Learning the rules of fishing at Branson

Yours truly (center) demonstrates how big the trout was that he caught but eventually let go during a fishing trip to Branson, Mo., with buddies Bob Montgomery (left) and Pete Oppermann (right). The demonstration may be a bit exaggerated.

A small break in the legislative window was all that District 26 Rep. Bob Montgomery, R-Olathe, needed to get away for a day-and-a-half of fishing this past weekend. And he didn’t have to ask twice for Olathe landscape architect Pete Oppermann and me to tag along for a quick jaunt to Branson, Mo., and Taneycomo.

We were on the road before 5:30 last Sunday morning. It was a great sunrise and with traffic light we were making good time while talking politics, fishing, and about our lives in general.

After a quick stop at a local angler shop to get some information on what the trout were hitting on, we pulled into the parking lot just below the dam and within minutes were in the water. I felt a solid hit on my first cast. I slowly reeled it it and it was putting up a pretty good fight swimming from one side to the other and then quickly darting towards me and back out again.