I asked my husband, Tommy to give me one word to describe trout fishing and he gave me the word "spectacular". Of course, my husband is not a man of few words, so he continued, "They are terrific fighters, splashing water and going airborne in their fight to escape. They are one of the most colorful freshwater fish, definitely a wonderful and worthy gamefish." Of course, I already knew all this, but this didn't quite describe our fishing trip with Scott, the disabled fisherman from Missouri I had invited to join us on the Spring River this very chilly early fall afternoon. This particular fishing trip was not exactly "spectacular." In fact, it was anything but that. Two words which might be used to describe this trout fishing adventure would be "amusing" and just plain "fun".
Scott arrived on time and I arrived late, of course. We had made previous arrangements to meet in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas at the Tourist Information Center at 1:00 PM. I had emailed Scott the night before and told him not to expect us to be on time. We were guessing at our estimated time of arrival due to our hectic schedules and other appointments, but we arrived only about 30 minutes late and quickly located Scott, his wife Cassondra, and their dog Peanut. I immediately found them very likeable and friendly... Everyone except Peanut, that is! Peanut took an instant dislike to me and no matter how hard I tried, she just would not give in. It was obvious though that she loved her owners and didn't want anyone getting too close. I kept my distance.
Scott and I decided to cast into the falls under the dam before moving on down the River to our pre-arranged fishing spot. With his cane in hand, I soon discovered that Scott was much at home on the water and followed me across rocks and water to find the perfect spot for pursuing the beautiful rainbow trout I had promised him. Scott had never caught a trout and was most anxious to hook his first.
After several tries, I hopped from my boulder and climbed atop a bank where I could get a better view of the bottom of the dam. To the left of the falls was a small opening beneath an old pump house, which had been built in, where the water was still and the perfect dark hiding place for a huge trout. I decided to try my luck at luring him out and onto my bait. Immediately, I felt a tug on my line and as always, I screamed, "Oh, Yeah!" You would have thought I'd caught a monster. My heart was racing as I struggled to not lose the little 7-inch tiger muskie, which had taken my glowworm. The tiger muskie is a cross between the Muskellunge and the Northern Pike. They were stocked in limited areas of Arkansas on an experimental basis and this was not the first time I had hooked into one on the Spring River. This is one of those experiments that proved to be very successful as the Arkansas State Record of 23 pounds was caught on the Spring River not far from where we were fishing.
Not knowing whether or not Scott had ever seen one, I was anxious to show him my first catch of the day. In all the excitement, I dropped it and with the grace of a Mighty Mite football player, tackled the little devil onto the ground. Scott seemed a little puzzled at my excitement and asked, "Haven't you ever caught one of those before?" A little embarrassed, I replied, "Yes, I wanted to make sure you had seen one!" Thus the beginning of a very interesting fishing trip.
A little discouraged at not catching anything significant so far, we hopped in our vehicles and drove down Hwy. 63 to the Riverside Resort owned and operated by Sonny and Susan Chaffin. Upon our arrival, we found a spot where Tommy and I had successfully fished previously for trout. We had chosen this spot for several reasons. The first being that the Arkansas Game and Fi
sh Commission stocks rainbow trout, German Brown trout, channel catfish and occasionally walleye in this area on a continual basis during the summer months and we were quite positive that this would be the place where Scott could hook his first rainbow trout. Secondly, the area is wheelchair accessible and easily accessed by disabled anglers. Even though Scott was not in his wheelchair today, he was using his cane and I was pleased with the ease at which he was able to manage the landscape and access the water. A third plus to this site is that there is ample room for the children to run and play and the water was shallow near the banks. The fact that the place is absolutely beautiful, kept clean and orderly was also a plus.
The children immediately hooked into the suckers and were kept busy catching and releasing the little fish. Scott and I were quite amused at their success at pulling one right after another from the water, while we struggled to get a little deeper into the chilly water trying to locate the trout which we had come to pursue. None of us were prepared to enter the water this day. The weather had cooled off immensely, it was overcast, and the wind was blowing. The 58-degree water was quite chilly, but we were determined and one by one ventured into the water. Pocket-deep was as far as we could go and that was almost unbearable, but when the clouds would part and allow the sunshine through, 
we would find ourselves inching out a little farther.
Though Tommy had tagged along to act as cameraman for the day, he couldn't resist the temptation of landing a big one and soon joined Scott and I in the water. As luck would have it, Tommy soon caught the first trout of the day. It was an average sized rainbow trout and we all shared in the excitement that we had finally located the fish... or at least one of them! Scott and I were more determined than ever now. We couldn't let the cameraman out-fish us!
After some time without any luck, Scott decided to try something a little different and wandered over to a small stream that flowed into the river. Tossing his glowworm into this stream, he immediately spotted a large
mouth bass inhaling his bait, only to spit it back out and meander away. The fight was on! Scott repeatedly tried to lure the largemouth back only to catch the bass's next meal... a small perch! We all had a good laugh and a disappointed Scott rejoined Tommy in the River.
I finally hooked my one and only small rainbow trout for the day and remained in the frosty water long enough to pose for a few photos and headed back to dry land. I had about all the cold water I could stand and found myself back on the bank tossing my bait across the river as far as I could in hopes of finding another rainbow or German "Brownie" Trout. The children were tiring and the clouds were preventing the sun from shining less and less. Our two-year-old, Eli had taken more than one run through the water and was now drenched from head to toe. I knew it would not be long before the children would be begging for some warm, dry clothes.
I watched the men from a distance and was amused at their stamina and desire to continue fishing. I decided to let them do just that. After a
ll, Scott had driven a long way and still had not caught his first trout. I did not want him returning home without that experience. When Tommy caught a German Brown Trout, we were excited. M
aybe the fish were going to start biting after all. The guys wandered a little farther, a little deeper. Cassondra and I were starting to get a little concerned that the men had remained in the cold water for so long. With Scott's condition, he doesn't feel the cold on his external skin, but Tommy would surely quit soon. His only handicap was the desire to catch another fish.
I started gathering our belongings and was picking up our bait and tackle when I heard Tommy excitedly calling my name. Sure enough, Scott was reeling in a fish. It wasn't a monster, but it was sure putting up a fight. I could see excitement on both the men's faces as Scott held 
up his very first rainbow trout. He had finally done it! With camera in hand, I captured the event and hoped that my new friend Scott was having a good time.
We drove home that afternoon tired and cold, but knowing that we had all enjoyed a great time on the beautiful Spring River with new friends and family. As I sat in front of my fireplace later that night, feeling the warmth of the fire, my thoughts wandered back to Scott... wondering if he'd enjoyed himself, wondering if he could remember the feel of an open fire, wondering if he would be okay the next day. I knew the fishing trip would take its toll on him. But no doubt, he'll do it again and again and again...
An email from Scott the following day..."Today, I'm in agony. But yesterday I had a wonderful time!"
Share the fun... take someone fishing.
