It was the day after I had caught a brook trout that at 26 and 1/2″ long, with a girth of 18″ calculated to to 10.7 lbs. The brook trout has come to embody all the grandeur that I associate with the “North”, this was the culmination of a dream-come-true, first ever trip to Three Rivers Lodge in Labrador. The well worn cliche of “fish of a lifetime” actually seemed fitting. It was hard imagine the experience could get any better. With one more day to go, I could relax and let it all soak in. That morning we were flown to Rick’s Run, a small, user friendly stream that you could literally spit across. Almost immediately, I began to catch 8 to 12″ trout. Behind every boulder where you thought a trout should be there were a few and they were all over the wooly bugger I was fishing. It reminded me of a really fine of fishing in Maine and it felt great. As I worked my way downstream, the fish became larger, up to 16″. Maybe I was still in Labrador after all? The final run deepened considerably and the perfect lie appeared to be under the willows on the opposite bank. I took a chance, flipped a cast into to the one opening in the brush and got lucky. As soon as the fly hit the water, the fish struck, fought hard and was a great deal larger than I could have imagined in such small water. I eventually managed to lead the trout into the calmer eddy at my feet. I reached down and lipped the fish as the guide was upstream and out of ear shot with the net. Here was yet another hook jawed, big shouldered beauty that looked to be a solid 7 pounds. Wow. We still had the afternoon to fish, but for me there was no better way to top off the week. Sitting on the Beaver float in the sun, legs dangling in the water, enough of a breeze to keep the bugs at at bay and eating lunch with the guide, pilot and other guest, I remembered Robin Reeve, owner of Three Rivers, telling me I would that I would leave Labrador with my most cherished memory being the people, the wilderness and the brook trout following. I wouldn’t have believed it before the trip, but he was exactly right. The Three Rivers web sit closes with this quote: “Along the rivers, streams and ragged hills there is magic to be found, Labrador stays with you.” How true. As soon as I got home, I sent in a deposit for a return in 2006.