08_2025_REELLIFE_DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 9
Holdovers, fish that
had made it through a
winter and gained inches
and pounds, were the
prettiest. We might call
them modern trout and
appreciate them in that
regard.
John Anthony Ciardi could
have said, "Modern trout
is what happens when
fishermen stop looking
at girls and persuade
themselves they have a
better idea."
For me, one stream
and one fish defined
the project. A Still Creek
cutthroat, about nine
inches long, took a dry fly
and threw the hook. The
next fish was a bit smaller,
but it shone in hand like
treasure. I sent a picture to
my friend Tye Krueger, and
he drew it in every detail - a
wild cutt with white tips on
its fins and parr marks still
visible on its sides.
Kojiro Tomita might have
written it thus: "It has been
said that trout is a tryst, for
in the joy of it, maker and
beholder meet."
Conditions seem to force
beauty to the surface. Up
toward the timberline,
an angler finds the
most striking examples,
wild trout that in other
environs would grow to be
measured in pounds, not
inches. Here, an eight-inch
rainbow is mature, with
white tips on the edges of
his fins and a tint of rose in
his gill plates, dark spots all
the way to the tail.
G.K. Chesterton might
have put it this way: "Trout
consists of limitation. The
most beautiful part of
every picture is the frame."
Here in the Northwest,
we have the run of an
ancient gallery. The price
of admission is a fishing
license and the will to
seek it. "All trout requires
courage," with apologies to
Anne Tucker.
In the passage of time, we
become collectors of art,
the images stored in digital
files and memories. And
sometimes we make that
beauty part of ourselves
with brook trout grilled over
a campfire.
If Scott Adams had been
consulted, he might have
offered, "Creativity is
allowing yourself to make
mistakes. Trout is knowing
which ones to keep."
GARY LEWIS BIO
Gary Lewis is an award-winning author, TV host, speaker and photographer. Recent books
include Fishing Central Oregon, 6th Edition, Fishing Mount Hood Country and Bob Nosler Born
Ballistic. Gary has hunted and fished in eight countries on three continents and in the islands
of the South Pacific. Born and raised in the Northwest, he has been walking forest trails and
running rivers for as long as he can remember. Lewis is twice past president of the Northwest
Outdoor Writers Association and a recipient of NOWA’s Enos Bradner Award.
FOR A SIGNED COPY OF FISHING
MOUNT HOOD COUNTRY, SEND
$29.99, INCLUDES SHIPPING TO:
Gary Lewis Outdoors
PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709
Contact Gary Lewis at
garylewisoutdoors.com
