Of Course, Now I Am Too Old

Norman Maclean

Of course, now i am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course i usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think i shouldn't. like many fly fishermen in western montana where the summer days are almost arctic in length, i often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. then in the arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the big blackfoot river and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise.