risorgimento

Just yesterday I was fishing with my friend Chris and I found myself just going thru the motions.  I told him I was feeling a bit stale. That maybe (gasp) I'd had my fill of fishing for a few days.
So what does daylight the next morning find me doing? Fishing of course. And I'm glad I went, it was as if nature herself was trying to cheer me up. First up were two beavers swimming by unawares at ten feet away. Then seeing me circling back to give me a good once over before tail slapping the water and heading off. A bit further downstream and I found a turtle in the middle of a wide clear ripple. So I never have the guts to stick the waterproof camera actually underwater but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I double checked the seal and went for it. I'm thrilled with the picture. Ten minutes later I look up to see a beautiful doe bounding across the stream and right after hear loud cries to see a redtail hawk right overhead. I'm wading along and realize I've walked right up on a huge flat rock with a dark little pocket of deeper water on the upstream end. I dunk the pearl glitter curly shad and the pretty smallmouth you see in the photo hurtles out from under the rock to nail it. Then goes crazy hooked on the end of four feet of line dangling under the rod tip. All is back right with the world...