Perfection
It seems like ages ago and just like yesterday. It was thirteen years ago My knees were still strong and my back was straight and my endurance was limitless. This day I began at first light. It was late May and the underbrush was just starting to thicken. I had so much energy and drive this day. The fishing was awesome.
I was fishing alone. I was way back in the middle of nowhere of a head water stream. There was not another human for miles. I felt the most alone I had ever been in my life. The quiet was deafening. You could not have ordered a better day from a catalog.
The catching was good this day also. The shadows were long and I had caught more than I could count. It was a fine day and it was time to call it a day. I took the most direct route to the truck. There in late day sun was a small feeder I had never seen before. I checked it temperature and it was 10 degrees cooler than the stream I fished all day. I smiled so big I almost broke my face.
This small trickle piqued my curiosity and off I went up the tiny frigid stream. The stream continued small and I got a little disheartened. I was just about to go towards the road and there was a small pocket that I thought might hold what I was seeking.
I watched the small crystal clear oasis in the underbrush for a long time. I typically would walk by such a small water with a treefall lining the left bank. It looked maybe 15 inches deep at best. I saw no movement in the hole. I stayed back while surveying it because I did not want to spook the hole.
I knew this would be a one and done cast because of the crystal clear water and the shallow depth there. I layed one cast at the very head of the hole. As my offering passed the tree on the left , the tiny pocket hole erupted.
The resident of the lay stood up on its tail and three quarters of its body came out of the water. It was what I was seeking but much larger. The colors were neon. I could see its light blue halos around the red vivid spots. The beautiful red and white fins sealed the deal.
I was flabbergasted that a huge male brook trout was laying in water shallower than its length. It ran around in circles and then leapt way out of the water. I was certain I was going to lose it when it tried to touch the sky. The battle ended quickly.
I walked up to the brookie and unhooked him. The inside of his mouth was jet black and he still had a pronounce kype from the fall before. He was the second biggest brook trout I had ever caught. He took off immediately and went right back up against the bank and downed tree.
I saw this photo tonight in my archives and it all came screaming back at me. The photo was like a time warp for me. I have never been back to this trickle since then. Three knee surgeries and a back fusion and of course thirteen years have passed. I don't think I need to return to this actual stream again. Perfection is hard to repeat.
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