Summer used to be just another season to plunge into with outdoor activities, but as you get long in the tooth, sweltering is countered like an old coon hound… find a shady spot or wander a creek and its cool waters. 
I like this feeder creek that rolls into Big River reminiscent of Caster River, that is located in the foothills of the Ozarks. Riffles followed by a deeper area here and there.
You wade and cast lively minnows to shady spots under willows usually harboring smallmouth bass. It’s not too far from my home and since it’s declared a Trophy area, you can only harvest one fish a day and it has to be over 15 inches.
A lot of anglers that ply this area catch and release as do I. Every once in a while I will keep one and remind myself how a bass tastes on a plate with coleslaw.
This particular day it was predicted to reach 100 degrees. Now you can offset that kind of red thermometer when you are just east of 80 years on this “blue sphere” by being IN the water.
