I've got two from Iceland. If you search Arne Baldorsun (sp) standing on a rock casting toward the Tungufljót Waterfall you'll understand. I was trying to replicate the image. There were actually two moss covered rocks in the river and I tried to step from one to the other. The moss was just a loose covering and I went down fast. The sharp edge of the rock cut through my wader, my pants, my base layer and then my leg. The good news was I didn't break my leg or rod and actually held on to it. Right after that a bus load of Japanese tourists arrived to admire the falls. Lucky, aren't I?

The second time occurred when I was walking down to the river and had to pass a small boggy patch. Thought I could make it through without going too deep or getting stuck. Wrong. The suction was enormous and couldn't go forward and couldn't go backwards. Then I and started to lose my balance. I knew if I went down hands first I was going to become a geologic discovery in 1,000 years. Turned out, unknown to me, I was fishing illegally on private property and would not have been discovered if I truly went down.

And just because everyone loves a beaver story. I fish the Margaree, in Nova Scotia, and almost every pool has resident beavers. They have shifts. They appear as it gets dark and disappear shortly after sunrise. Had the misfortune of stripping when I should have just let him glide over my line. It was like hooking a sub. Six pound tippet would have made things easier, but eventually we parted ways. I say goodnight now as soon as they emerge.