DOYLISM OF THE DAY: "Yesterday is the wind at your back."

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: "Yesterday is the wind at your back."

I went out on Flathead Lake in my pontoon boat today with some friends. We rode around and went around Wild Horse Island. The name comes from the wild mustangs that are on the Island. Nobody seems to know how the horses or the other wildlife got out there because the shoreline is at least a mile away. We also saw big horn sheep and lots of white tail deer and goats. Bald-headed eagles were around along with some other big birds I didn't know.

We went all the way to the end of the lake and had lunch. I can't believe how many good restaurants there are here. Maybe the food just tastes better in the country.

I forgot to mention in my last blog that I saw Brent Musburger, an old friend that I hadn't seen in thirty years. Brent is the lead sportscaster for CBS and has been as long as I can remember. Brent covered the WSOP in 1976, the first year I won the main event. Jimmy 'the Greek' Snyder, Brent's co-anchor on NFL football was also helping cover the series.

I remember Brent made a bet on me to win. He also told me he still had the 1st edition S/S book I gave him that year. Brent and his wife found the Montana magic and have a place down in Hamilton. He looked the same, just a little older. One of the nicer men I've ever met.

My friend Lara called me on my cell while I was driving to Whitefish. She asked "what happened?" I had no idea what she was talking about and told her so. Lara is an agent and has lots of media contacts. She said four reporters had called and informed her they had reports I had died last night. I told her to tell them the rumors that I was dead were greatly exaggerated. It seems every year somebody starts untrue stories about me. My favorite is that I was caught cheating in the Bellagio and carried out in handcuffs. That story went around two different years. Someone has a very vivid imagination.

I went out with my next door neighbors fishing. We didn't start until late afternoon but it doesn't get dark here until 10 0′clock. There are 25 species of fish in the Flathead including Cutthroat Trout, Pygmy Whitefish, Yellow Perch, and lots of Lake Trout. The record Montana Lake Trout is 44 inches long and 42 lbs. It was caught on the Flathead in 1979. We didn't catch anything close to that, but we caught 4 nice Lake Trout with the biggest one just over 21 lbs.

I got my first traffic ticket since college in Lakeside yesterday. There were two stop signs about ten yards apart and I missed the second one so I guess I deserved it but the officer was the first rude person I've met in Montana. Most of the locals are not only extremely friendly, but they are eager to help if you need it. Casper let me down because he was in the car when I got stopped and even though he made a charge and tried, he didn't bite the officer. Good thing he didn't because that jerk probably would have thrown me under the jail. 85 bucks for the ticket, things have gone up since 1955. -DB