Ain’t No Pot of Gold Hidden at the End of This Rainbow

They came up several years in a row if I recall correctly, but had some sort of falling out with lodge management one year, and presumably found another place to fish, because they never turned up at Trophy again, or for that matter at any other lodge on Great Bear as far as I know. 

The reason behind their nicknames was twofold. First off, they were always lucky enough to catch a few big fish every year and second, they sported the style of beards worn by the Leprechaun’s of Irish folklore fame. 

Now I don’t want to cast aspersions, but to be perfectly honest, these gent’s were not what you would call handsome men, and that’s what in my view, makes this particular Bear Tale rather interesting.

Although like most Leprechauns they usually kept pretty much to themselves, one year they came up with a couple of guys, who were either friends and/or business associates.

Not only did they have travelling companions, but for reasons known only to them, they brought along a hideous Halloween mask that resembled a very nasty looking Goblin.

The mask had a long pointed nose, tufts of green hair, and was otherwise covered with all manner of sores and boils. Trust me it was seriously ugly, and you could probably see the bloody thing from a mile away.

One afternoon when the fishing had slowed down, they pulled up right next to their friends boat, and just before they came along side, one of them slipped on the mask.

The funny thing was, and even though the boats were only a couple of feet apart, neither of their buddies reacted in any way, and simply chatted with them for a minute of so, and then moved on.

Both guides couldn’t believe that no one had made any comment whatsoever about the mask, and could barley get the story out between fits of uproarious laughter when back at the lodge.

None of us will ever really know for sure why the mask appeared to go unnoticed, so I will just leave it to you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions.