"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it ws the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."
--Charles Dickens
This man was likely a fly fisherman. Spring brings with it new hope, but winter's tendrils still cling to the landscape. Ice melts, but temperature fluctuations and limited insect activity can make for highly technical fishing.
"Make a 60-foot cast to within about 3 feet of the bank just left of the sagebrush," Cody said as he guided me into a pod of thick rainbows in shallow, crystal clear water. I launched a tiny chironomid pupa up into the shallows with my left hand since the wind was bearing down from my right. I am not left-handed.
The strike indicator on my leader was bouncing all over on the waves, and I was watching for the slightest abnormal pause or twitch. It slowed down almost imperceptibly as it drifted with the wind, and I set the hook. "This could be a small fish," I commented as there wasn't much of an initial reaction. That's when 125 yards of line peeled off my reel and left me within 25 yards of having my entire line and backing ripped by a stillwater rainbow trout. Sixteen minutes later a hen that was unremarkable in most dimensions except that she was 3 inches thick across the back was in my net.
The fishing was challenging, and we made hundreds of casts that went unrewarded. Still, the sun was out and we were throwing small flies to big fish.
When they took our offerings, long duels were the norm.
After about 12 hours of difficult fishing, we had 24 fish over 20-inches in the net, and felt like things looked more like the Spring of hope than the Winter of despair.
These trout leave a bite mark on the soul, and sometimes other places too. Thanks for reading.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I know you wont say but i have to ask where in the hell were you fishing? those are some unreal fish.
ReplyDeleteHoss
Pigs On The Fly! Excellent as always. You are killin' it Son!
ReplyDeletethose are some serious 'bows'
ReplyDeleteThe information you've provided is useful because it provides a wealth of knowledge about Tungsten Worm Weights Bulk Online Usa that will be highly beneficial to me. Thank you for sharing that. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThis is very informative and interesting for me. Thank you for such a wonderful article and for sharing. Tungsten Fishing Lures Online USA
ReplyDeleteA very delightful article that you have shared here.Marco Island Fishing Guide Your blog is a valuable and engaging article for us, and also I will share it with my companions who need this info. Thankful to you for sharing an article like this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. I really enjoy reading and also appreciate your work.Best Cast Net This concept is a good way to enhance knowledge. Keep sharing this kind of articles, Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are providing good knowledge. It is really helpful and factual information for us and everyone to increase knowledge.about St. Petersburg Fishing Charters. Continue sharing your data. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are providing good knowledge. It is really helpful and factual information for us and everyone to increase knowledge.about San Diego Fishing Trips. Continue sharing your data. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat job for publishing such a nice article. Your article isn’t only useful but it is additionally really informative. Read more info about Fishing How-Tos. Thank you because you have been willing to share information with us.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly a well-researched content and excellent wording. about Fishing Rods for Sale Online Ireland. I got so engaged in this material that I couldn’t wait to read. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteExcellent knowledge, You are providing important knowledge. It is really helpful and factual information for us and everyone to increase knowledge. Continue sharing your data. Thank you. Read more info about fishing shop abu dhabi
ReplyDeleteI liked your work and, as a result, the manner you presented this content about fishing lights.It is a valuable paper for us. Thank you for sharing this blog with us.
ReplyDeleteThis article contains a great deal of significant data. I'm flabbergasted by the nature of the data and furthermore it is a gainful article for us, Thanks for share it.lingcod fishing in oregon
ReplyDeletePaddle boarding is not just for the beginner. If you are familiar with kayaking and want to take it to the next level, paddle boarding is for you. There are a number of things you can do to improve your paddle boarding skills. paddle board klarna
ReplyDelete