62 Nebraskaland • June 2019
THE LAST STOP
By Jeff Kurrus
TWO FLY RODS
June is a busy month. Between photographing and
following my daughter throughout the state playing softball,
I have to make time to fish. So in recent years I've begun
carrying a fly rod with me everywhere I go.
The case easily fits in the front seat of the truck, and
whether I have an extra five minutes or five hours, I'm
always ready for the water.
Last June on one of these softball trips to Hastings, I
decided to pack two fly rods. Maybe, I thought, I could talk
someone into fishing with me.
I found my partner when we left the ballfield one day and
had a few hours before dark to spare. His name was Kalvin
Janssen, an 11-year-old who was staring at a cell phone at
the hotel while his 9-year-old sister and a gob of her friends
ran the halls. The look on his face said he wished to be
anywhere but there.
"You want to fish?" I asked him. "I have all the gear we
need."
"Yes," he quickly answered.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at Mormon Island State
Recreation Area wading along the edges looking for bluegill.
The fish were slow and the light wasn't great, but neither of
us seemed to care.
As far as I was concerned, I had someone to share the
afternoon with. For him, someone had taken him fishing, and
regardless of how the afternoon went, it was a lot better than
his other options.
As it always is.
