Finding Happiness and Truth Among Trout

the secret of trout fishing

With a brain the size of a PEA, the Wily Trout offers lessons on the meaning of life

Foolishly, I did-complete with the discus-sion of the relative merits of flies made of polar bear hairs, short poles, long poles, dry flies and wet flies.

For all my research, fly-fishing remains a mystery-like the pattern in my unanswered prayers and the ability of the brain to generate metaphors.

That first fishing trip offered its own metaphor for the whole fishing addiction. I spent entire days during that lazy summer week working that stream. I found the perfect text-book trout hiding place. I made one flawless upstream presentation after another. But the trout merely riffled the surface and sniffed my fly in disdain.

I passed by that same spot later to watch another fellow work my perfect trout hole. Of course, he could do the whole alphabet in the air on his backcast. So I studied him like a spattered house painter watching the painting of the Sistine Chapel.

He didn't catch anything.

I could hear the silvery laughter of trout from my perch in the cheap seats.

On that whole trip, I caught only one trout. I was wading the stream, my line trailing in the water. The trout grabbed it. I got so excited I fell over backwards. My cheap waders filled with water, converting me to a human dredge. My beloved children laughed so hard they very nearly fell in. Poor dears.

Still, I reeled in the trout. And under the watchful eyes of my offspring, I let him go.

Now, I admit that by any objective measure, you would have to rate me a total failure as a fly fisherman.

But here's the thing. Even now-years later-I can recall every detail of that stream-the overhanging banks, midstream rocks, murmuring riffles and laughing trout. I can shut my eyes and summon the white noise gurgle of the water, like the breath of a lover asleep on the next pillow.

It's the standing all day in running water, letting time drift past like autumn leaves. And so I offer Peter's Secret to Trout Fishing 101.

I cling to this Zenlike insight, for it makes me calm.

Even when I hear Noah tell a friend about the day he caught a monster trout "using a downstream presentation." Al

Summer Spots for Arizona Anglers

Like Arizonans, fish tend to congregate in cooler places during the summer months. Here are some top casting locations from the Arizona Game and Fish Department:

Black River

The East and West forks: Native Apache trout and wild brown trout; native Apache trout stocked weekly.

Location: South of State Route 260, between Fort Apache and Alpine (928) 367-4281; www.wmonline.com /attract/streams.htm

Big Lake

Rainbow trout, cutthroat, brook and native Apache trout

Location: 28 miles southwest of Springerville

(928) 367-4281; www.wmonline.com /attract/lakes.htm

Hawley Lake

Rainbow trout, native Apache trout, brown trout and the occasional brook trout Location: Southeast of McNary, on the White Mountain Apache Reservation; daily permit required (928) 367-4281; www.wmonline.com /attract/lakes.htm

Lee's Ferry

Rainbow trout, occasional brown trout Location: About 120 miles north of Flagstaff, near Utah border (928) 774-5045; www.azgfd.gov/ h_f/where_fish_northwest.shtml

Lake Mary

Upper-Catfish, walleye; peak times from sunset to sunrise Lower-Rainbow trout; recently stocked Location: About 10 miles southeast of Flagstaff (928) 774-5045; http://www.azgfd.gov /h_f/where_fish_north.shtml

Woods Canyon Lake

Rainbow trout, brown trout Location: Approximately 32 miles northeast of Payson, along the Mogollon Rim (928) 367-4281; www.azgfd.com/ h_f/where_fish_mogollon.shtml

Images of Navajoland Native-son LeRoy DeJolie's New Book Shares His Legacy in Words and Photographs

An excerpt from the foreword by Tony Hillerman accompanies selected scenes