Fall Fishing

Saturday was one of our many, fabled, family trips to the mountains.

We go there often and wish we could figure out how to live there without giving up family, friends, jobs, etc. where we currently reside.

We've been trying for nearly 17 years without success.

When we do head to the mountains, we bring back treasured memories, many captured photographically . . .



This trip was at the request of our youngest son who recently received a Pentax Optio W90 for his 14th birthday.  He wanted to get in the water and play with the waterproof feature. I need to get both boys to post here, because I don't seem to have time much anymore. 

I caught him putting on a set of waders and boots . . .





We made a quick stop by the hatchery to remind the kids what different trout look like.

Here's a shot of some of the breeding stock at the hatchery . . .






And here's a shot of some of the hardest fish to catch in all of Western North Carolina - the most prominent fish silhouette in this picture is probably 20+ inches long and it's not, by any means, the biggest in the stream.









 Of course, the day was not really about fishing.  It was much more about family time and relaxing together.


Which is why we do things like browse store shelves . . .

and take pics of goofy kids skipping stones . . .

You can almost tell it's starting to be Autumn around here based on the fleece and the cap . . .

but not based on the rolled up pants and bare feet.

And then there are the riverbanks and the rocks . . .

and the worn out flies on the end of worn out leaders on the end of fairly new lines wrapped around new reels and new rods . . .

All the while, my thoughts are haunted by monsters

That dark, ominously silhouetted one's probably 24" or bigger.

and it's a small monster for these parts.