In the Mud

Shortly before autumn turkey season, I was fishing on a local stream. I had taken two rods along: one to fish a section of riffled water while using a favorite nymph imitation; the other, a lighter rod, was equipped with a dry-fly to fish smoother sections of the creek. I did not carry both rods at once. I left one in my locked Ranger while using the other.

This was a pretty good plan. I was catching some elusive wild brown trout at each of my stops. One – if I might brag – was 20 inches long.

It’s pretty hard to have things “go south” when you catch and release a 20-inch trout, but I managed...