The Drift Of Things

If you will be patient, we will explain how our plans to research the fishing possibilities of the Buffalo River following the SME Fall Meeting turned out, in general, to be an extension of the main theme of that meeting and, in particular, to confirm an astute observation on research made by Australian T. R. A. Davey in his Award-acceptance address at the Pb-Zn Research Luncheon. Buffalo River State Park is reached via Yellville where we tried without success to find one Odie Tollett who had been recommended as a boat liveryman. However, Mrs. Leon Dodd, in the Park, outfitted us nicely with a 17-foot aluminum canoe. Rain had dominated the recent weather of the Ozarks in northwestern Arkansas. So, under a leaden sky and intermittent showers, we stood on the bank of the turgid Buffalo demonstrating to our spouse, Sylvia, how to cast. Of course, with the water up and the sediment, the outlook for catching fish was bad. Sylvia said, however, "Oh, I get it. Let me try. Umm, like this I got one!" Sylvia reeled in a pretty ten-inch brown trout. "The poor thing, let's throw him back."