Somewhere, over the rainbow

So, here's an observation...if you're not so excited about the game you're playing that you can't sleep, you might need to find another one...
Oscar's Fly Shop in Smithers (conveniently affiliated with the craft brewery) sold us one-day permits for the Stellako River, a Classified trout and salmon fishery (think Blue Ribbon Stream) about 2 hours from town. Friendly lady even drew us an access map.
Even though we were dead asleep by 20:30, woke up at 22:30, 00:30, 02:15, and finally gave up, turning on the coffee pot at 03:30. Despite a motel full of fishermen, we were first out of the parking lot.
When we reached the Stellako there were already 3 other cars parked and anglers flailing the water...
We stuck to our usual comfortable streamside rhythms, taking our time to read the signs and look for sign.

Even walked across the bridge to check the north shoreline and saw the deep fast current past the pilings.
We left the south side for the locals and wandered across/under the bridge.
Burf! turned over a stone and found a nearly-ready to emerge mayfly nymph. With shaky hands switched flies, let our some line and roll cast it near the piling. As the current took the nymph downstream got a solid strike!
Two misses later finally hooked a rainbow! Jumped 3 times, raced across the current,  straining tippett limits before it dashed into the rocks and cut line, fish and fly gone... even the locals at the lodge deck above us and across the river groaned!
Sat on a rock in the river, smoking a Lucky and watched Burf! fish until my nerves settled enough to tie on a new fly...

New nymph made three passes through the target area before another hook up!
Worked that fish carefully into the current and away from the rocks for several jumps and maybe five minutes, mindful of that 5X tippett, before it came to the net, posed briefly for a photo, shook the fly and returned to the cold water...

Kneeling in the water, watching it swim away was the perfect opportunity to take a quiet moment to once again offer Thanks for so many blessings!
So, if it matters to anyone, that feisty rainbow was slightly over 14". It doesn't matter to me - it was the reason we traveled over 7,000 miles in three weeks, in fits and starts, meeting folks and learning along the way...for that 5 or 6 special minutes with that glorious fish, it all came together.
Sat the rock for another Lucky, without another cast.  Got Burf! into the spot so he could play too while I watched from the bridge...

As we were leaving a young Canadian wildfire fighter pulled up and admitted he was just starting out fly fishing. Gave him the right nymph and showed him just where to set up.

As we drove out across the bridge, the guy from the lodge was already standing there...