The next day dawned balmy and dry, more like early September than mid October. I drove the bull carcass into town to the butcher we have used for years. He smiled when he saw me, and said “Getting started early this year, eh?” I laughed and told him to keep the tables ready. 

I took my time on the drive back, stopped here and there to enjoy the unexpected warmth of the sun that evidently had no respect for the fact that it was nearly winter. I glassed remote canyons from the vantage of the road. 

After spending several days hunting with Jay, who passed up several shots at smaller bulls, I decided to drive down to LaPrele and spend a few hours at the main ranch house which has, wonder of wonder, power, satellite and wireless. I planned to catch up with the world and looked forward to a few hours of fishing some of the ponds we built on that ranch.

The fish were in a fall feeding frenzy. Every cast brought to shore a big fat rainbow or brown. There was the occasional escape that followed a savage tug at the quick retrieve of my green streamer. The light of dusk played seductively on the high desert foothills between the creek bottom and the higher timbered portions of the ranches. It was mesmerizing. I set up my camera on the tripod in an effort to try and capture the scene. I’m sure the critters and trout were filled with mirth each time I hit the time/shutter button and slipped at least once, rolling in the mud along the shoreline trying to get in position. More than once I stopped fishing in spite of the incredible action to simply soak in the scenery.

Photos By Reid L Rosenthal Copyright 2008