Rolling Thunder and Rising Trout


Some swear the fish bite best when an angler tempts Mother Nature, as if booming thunder and electric air awakens some deep, finned hunger. Or maybe it awakens a hunger within the angler. There is indeed something fiercely primal, more than a little bit dangerous, and utterly uncertain about casting into the eye of the storm. Sometimes the fish come as fast as the drops pelting your face. Other times, you'll find yourself soaked, skunked, scared, and wondering what possessed you to ignore common sense. But maybe that's what we’re hungry for—a connection to unpredictability and wildness in that liminal space between calm and chaos.

i
i

IN THE RIFFLES

Underwater shot of a hooked brown trout

Image by Eric Harvey @vatroutjunkie

A horizontal flash of lightening reveals a huge column of clouds descending upon the stream. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi —a long angry rumble sounds like revving engines.


No time to think, I cast, pulling back on the rod when I see the white of a trout’s mouth. A solid fish peels out of the riffles. In the growing darkness, it feels bigger than it really is.


Another lightning bolt streaks across the leaden sky. One Mississippi, two—more thunder, the choppers are drawing closer. Another cast, this one toward the big brown. I see the splash, feel the strike, and then the line flies back in my face. Marvin ain’t having any of it…


Keep reading here

i

GEAR GUIDE