Cunningham Creek in 2011

    I recieved a new fly rod for my birthday and decided that it was time to take a trip to Cunningham Creek, a small Rivanna River tributary near my home.  I had Pickerel in mind, but they shouldn't run up the creeks to spawn for another month. 
    Upon reaching the creek and finding my 7' 6" 3wt. to be casting nicely, I gave up fishing, as these tributaries are literally empty prior to the spawn.  My other purpose of this trip was to shed hunt.  A friend of mine informed me of seeing a few one-sided bucks around Fluvanna--no sheds were found.
    The draw of adventure pulled me farther upstream than I had ever been, helping me to discover better looking water than was present in the middle stretches.

    A bit of mystique accompanies adventure in most cases, so you will see how this event sort of creeped me out.  While crossing the creek, in new territory, I noticed the birds had stopped singing; my dog, Shannon, had started to whine; and a breeze was beginning to create a whine in the hollow.  I stopped to scan my surroundings when I noticed a tall, dark, object behind me!  Bigfoot!  

    No worries, this hairy beast was nothing more than a weirdly shaped stump.  When its time, give it three weeks or so, I can't wait to hadle a fiesty Pickerel on a 3wt.!