what is it about trout?
Is it just the challenge of fooling them?
I recently read that flyfishing for
trout is as much about the simple
fooling them, as it is about the actual
catching. They're smart and finicky
little buggers, perfectionists intent
upon stealth survival.
But isn't there more?
lightfooted up the mtn brook, or
along limestone spring meadow,
it's rare to see a wild trout
beyond a lingering rise form.
So often it's ghostly darting
shadow from shallows to the
safety depth that alerts you. 
One false move and
ZOOOOOOOOM!
hole ruined.
a precise little quarry, living in
the most amazing, challenging
places. Challenging streams to
fish, challenging streams to survive.
Freestone mountain streams can
get thin, stressful & warm if it's
a dry summer, limestone meadows
lack in cover....Combine/influence
that with Mankind's overall disrespect
for their/our home and I think it's pretty
easy to see what one of those vibrant
little brookies represents.
A healthy population of trout demands
a healthy environment. They can't exist
otherwise...wild, native trout live in
some of the most beautiful places.
Pursuing Mr Trout, beyond all of the
fooling with thread, feathers & wire,
is, and I think will always be, about
visiting those places he lives. 
Those secluded remnants of what the
whole of this landscape used to be,
should be. You get to visit, slow
down and become more intimate
with the environs while stalking a
stream. That's as much a part of
the game as casting. 
Mr Brookie, or Mr Letort Brown, won't
tolerate rudeness, brashness. He demands
respect, perfection. And I think it's only
fitting, that in order to hang out with
these fine friends, that it must be done,
can only be done, on their terms, and in
'their house.'
peace.
