PURSUING TROUT IN UNTAMED WATERS

The sun beat down on the glassy surface of the lake, a shimmering mirror reflecting the towering pines that fringed its edges. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, and a gentle breeze rustled through the branches, whispering secrets only the old forest understood. I stood at the water's edge, my wader-clad feet sunk into the soft soil, a