Bizarre Photo Call

[Phil Monahan]

Okay, I need a strange photo to go with our next “History” column. I’m looking for a shot of a fly fisherman casting to…a cow. The line could be in the air or on the grass. Or, perhaps you have an even better idea for suggesting “cow fishing”—an angler holding up a “Grass Fly” with cows in the background? I don’t know.

Here’s the relevant passage from the manuscript:

After all our tales of angling for unexpected or even inappropriate creatures are told, there remains one great masterpiece of this genre. It was written by Rudyard Kipling, it appeared in the British Fishing Gazette in 1890, and it was called “On Dry-Cow Fishing as a Fine Art.”

Kipling said he bought a small “minnow” lure, designed to be cast with a fly rod, but while fishing with it his back-cast hooked a nearby cow in the ear. Kipling reacted like a true angler:

I reeled in very swiftly and cautiously, but she would not wait. She put her tail in the air and ran away. It was a purely involuntary motion on my part: I struck.

        There followed a hilarious chase, in which the rest of the herd soon joined, so that Kipling found himself running through marsh and meadow surrounded by bewildered cows. Finally, not having a knife, he had to bite through the line:

Those who desire an entirely new sensation should chew with all their teeth, and against time, through a best waterproofed silk line, one end of which belongs to a mad cow dancing fairy rings in the moonlight; at the same time keeping one eye on the cow and the other on the top joint of a split-cane rod.

        The last Kipling saw of the cow, she was trailing 20 feet of his line. Then “She or one of her companions must have stepped on her spare end of the line in the dark, for she bellowed wildly and ran away, followed by all the cows.”

I got $100 for the photo. Anyone wanna take a shot at it?

Thanks,

Phil

[John Bennett]

If I had the time/opportunity. Its entering winter and most of our waters are closed.

Id try to get someone to drift a stim so its big like a R wulff across and in front of some cows that have to come to drink an some idylic spot and shoot that.

Farm pond with deer hair bass plugs, cows at the edge???

Just tossin ideas for anyone else if they can get to a spot with Cows.

[Aaron Otto]

Oh the age old question, of the grassfly.

[anonymous]

Is there any specific

[Anonymous]

Not sure if this fits the bill…but my memory had me dig this up.

I dont know Brandon but remember this photo from the thread a while back.

[Zach Matthews]

Dang.

[john michael white]

[anonymous]

John-

Landing net looks a little small :)))

thats great

Will

[john michael white]

If I can just get her head in the net, I should be able to land her, right? 😀

[Rob Snowhite]

walking through the cattle so as not to hook them on the back cast

i’ve got a pic somewhere of a dead, frozen cow in the middle of mossy creek. casting around it, not at it

[Mike McKeown]

Does it have to be a cow????

I have, or can get pictures of casting at, casting away from, running away from and even running to…

Elephants
Cape Buffalos
Hippos
Crocodiles
Snakes
Sheep
Monkeys
to name a few…

[Morsie]

Perhaps cattle have a genetic memory of that incident and from that day forth have a deep suspicion of the intent of fishermen.

How about an angler preparing himself for a “cowing” session.

Or…….

Morsie

[Author]

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