The Plan
They had planned this trip for years. “If I get there before you do, look for me upstream.” That was the plan, for they both knew that their chances of actually arriving there at the same time were extremely slim. You know how it is. And in the end, it...
Pride And Regret
Carl Lear loved hunting grouse and fishing for trout. So when the opportunity came for him to go north from Virginia to hunt grouse in classic autumn Michigan, he stashed his old fiberglass fly rod in the truck as well, on the off chance that he might come across a...
Shotgun, Rifle Or Pistol, A Gun Must Earn Your Trust
Starry Orion was my only friend on that dark and cheerless night, poised high over my shoulder as I navigated alone through the thick, moonless swamp. The seven stars that defined his bow were hidden in the dense black canopy of palm and oak and longleaf pine that...
A Wolf Creek Chronicle
Carl Lear loved his father’s fly rod. At eight years old, he couldn’t remember a time when that rod had not been a part of his life, as it would continue to be for the rest of his days. The rod was a deep golden color with matching fly line that was much easier for...
The Last Best Day
He stood cold in the gathering dawn, peering deep into the chilled, flowing water. A sudden shiver ran through him, partly from the fresh winter wind and partly from the thrill he felt every time he came back to this secluded little stream. He had looked forward to...
Escape to Cabin Bluff
I will always cherish the days spent along this historic stretch of the south-Georgia coast, where the currents of friendship forever run deep. I was tired. Very tired. Pleasingly, pleasantly tired after another long and gratifying day following the pointers and...
The Christmas Trout
A well-meaning friend once asked about the most perfect meal I ever had, and I thought for a moment and then responded, “Anything my Mom ever cooked. ” That’s about as far as I could narrow it down. The truth is, there are precious few encounters with Perfection in a...
Ramblings
The good gents from the Mother Country had come to hunt deer. But little did they realize, one of them was about to encounter the most fearsome creature in Florida.