Lucas Yarushuk fishes with his mother on Four Mile Run. He used hot dogs as bait and said he had already caught a nice-sized eel and a fairly large fish. His mother said she would use the eel for Unani sushi. Photo by Eden Brown.
Lucas Yarushuk had “gone fishin’.” It was the day after the big storm in Arlington on Monday, July 8, and the stream was showing the signs of the storm’s ravages. Banks were a few feet further back, tree roots exposed, large pieces of metal were bent and twisted along the banks, water had reached 20 feet up the bank, pushing trash cans apart. The stream itself was muddy and turbulent, but calm enough to sit and fish.
“Usually you can see a really big snapping turtle in this spot,” said Lucas’ mother. “And we’ve seen a lot of snakes, too,” said Lucas. They fish regularly, because she feels it is important for youngsters to put away the books and iPads for the summer and do what little boys like Lucas used to do in her native country, Albania: go fishing. Sitting there, watching the animals around him, hearing the rushing water, Lucas was learning a lot about the other kind of power a stream has.