The sun is reaching its peak. The bluebird colored skies have passed leaving behind angered overcast clouds. In the distance, a rumble of thunder cuts the afternoon silence. The air grows thick with a deep chill. The crystal clear waters darken as shadows loom. In the creek, the small minnows by my feet flee for cover.  The smart trout that stared at my countless flies all morning has vanished in the blink of an eye.
    Upstream a thin mist begins to develop.  Just ever so slightly dimpling the water surface. With the coming of the storm, I take shelter under a nearby bridge that crosses the creek. Under the bridge the deep dark water churned in a deep pool that is perfect for fishing.  I tie on a fly that mimics a minnow and toss it into the water. I cast into the narrow stream of water that fills the pool. My fly sinks slowly until it disappears in the depths.  As I go to start retrieving the line, the the rod loads and I feel a great weight on the other end. The rod is bending vigorously.  It almost feels like I am snagged on a rock, but the rock is moving. In the next minute, the line on my reel begins to scream downstream. I find myself on a full on footrace with what is to be the biggest trout of my life. At this point, the gentle rain transforms into a deluge. My shirt is soaked, my shorts and my fishing vest are soaked.  I don’t care, my only worry is if I tied a good enough fly. As the adrenaline is coursing through my body, the rod keeled over even further.  The fight turned into a mental battle. Who could outsmart who:  It's man vs. trout, and so far the trout is winning.
Further downstream, I could hear the sound of small rapids and I could see a wall of fallen trees. The trees blocked passage downstream except for a narrow gap that allowed the water to slip under the fallen timber. The trout must have seen that too because it ran like a freight train to the gap. At this moment, I finally put the brakes on him before he got away. I tug with a of my might and manage to steer him away from the obstacle. It appears all the fight is finally favoring my side of the ring as I feel my opponent start to tire. As I pull the beast closer in towards me, the water boils and up from the depths emerges a goliath trout shimmering with a gold copper tone.  It is roughly the size of my arm. We look eye to eye and with one flick of his tail he dives off, leaving my line lifeless on the surface.
As the rain continues leaving the same damp feeling on my skin, the loss is evident but it leaves me fulfilled instead of disappointed. I walk back up to the bridge and sit on the guardrail. I stare into the deep pool below me, the water still dark and mysterious. I stare at the continual flow of the stream, thinking to myself there's always tomorrow.