Despite an exceedingly chilly (36 degrees) early morning, later in the day proved to be truly beautiful - - with sunny, blue skies and temps that actually reached 70 degrees at one point, and colorful foliage still blanketing the hillsides.
During the late morning/early afternoon, I went mushrooming with a friend, and we did pretty well.
In addition to a bunch of shaggy manes, we also found a hen of the woods and even some ramp bulbs.
After returning from foraging, I decided to honor my kilt-wearing Highland Scot ancestors (whom the English called "red shanks") by taking what I expect to be my last wet-wading (swim trunk and krocs) excursion of the year from 2:30 to 4 PM.
Man, that water was cold!
But fortunately I didn't have to wade very deep since I was fishing my usual milk run along the South Branch of the Hoosic.
I lost a nice fish by Mullen Mayflower, landed a small (11") rainbow about half way between the Burnett Bednarz bridge and the foot bridge along the Bike Trail, and caught a larger (13") one a little below Old Stone Mill.
After fishing downstream as far as Elm Rock without any more action (other than some false strikes by drifting leaves), I headed back to my car and drove home.
There, I held a cook-out featuring a chicken stir-fry with vegetables, rounded out by the ramps and hen-of-the-woods that I'd gathered earlier in the day, and washed it down with a Smithwick's red ale.