One of my favorite things to do on hot summer days here in Leavenworth is fishing Icicle Creek. When it’s 90 degrees in town, I grab a light weight fly rod and drive up the valley to cast to the small rainbow that are abundant in this stream. Splashing around in the cooling water I think of nothing other than where to place my next cast. The trout are small, but I find big relief from the heat or anything else that occupies my mind during the day. The Icicle is right in my back yard, but there are some other streams that offer the same solitude and have bigger trout to chase. The Kettle River, not far from Curlew Lake, is high on my list. My wife and I have spent several days on this small river. It is loaded with rainbow and brown trout and a few cutthroat. On one occasion, we watched a big rainbow, and I mean 3 or 4 pounds, grey hound upstream after breaking me off. We were stunned at the sight of this fish. That’s what keeps me going back to the Kettle. I want another chance at a trout like this one—that got away.