Page 61 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL10

Behind the rainy backdrop of the sunset hid an isolated house. It was at the edge of a grove not far from the main road. I looked at it sadly before pulling my car over at the base of the steps.“I’ve got a fish for you,” I told the elderly lady who opened the door to greet me. She was a Thai teacher at Cornell University and a widow whose only son had left her to set up his own family.“What a huge fish! I can’t finish it all.”“Please take it; I’ve wanted to give one to you for so long. But due to my heavy workload, I hardly go outside. Today I got two fish and I want to share one with you.”“You were caught in the rain alone?”“Yeah, but that was fine. I enjoyed it.”Rujira looked surprised and asked me about my fishing trip for a while.Soon afterwards I begged off to leave because I still had another fish to give away. The one I gave to Rujira was a big trout inhabiting the lake. Generally it is a deep water fish living in freezing water. It swims up to the surface only twice a year and we called it a lake trout. Unlike other trout species, lake trout do not seek food in creeks or streams.It is the fish I tried to catch during the autumn of 1986 and spring of 1987. Almost every Thai student at Cornell University received my gifts of fish; some were sliced into pieces while some were cooked. Sometimes we arranged a meal together and steamed or deep-fried trout would be the main course.Every time I gave people fish, I hoped my gesture of friendship would help warm the chilling weather in Ithaca, especially those who were lonely like Rujira...For me, fishing for lake trout was a pleasure in itself.As mentioned, lake trout are cold water fish, most of the year living at a depth of over 100 feet, or 30m, where temperatures are stable. Normally this trout is content at temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4°C. It should not go above 12°C. If the surface temperature of the water is too high or low, the lake trout completely disappears from waters close to shore.For this reason, the lake trout comes up to the shallow water only twice a year, in the early spring and late autumn. The former period is in the transition from April to May, and the latter from late October until November ends. The weather during these two periods is unpredictable.One time the sky was clear as I cast the line into the water. But I had not even reeled in the lure before it suddenly got dark and started to rain. To the north I saw a picture of a grey sky connecting with the lake and rushing towards me. Within seconds I had the rod in my arms, grabbed the tackle box and rushed to find shelter from the rain.Gasping for breath under a shed by the bank, I was astonished by the shifting scenery before my eyes. The grey curtain of sky rolled up as if a play was about to begin on a stage. Like magic, a curved rainbow appeared against the mountain range opposite me. Formed from ripples of the lake, the rainbow drew its colourful lines across the range and on the other side met the water again.This was a rare scene during my hunts for lake trout, however. Most of the time I faced freezing winds blowing along my flesh like a knife blade or disappointment. This is because the lake trout are particularly active when the waves and wind are strong. When waves break into white foam we are more likely to catch the fish. The wind is effective at lowering the temperature.Elite+ 59