Heart break hotel (stories of despair)
- Thread starter Billy
- Start date
Must have been 35 or 40 years ago . . . we were float tubing & ripping Rapalas for a Largemouth on a Columbia backwater. I felt a vicious hit & a big female came up out of the water, shaking her head violently with the Rap whipping back and forth. It broke-off at the Rapala Knot and was gone. "Damn! That was a big fish!" My buddy who had missed the event replied "Suuure it was." Right then, with both of us looking in the same direction, the Bass again leaped out of the water, still trying to shake that 7" Rapala (which it finally did). My buddy sheepishly conceded that it was a big fish as I finned over to recover my Rapala.
Mooney and I went up first thing, bound and determined to put a hook in one of those hogs. Try as we did, we couldn't buy a strike, all our money combined. Lewis rolls up, puts in, casts out, and fucking fishon. We knew he was into a beast right off - the splashes were doglike with that deep thumping sound.
When it pinged, SM and I were heartbroken for Rick. That was our adjective. I don't think there's an appropriate adjective to describe the utter despair and desolution expressed by Roper. We just kept our heads down and didn't make eye contact.
ifsteve
Steelhead
Years ago I floated a well known river in AK. One of my targets was to catch a class tippet IGFA record Dolly Varden. About half way through the trip I hooked a good one. Landed it and got all my paper work out. Weighed it on my IGFA certified scale and confirmed it indeed was a record. So did all the required things (weight, measurements, and pictures). There was a group floating by that stopped on the gravel bar and a guide came over. Turns out he was a USCG licensed charter captain so he reviewed all my stuff and happily signed off as the witness.
At the end of the trip I get home all excited and run down to the camera shop and turn in my film to have it developed. They called a week later and said my photos were back and I could come pick them up. Headed right down and got them. Opened up the pack and the first thing I see is a note. The note proceed to say that they are sorry and during the development process they had an accident and ruined one of the rolls of film. We are so sorry so here's a coupon for a free roll of film. And of course the ruined roll was the one with the required photos.
No photos, no cigar.
At the end of the trip I get home all excited and run down to the camera shop and turn in my film to have it developed. They called a week later and said my photos were back and I could come pick them up. Headed right down and got them. Opened up the pack and the first thing I see is a note. The note proceed to say that they are sorry and during the development process they had an accident and ruined one of the rolls of film. We are so sorry so here's a coupon for a free roll of film. And of course the ruined roll was the one with the required photos.
No photos, no cigar.
Back in the mid 2000s, four of us went on a 3 day exploratory trip to the central Washington lakes. Second day we split up into groups to try out different hike-in lakes. Met back up that afternoon. Asked the other group how they did - lousy, only one decent fish on the whole day, but it was lost because it didn't fit into the net. Biggest bow the guy ever had on - or at least that was the story.
Next day we all went to that little lake. Nothing all morning. Got so desperate I got out a bobber and chronomids. A couple minutes later, bobber goes down, I set and that fish just takes off. Fish zooms across the lake into the backing. I try to palm the reel and line goes ping. Gone. I've probably had 4 trout legit take me into my backing on lakes. None of the others were close to the power of that fish.
Next day we all went to that little lake. Nothing all morning. Got so desperate I got out a bobber and chronomids. A couple minutes later, bobber goes down, I set and that fish just takes off. Fish zooms across the lake into the backing. I try to palm the reel and line goes ping. Gone. I've probably had 4 trout legit take me into my backing on lakes. None of the others were close to the power of that fish.
Years ago I floated a well known river in AK. One of my targets was to catch a class tippet IGFA record Dolly Varden. About half way through the trip I hooked a good one. Landed it and got all my paper work out. Weighed it on my IGFA certified scale and confirmed it indeed was a record. So did all the required things (weight, measurements, and pictures). There was a group floating by that stopped on the gravel bar and a guide came over. Turns out he was a USCG licensed charter captain so he reviewed all my stuff and happily signed off as the witness.
At the end of the trip I get home all excited and run down to the camera shop and turn in my film to have it developed. They called a week later and said my photos were back and I could come pick them up. Headed right down and got them. Opened up the pack and the first thing I see is a note. The note proceed to say that they are sorry and during the development process they had an accident and ruined one of the rolls of film. We are so sorry so here's a coupon for a free roll of film. And of course the ruined roll was the one with the required photos.
No photos, no cigar.
Similar story . Strawberry Lake in Utah . 30" Bear Lake Cutthroat , measured on my license plate on the side of my pontoon boat . Caught it as I was coming in ,probably less than 100 feet from shore . Got it to the net , paddled to the shore ,buddy was already in . Keeping the fish in the water , the story gets even better .Reel comes off my fly rod ,and went to the bottom on the way in . Fish somewhat in the net , being 30" . So here I am ,fish in the net ,wanting as this point to measure ,and get a picture . Pulling in the fly line ,with reel at the bottom , probably around 20 feet deep . I keep pulling line of course it keeps coming off the reel for whatever reason ,and then the backing , must of been a pretty loose drag ,and hung up a bit on the bottom . So here I am ,a lap full of line ,and backing plus the reel . Fish somewhat in the net I am holding on to keeping it in the water ,very surprising this fish was cooperating . Anyway finned to shore , got the fish quickly out of the net ,and measured . My friend he takes a picture ,we quickly take another picture with my phone . Another guy on the shore wanted a quick picture ,it was a big fish .
After all this , fish back into the water ,and worked him for just a few seconds ,and he was off ,and running . Biggest trout I had ever caught, still to this day . Well the story doesn't end there or very well for that matter . I take my phone out once we are in the truck ,and on the way home . I got what looks like a finger picture on my phone , no fish picture . Had his finger over the camera lens . No problem ,the friends got a picture on his phone , well no he doesn't for whatever reason, no picture . Somehow he managed to mess up both phone pictures . Yes, I still fish with him .
Of course the guy on the shore was long gone ,no idea who he was . 
So it's just a fish story .On edit , just for clarification on the 30" as I remember it .
I still have the same license plate I made up for my pontoon boat , so it has been a few years on this cutthroat I caught ,over 10 years , more like 12-15 . Anyway I just went out ,and measured that plastic license plate again that I made up years ago .It measure just over 26", 26*1/4" and as I remember it the fish was a guess on inches longer than the plate , so in my mind all these years it was a 30 incher. 
In reality most likely 28-29 " at best . But it was longer than the license plate. It was a big trout . The record caught for the Bear Lake Cutthroat is 31" , so they do get big .
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Wolverine
Steelhead
1999 Hakai Pass BC. Fishing alone, just before dark, in a 13’ Whaler style boat. Alone because my boat partner elected to stay on the mothership and start celebrating a very good day of salmon fishing. I was slowly motor mooching along a kelp line and I got a bit too close and hung up on a kelp frond. I pulled free but had lost my herring. I rebaited, dropped it over the side, put the motor in gear, and checked to see if had the proper spin. Before I could start pulling line off the reel to get the herring down to the depth I wanted a very large salmon came up and engulfed the herring and swam up past the boat. It was BIG, much bigger than my personal best saltwater fish (58 pounds) that I’d landed that morning. I gently lifted the rod to set the hooks, felt the very heavy head shakes, and then it headed away towards open water. I was using a 10’-6” rod with a Canadian style knuckle buster reel loaded with 25lb Maxima mono. There was nothing I could do to stop that fish except follow it into the gathering darkness with the motor running. 15 to 20 minutes later I finally had it tired out enough to get it to the net. The fish came up and laid on top of the net but it wouldn’t drop into it. It swam off and I pulled it back head first to the net. Just as the massive head came over the net the hooks pulled out. All I could do was watch the beast sink slowly out of sight. I sat there in utter despair for several minutes. Then I had to navigate thru the darkness back to the base boat. The crew had gotten worried by my absence and sent a boat out with a spot light looking for me. I was very glad to see them. That night I had to drown my sorrows with more than a few drinks. The next day the big kings were gone and were replaced by schools of coho.
To this day I can still see that fish take the bait, relive the fight, and see it slowly sinking away from the net.
To this day I can still see that fish take the bait, relive the fight, and see it slowly sinking away from the net.
Fishing a narrower part of T Creek which flows into an S river. Catching a few trout. Then my line went straight upstream fast. Never saw it. Broke my line like it was thread.
Fishing Puget Sound near Point P aka 3 T point for rockfish from a 6' dingy. Caught something big. It towed me and my dingy down the beach and all the way around the point before it broke off. Shark or salmon would be my guess...
Fishing Puget Sound near Point P aka 3 T point for rockfish from a 6' dingy. Caught something big. It towed me and my dingy down the beach and all the way around the point before it broke off. Shark or salmon would be my guess...
I have a few that haunt me. For me it's the ones that you never get to see. There is one that I really wished I could've seen.
I was about 13 and my mom booked a motel/lodge & whale watching combo out of Bamfield, BC. Pacific side of Vancouver Island. Amazing place.
Well, mom booked 2 days and day 1 was miserable. I gotta think someone gifted it to her because we had no money.
Anyway, we're on this 100' whale watching boat sitting in not much more than picnic chairs in 20' swells, shitty weather. Didn't see a single whale. The captain saw a whale so decided to cut the motors so supposed whale would stay close. I was among the 20-25 people that got REALLY sea-sick. Cutting the motors was like a 2nd level of hell and got me even sicker. We absolutely wrecked the bathroom and the back deck.
So I was a big no-go day 2. I hadn't brought my fly rod, but did pack my old heavy-duty spinning rod that had brand new 20# mainline in anticipation of Klickitat kings later that year.
The lodge told me I could just go fish along the shore. Said there were big rockfish, ling and maybe even small halibut off the rocks. The main instruction was "don't fall in!". They didn't give me any tackle, but I had my trusty Stee-Lee spoons in various colors. I thought gold seemed like a good saltwater color. I was probably rigged with 15# Max as leader.
I had only been fishing for 10 minutes, fishing the spoon more like a jig, when a fish heavier than anything I had ever, or since, hooked crushed the spoon and started going downhill. It peeled about 75' of line off the old Zebco spinning reel in nothing flat and then it broke off.
That was the only fish I hooked there.
I've caught ling, halibut, chum, silvers, steelhead and kings. None of them pulled with the speed and power that this thing did. My best guess is I hooked a big king. Or maybe the hottest halibut ever. And obviously those fish are big enough to break 15# Max, but it was the speed that I remember being crazy.
Just wished I could've at least seen it! I still have dreams about losing fish that I never see and I think it's from this one.
I was about 13 and my mom booked a motel/lodge & whale watching combo out of Bamfield, BC. Pacific side of Vancouver Island. Amazing place.
Well, mom booked 2 days and day 1 was miserable. I gotta think someone gifted it to her because we had no money.
Anyway, we're on this 100' whale watching boat sitting in not much more than picnic chairs in 20' swells, shitty weather. Didn't see a single whale. The captain saw a whale so decided to cut the motors so supposed whale would stay close. I was among the 20-25 people that got REALLY sea-sick. Cutting the motors was like a 2nd level of hell and got me even sicker. We absolutely wrecked the bathroom and the back deck.
So I was a big no-go day 2. I hadn't brought my fly rod, but did pack my old heavy-duty spinning rod that had brand new 20# mainline in anticipation of Klickitat kings later that year.
The lodge told me I could just go fish along the shore. Said there were big rockfish, ling and maybe even small halibut off the rocks. The main instruction was "don't fall in!". They didn't give me any tackle, but I had my trusty Stee-Lee spoons in various colors. I thought gold seemed like a good saltwater color. I was probably rigged with 15# Max as leader.
I had only been fishing for 10 minutes, fishing the spoon more like a jig, when a fish heavier than anything I had ever, or since, hooked crushed the spoon and started going downhill. It peeled about 75' of line off the old Zebco spinning reel in nothing flat and then it broke off.
That was the only fish I hooked there.
I've caught ling, halibut, chum, silvers, steelhead and kings. None of them pulled with the speed and power that this thing did. My best guess is I hooked a big king. Or maybe the hottest halibut ever. And obviously those fish are big enough to break 15# Max, but it was the speed that I remember being crazy.
Just wished I could've at least seen it! I still have dreams about losing fish that I never see and I think it's from this one.
add another...mid 80's summer, fly fishing newbies, wife and I hanging out in the Sawtooth Mtns at a time when Red Fish lake still had Sockeye in it (coming back?)....mid day we're fishing the Salmon River, wife downstream 20 yards, we've been picking up some some bow's on Prince Nymph's under indicators, when suddenly her 5 wt just bends to the max, reel starts spinning and she asks for help...hubby ends up with rod in hand, running downstream trying to recapture line and keep up...fish slows up in a pool where I get my first glimpse of the mid sized salmon doing the tugging, which then suddenly takes off like Usain Bolt with an audible pop of the leader.
As different as surfing and flyfishing would appear to be, they share the same best thing - whether doing it locally or at a destination, they place you in great settings in which to enjoy this world.
As different as surfing and flyfishing would appear to be, they share the same best thing - whether doing it locally or at a destination, they place you in great settings in which to enjoy this world.
Ah, the one that got away.
Too many to count.
I was fishing a small hike in lake just outside Sisters, OR.
I was still kinda new to fly fishing and had not learned the lesson I'm about to share.
I was at the head of the lake where the springs fed into the lake.
I was able to wade out 30 or 40 yds from shore and cast to the edge of a drop off.
I had caught two very nice RBs that we eat for dinner and I was back out there as it was getting dark.
I made a great cast and my Brown Hackle peacock landed softly and was taken almost at the same time.
This fish was a beast and I didn't want to loose it, so I started to back up toward shore.
This was my mistake. As soon as the fishes belly touched the sandy bottom it went crazy and ran off, and broke me off.
That RB was 10 lb fish at least.
What I have learned is to stay out in knee deep water and tire the fish if I plan to keep it.
Other wise I can bring it in for a close look and let the line slack, the barbless hook will come right out.
Too many to count.
I was fishing a small hike in lake just outside Sisters, OR.
I was still kinda new to fly fishing and had not learned the lesson I'm about to share.
I was at the head of the lake where the springs fed into the lake.
I was able to wade out 30 or 40 yds from shore and cast to the edge of a drop off.
I had caught two very nice RBs that we eat for dinner and I was back out there as it was getting dark.
I made a great cast and my Brown Hackle peacock landed softly and was taken almost at the same time.
This fish was a beast and I didn't want to loose it, so I started to back up toward shore.
This was my mistake. As soon as the fishes belly touched the sandy bottom it went crazy and ran off, and broke me off.
That RB was 10 lb fish at least.
What I have learned is to stay out in knee deep water and tire the fish if I plan to keep it.
Other wise I can bring it in for a close look and let the line slack, the barbless hook will come right out.
As a kid I grew up in Fort Augustus, a little village in thr middle of the great glen in the Scottish highlands. A series of lock gates ran through town and we fished them most days, essentially they were a big river as each gate had a ton of seams. The issue was always if you got a fish you had to hand line it up as it was about 8’ above the water. A friend gave me a sz 18 grey fly with a red butt which back then was just a stoopid tiny, we typically fished 10 or 12s in the Dave Westburg mould of classic loch style flies.
Anyway one, too sunny, bright day I fished the top lock gate and while I could not see my flies I thought I saw a really good fish and kinda struck for fun. It was on, it was a good fish and once I realised it too it was on the “really wee fly” I gingerly played it. Eventually it was done and it lay prostrate 8’ below me
What gets me was it had the biggest dark, and also red spots I’ve ever seen on a brown. It was lit, gorgeous, and mine. If, if, if I could bring it up. I started handllining it, it came to life, the tail smacked the wall, it bounced off and I swore, a lot.
The tourists that had joined in watching my battle heaved in horror at my loss and then likely that a 15 yr old kid could provide a stream of invective that would have made a bad mouthed welder proud, what was a “hoorbag” amongst many then words we had. I still see the fish on its sides, those feckin big spots and then the slap, plop…fuck, My friend Tabone, tried to handline a 6 lber on 6 lb maxima, strong but not it’s not that strong…I swear he cried.
Dave
Anyway one, too sunny, bright day I fished the top lock gate and while I could not see my flies I thought I saw a really good fish and kinda struck for fun. It was on, it was a good fish and once I realised it too it was on the “really wee fly” I gingerly played it. Eventually it was done and it lay prostrate 8’ below me
What gets me was it had the biggest dark, and also red spots I’ve ever seen on a brown. It was lit, gorgeous, and mine. If, if, if I could bring it up. I started handllining it, it came to life, the tail smacked the wall, it bounced off and I swore, a lot.
The tourists that had joined in watching my battle heaved in horror at my loss and then likely that a 15 yr old kid could provide a stream of invective that would have made a bad mouthed welder proud, what was a “hoorbag” amongst many then words we had. I still see the fish on its sides, those feckin big spots and then the slap, plop…fuck, My friend Tabone, tried to handline a 6 lber on 6 lb maxima, strong but not it’s not that strong…I swear he cried.
Dave
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Gyrfalcon22
Legend
It's been many decades but I am still not ready to talk about some of these losses yet..
Big coastal cutthroat -"natives", in small stream and creek situations are my coldest hauntings as those are my favorite fish from my youth. Cannot go there.
One I have come to grips with long ago I can talk about with vigor. I had good views and sort of was relieved I never came close to landing, was a central WA brown trout that was 2-3x the size of the 2-3 pound rainbows I was watching and occasionally hooking and landing over a weed flat in a popular and most beautiful geologic wonder of a spot.
The fish would do feeding circles and I'd drop a spinner fly in the surface film and wait. Talk about early high blood pressure for an early 20-something kid. The rainbows were fairly ok to see..gray shadows swimming lazily along. The brown trout totally disappeared with stealthy camo. Gauging the size of the rare chance to see one was rough. You'd maybe see a banana slug-colored apparition move into sight, but then magically disappear.
Tossing the spent spinner fly into the lane and waiting was pretty fun, until it wasn't .. particularly once after an invisible brown trout de-cloaked and pushed its yellow beak silently through the surface film on the fly, did I have to re-think what was tolerable in the desert.
"The Fish".
I somehow set the hook gently and then all he'll broke loose. Fish hooked on the weedy flats shot across to deeper water. This one thought for a second, then tore off for the depths. I knew it was heavy. One sudden jump in full lighting shocked me in the late afternoon. It showed an incredible yellow-sided brown trout of 8 pounds or so. About the size of a nice hen coho.
The fly popped off and I was relieved of any more memories of getting a chance to land.
That was a happy loss, really. Like breaking off a mako instead of handling up close.
The monster coastal cutthroat encounters will be my personal torment to hold on to.
Big coastal cutthroat -"natives", in small stream and creek situations are my coldest hauntings as those are my favorite fish from my youth. Cannot go there.
One I have come to grips with long ago I can talk about with vigor. I had good views and sort of was relieved I never came close to landing, was a central WA brown trout that was 2-3x the size of the 2-3 pound rainbows I was watching and occasionally hooking and landing over a weed flat in a popular and most beautiful geologic wonder of a spot.
The fish would do feeding circles and I'd drop a spinner fly in the surface film and wait. Talk about early high blood pressure for an early 20-something kid. The rainbows were fairly ok to see..gray shadows swimming lazily along. The brown trout totally disappeared with stealthy camo. Gauging the size of the rare chance to see one was rough. You'd maybe see a banana slug-colored apparition move into sight, but then magically disappear.
Tossing the spent spinner fly into the lane and waiting was pretty fun, until it wasn't .. particularly once after an invisible brown trout de-cloaked and pushed its yellow beak silently through the surface film on the fly, did I have to re-think what was tolerable in the desert.
"The Fish".
I somehow set the hook gently and then all he'll broke loose. Fish hooked on the weedy flats shot across to deeper water. This one thought for a second, then tore off for the depths. I knew it was heavy. One sudden jump in full lighting shocked me in the late afternoon. It showed an incredible yellow-sided brown trout of 8 pounds or so. About the size of a nice hen coho.
The fly popped off and I was relieved of any more memories of getting a chance to land.
That was a happy loss, really. Like breaking off a mako instead of handling up close.
The monster coastal cutthroat encounters will be my personal torment to hold on to.
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DryFly82
Life of the Party
I’ve lost a handful of wild trophy rainbows in BC, but thankfully I caught the two biggest that I ever hooked (29” and 27”). However, the first time I can remember hooking into a really big rainbow during a mayfly hatch my rod went down, the reel caught, the line snapped, and I got to watch the fish jump 3 or 4 times before it was gone. I didn’t get over that until 4 years later when I landed the 27".
The best (worst?) heartbreak I have ever witnessed was at a tough lake that is known to produce huge trout. About 3 weeks earlier an angler had caught and released a ~15lb rainbow, so we knew there were big ones in there that year. My friend had been there 2 days prior and caught a 4lb fish. I had been the day before and caught 2x 3lb fish, lost another 3lb, and lost a 4-5lb fish. It was a slow day, but about halfway through our boats crossed paths and he looked haunted. He explained that he had lost a legit 10lb fish at the boat. He had fought it for 15+ minutes and had it worn out at the net. He grabbed the leader (never do this) and set his rod down. The fish gave just enough of a head turn at the net to snap the line and he watched it swim off into the depths. As he turned around he saw his rod go over the side also never to be seen again. At that fishing camp there have only been 6 fish caught over 10lbs since 1990 and the lakes cycle so that you may only get a shot at a true monster every handful of years. It’s doubtful he’ll ever get a second chance for a wild fish like that again…I’ve never seen someone so dejected after losing a fish.
The best (worst?) heartbreak I have ever witnessed was at a tough lake that is known to produce huge trout. About 3 weeks earlier an angler had caught and released a ~15lb rainbow, so we knew there were big ones in there that year. My friend had been there 2 days prior and caught a 4lb fish. I had been the day before and caught 2x 3lb fish, lost another 3lb, and lost a 4-5lb fish. It was a slow day, but about halfway through our boats crossed paths and he looked haunted. He explained that he had lost a legit 10lb fish at the boat. He had fought it for 15+ minutes and had it worn out at the net. He grabbed the leader (never do this) and set his rod down. The fish gave just enough of a head turn at the net to snap the line and he watched it swim off into the depths. As he turned around he saw his rod go over the side also never to be seen again. At that fishing camp there have only been 6 fish caught over 10lbs since 1990 and the lakes cycle so that you may only get a shot at a true monster every handful of years. It’s doubtful he’ll ever get a second chance for a wild fish like that again…I’ve never seen someone so dejected after losing a fish.
I’ve lost my share of big ahi & marlin after 45 mins into the fight on stand up gear…but best save was a 523 lb pacific blue that tail wrapped in the third hour with me on the stick on a 50 Wide on stand up gear…spent another hour slowly going forward with the drag locked down, then backing down on the fish while getting a couple wraps on the reel until her swim bladder expanded enough to pop her to the surface…I was wiped out after that.
The only fish that haunts me still was lost in early 90s on a five-day trip to the West Branch of the Delaware River. It had been raining for a few days before we got there, and the river was pretty high. The rain just kept coming and by the second day it was unsafe to wade. By late morning my buddy suggested we see if we could find a guide for an afternoon float. That was money I shouldn't have spent, but if we didn't, we might as well go home. We were lucky to catch one of the better-known guides in the area, home tying flies. He told us the day would be pitching heavy white Zonkers at the banks (during high water alewives get washed over the Cannonsville dam), so I grabbed my 10' 7wt, normally used for tightline nymphing egg flies for Great Lakes steelhead. I started the float from the back of the boat for a short time until our guide got tired of dodging my friend's newbie casts. For the most part the float was drudgery with a few moments of excitement when a brown inches from the banks would roll on those Zonkers (think I actually landed one 16 incher). We dropped anchor near a side channel that drops into river and quite deep pool. I threw my Zonker to the edge of the drop-off and just let it sink, not really anticipating much. When the fly has sunk about as far as I thought it would I pulled it tight to an immovable object that started to slowly move and make powerful head throbs. When I tried to move it that old 7wt. was bent double and the guide jumped to his feet with net in hand and hollered, "It's a headbanger!". Just at that moment my hook pulled loose, coming slowly to the surface.
What makes this haunt me? When we arrived and checked in at the fly shop the day before there was a newspaper clipping on the counter from that spring showing a guy releasing an 11 lb. rainbow. This was not a reservoir fish washed over the dam, but a river bred fish (noted by the streamline body). It was caught and released at the same spot I lost my fish.
What makes this haunt me? When we arrived and checked in at the fly shop the day before there was a newspaper clipping on the counter from that spring showing a guy releasing an 11 lb. rainbow. This was not a reservoir fish washed over the dam, but a river bred fish (noted by the streamline body). It was caught and released at the same spot I lost my fish.
Was fishing off the beach with the guide in a tropical climate 3 years ago when he informed me that a big "Geet" was coming down the beach.....swimming very lazily. Now, I will tell you that the pressure was on because there had been some landed and we had to work for them as it was a neap tide. Plenty of Bonefish to be had, but that wasn't the prize. This was my first time to a destination that had the " Gansta of the flats" so I was all hyped up and thought ( as do we all do) that I was armed with enough Youtube knowledge and speaking with fellow saltwater fisherman to " close the deal".........wrongo....! So, here I am standing waist deep with a 12 wt, holding the rod as high as I can for the cast( knowing this is like one of the most important casts of my life...ha..) and the guide tells me to release and away goes the fly. I make one strip and that big bucket mouth opens and inhales the fly and starts headed in the opposite direction. So hearing the voices saying that I need to break the spirit of the fish, I start pulling on the line to set the hook. Well, you can already guess how the law of physics applied here when something heavy is going one way and you are pulling the other......Bye bye. Then, to add insult to injury, the guide says," Oh man, that was a really solid fish"..........Sheeeeeettt..!!
Once I was on a quiet lake with almost no bites, and just when I thought I’d lost my chance, a big one hit right at the edge of the shallows. It got away, and I kept thinking about it the whole trip. Later that week, staying at an orchard road hotel, I kept replaying the fight in my head while sipping coffee in the room—it’s funny how some catches stick with you even off the water.
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