Falls of Neuse: Part 1

November 8th 2022

I found myself hiking for a short while, mumbling to the birds and pondering the day, when I came upon a small clearing where the conditions were favorable. A handful of large rock formations emerged slightly from the surface of the river and the trees did not lean too far over the river’s edge. I wove through a narrow , thornbush-ridden pathway and out into the open space. It was early spring and I knew the white bass were biting.

I had barely finished tying a small caddis fly on the line when the beat of Blue Heron wings cut through the quiet morning air. He landed a few yards away on a downed tree that bridged between the embankment and a large rock; smoothed over and polished by the cold river rapids. The Heron navigated the rotting branches meticulously until he reached the rock form and came to a calculated stop. Water rushed around the rock and its disposition created a small eddy; a common resting place for trout and bass. The pools made fishing conditions favorable, for The Heron and myself alike. I admired his stature and filmed him briefly as he stood unwavering, peering into the eddy below. Periodically he would flinch, as if the temptation of a catch was too great but the moment was not quite right.