Bycatch

A windy, slightly rainy day yesterday. Trout fishing was good, but the second fish of the day just felt different out of the gate. After six or seven massive runs on the five weight, with four x and a size 14 hare's ear, the special visitor below was netted and released. The old local continues to provide this year.

 

[SilverFly]

Spring chinook on the fly is NOT by catch! Congrats.

 

[Doublebluff]

What a great fish! Well done-

 

[ROwer]

Spring chinook on the fly is NOT by catch! Congrats.

Tongue in cheek on the bycatch comment, but was quite a surprise for what was supposed to be a quick morning trout session. Overall Sunday was a day of fishing that will be with me for a while.

Started out the morning walking and wading with one of my best buddies that needed a little mental health break. He is just wrapping up his residency and his wife just started hers a state away. He had a few hours to fish as he was traversing the state to do his family duties. First fish of the day was a pretty 17 in bow that had some recent battle wounds from an eagle or osprey, second fish was the springer and then somewhere down the road hooked into another hard fighting bow that gave me a good run and wrapped the fly line around a rock that resulted in some mid river wading to unwrap/net.

After I wrapped up with him it was a quick run home to get the boat to take out my buddy that I started fishing this river with 25 years ago to celebrate his 40th birthday. I was more than content to row and put him on fish the balance of the day given the morning I already had. The wind was a challenge, but we persevered to net a bunch, including an incredibility pretty cutbow and probably his personal best bow below. I called the shot on the fish below saying "your birthday present is right off that drop off, go get em" , he happily obliged to wrap up a very special day.

 

[BayouJ]

Great fish!

 

[dep]

awesome day!