The following morning, something had changed within me. The sun felt warmer, the air crisper. I woke early, my body feeling alive and my mind clearer than in years. I padded into the garden, the dew kissing my bare feet, and felt the urge to remove my shirt. My scarred torso was exposed to the elements, declaring my newfound freedom. My parents, sipping their coffee at the patio table, glanced up in surprise. They had nev...

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, glancing at the figure in my favourite cove by the water. The cove was quiet, save for the gentle lap of the waves against the shore. The rocky outcrop was a secret spot I'd discovered when I was a kid, a place where I could be alone with my fears. It was a stark contrast to the noisy world I faced every day, where even a light breeze against my skin felt like an invasion. As I a...

The morning air was crisp as the salmon river rushed by, a constant companion to the surrounding wilderness. The sun peeked over the horizon, sending shafts of light dancing through the trees as it climbed the sky. The river's banks were lined with a dense carpet of greenery that grew thick and untamed. Steven took a deep breath, letting the coldness of it fill his lungs and wake him up. He'd been here before dawn, his fa...

Chapter One – Plans up in smoke The air was thick with the weight of summer as Bryan gazed at the phone in disbelief, his heart sinking faster than the lead weights he had spent months preparing for his dream trip. He had waited four long years for this—The Zoo, an exclusive carp lake nestled deep in the French countryside, where legends swam beneath the still, mysterious waters. Now, it seemed as though the world itself...

Fate was in my corner when my wife, Linda, and I relocated to a community on the east coast of Florida, in anticipation of and several years before my retirement. We found a neighborhood between US Route 1 and the intercoastal waterway, only about fifteen minutes or so south of New Smyrna Beach. There’s a long, u-shaped street between the highway and the river, with a community dock jutting out into the river. We’re fully...

Parents always try to protect their children and keep them from making the same mistakes they did when they were growing up. That’s why I find myself in a quandary now, even as I'm looking forward to a major advancement in my career. My name is Justin, and my wife, Julie, and I are forty years old and living in California. I’m an aerospace engineering director and I was just offered a vice-president’s position with a comp...

Driving the roads of Montana state Fishing the rivers, creeks and lakes Stopping at fly shops, talking bout trout Checking his maps, making his route High in the mountains, deep in the trees Surrounded by beauty, sound of the stream Casting his fly, his mind is at peace Tug on his line, catch and release Sending her emails, including photos Standing in rivers, holding cutthroats Describing to her each place that he goes D...

"Hey Lils! I'm about to head out on the boat and do some fishing. Want to come?" "Sure! Let me throw my bikini on and grab a pole! I'll be out front when you get here!"I absolutely love fishing, so when my cousin Zack called me, I was not turning him down! It didn't hurt that he was really nice to look at, too. A day of fishing on the boat, with a blonde, tan, shirtless, hottie. I'm not complaining! Zack and I were never...

In December of 1960 I was selected to serve an 18 month tour of duty in Turkey and to be stationed at Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey where a fleet of our U-2 spy airplanes were based. You may or may not have heard of the incident when the USSR shot down one of these spy aircraft piloted by Gary Francis Powers a few months before I arrived at Incirlik. I've always enjoyed fishing for both the sport of it and to put f...