A River Runs Through It

Neal insists that he wants to go fishing with Paul and Norman, but he does not bring any fishing gear other than his bait can, which is useless for fly fishing. Paul and Norman drive Neal and Old Rawhide to the place on the river that they want to fish. Paul and Norman bury bottles of beer along the river. Neal announces that he will fish from a sandbar near the parked car.

Paul and Norman move further down the river in search of good fishing spots. Paul admits that he knows that he should move away from Montana in order to stay out of trouble. Then, he immediately returns to talk of the weather and fishing. The two men separate to fish.

Norman searches for the right place to catch a fish, but nothing is biting. He finds a dead beaver surrounded by bees and catches fish by putting an imitation bee on his line. Relieved that he has caught four decent-sized fish—so that he won’t be embarrassed in front of Paul—he sits on the river bank, trying to forget his troubles, and meditatively becomes one with the river.