Updates from August 15, 2004

A black bear cub stares down at me from a large pine near one of my favorite trout streams.

A black bear cub shimmies down a tree trunk near one of my favorite trout streams.

A 19-inch smallmouth puts a hefty bend in my 5-weight.

The 5 am mist rises off a classic hole on a favorite river. I'd just spent (Spent: The wing position of many aquatic insects when they fall on the water after mating. The wings of both sides lay flat on the water. The word may be used to describe insects with their wings in that position, as well as the position itself.) the last few hours of that moonless night working this hole with big pusher flies in the pitch black darkness, running on caffeine until about 4:15 and adrenaline from that point on, after feeling a whale of a brown trout on my line for about 15 seconds. Unfortunately the fish spit the hook, but it was an unforgettable experience.