As a trout fisherman in Colorado, I've caught everything from itty-bitty brookies barely big enough to swallow the hook to mean-looking brown trout that have scarcely seen a lure in a decade to lake trout too long for most of our cooking gear. I have fished from Steamboat Springs to the Rio Grande headwaters. I have heard fish stories and I've heard true fish stories. Until recently, I considered myself a decent docent of the salmoninae family. Then I hit Wikipedia and I heard of this activity which, to my amazement, has been done since antiquity. You might say it had me reeling.
Seriously, have you ever
tickled a trout?
 |
Me, in 1989, with some
un-tickled trout |
Like a lot of things, you have to wonder about the first guy who did it. Did he just stick his hand under a rock and feel around, hoping to find a snail for dinner, maybe? Why on earth would you attempt such a thing, and how on earth could you expect the trout to relax with that? Questions abound on that one.
I asked my dad if he'd ever heard of it or seen it done, and he responded, "The water's too cold." I have to agree. It's usually 37 degrees or so, which is why tubing isn't nearly as popular here as it would be in warmer climes. This is also why I have never been white water rafting. Few people signing up for the trip realize that 24 hours ago, that "white water" was still a snowbank! So, sticking your hand in the water is something you avoid unless it's (a.) to clean your hands or (b.) to pull someone else out ...and strip them, dry them, and warm them in short order.
I've caught trout, but never tickled them. And, unless my angling skills fail me, I don't think I'm too tickled to try.
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