The great and the ugly. No, not brown trout and lampreys, but some great and not so great news from around the state.

I'll start with the great news.

Remember the mural that was being constructed on the side wall of Hunter Banks Fishing Co. in Asheville? They completed it! The 32-by-61-foot mural looks incredible. Behold:


Lastly, the ugly news. About 400 miles due east of the mural in Asheville, a 6 year old girl was attacked by a shark in a foot and a half of water on Ocracoke Island. It happened about an hour and a half ago. If you watch Shark Week every year like I do, you probably know Bull Sharks are commonly seen in very shallow water. They're like huge shallow-water-loving redfish. Except they have rows of razor sharp teeth, require a 14-15wt, and are rarely seen rooting for small crabs in spartina grass.

A lot of folks think the real dangers are farther out in deeper waters. Unfortunately, in this incident, we were reminded that attacks can happen out in the middle of the ocean, or, in this case, a few steps from the shore. The girl is in critical condition. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers.