One on One

The run contained plenty of trout, but Asher was only focused on one. If you fish, you've probably been there, with a specific pesky fish that got in your head.

The trout itself wasn't noteworthy. A cookie-cutter stocked brook trout of 11 inches or so and one of thousands in the Nantahala River. It was in a pool right at Asher's feet, though, and it wouldn't go away. Making matters worse, it showed just enough interest to keep Asher interested. It followed baits frequently and hit a few times, and Asher even hooked it briefly once.

Skipping to the end, the trout won. Asher never caught it. We fished the same run three times in two days and both caught other fish from it, but not that one. Asher tried for it all three times, switching lures a few times, and laughing at himself for being so determined to catch that one fish. When we moved along the third time, the trout was still right where it was the first time we spotted it.