Stream Lunch

The fisherman’s term “stream lunch” is not limited to a streamside meal. In fact, today my guide Andy prepared a stream lunch on the bank of Spednic Lake. It was a feast of char-grilled, freshly caught, land-locked salmon, cowboy coffee, chopped potatoes and onions fried over the campfire, followed by homemade pie made from apples from a tree in Andy’s backyard. As he cooked, I caught up on my emails at the edge of the water.

Oftentimes, the most enjoyable part of fly fishing – apart from the catching—is the lunches. One of my first stream lunches was in Ireland. There was no catching, due to the terribly rainy weather, but the food was terrific. Tea sandwiches with delicate desserts served on a fold-out table with tablecloth. In Spain, lunch was delivered by a stylish Land Rover with a drop-down tailgate as the table. It was a grand meal with tapas, a main course, and an assortment of wines to choose from. In England, lunch was served in a streamside pavilion with three courses fit for a king. My New Zealand stream lunch came in a packed wicker basket delivered by helicopter. I was surprised to find it was comprised of leftovers from the camp dinner the night before.

The simplest stream lunches are in America. My recent float on the Madison lunch was half a BLT. In California, on the Finn River, I shared with my guide, a vegan, a box of salted nuts, a protein bar, and an apple. Anyway, it is all in a day of fishing.