For the Price of a Trout Rise

I like to fish the Little Truckee because it reminds me of Montana. In order to get to the LT you have to head East out of Truckee and you will invariably cross into Martis Valley. In order to get first crack at those finicky trout, you have to head east out of Truckee early, early, in the morning. Not only will you cross into Martis Valley, but at that hour you will be treated to a light show due to the fog that permeates there. I have driven that stretch of  I-80 many, many, mornings in search of a trout and each time I told myself that I would eventually stop and take some pics, next time. As I hopped in the Jeep that morning, my camera bag was still in the passenger seat from the alpine glow I had gotten skunked on the prior evening. I took it as a sign. Besides, could I get a picture and a trout to rise?  The only exit that I had seen was one for Overland road, which was a perfect name for a Jeep road so I took it. I pulled off and the road turned to dirt within a quarter mile and the entire valley opened up, complete with a low fog that weaved it’s tapestry in and out of the pines. The layers of tone spoke to me in black and white, and the telephoto compressed them into a depth that reminded me of a paint swatch. In the end I couldn’t pull off the perfect morning as I had given up my spot on the river to the guides that make their living there. Nothing is free and for the cost of a few trout rises I got my picture.