .nothing. The dog that made them just vanished somehow. I felt a chill run up my back and the hairs on my neck started to stand up but there was nothing else. There was no explanation and no way to make any sense of any of it. I still have no idea what really happened.