Tell us your best " last cast" story(s)

[The Fish Whisperer]

Here are mine:

Was lucky enough to be on Farquhar Atoll earlier this year in March. There had been a few 100+ cm GT's caught by fellow anglers. I had hooked eight, but only landed 4. I started out with a 65cm, then a 70cm, a 75cm and painfully lost a 100+ cm very dark and slab of a GT that was with a nurse shark. Don't you just hate when the guide adds insult to injury and pours salt in the wound by saying," Holy Shit, that was a big trophy fish"..!!!...like I didn't feel the pain already...!!
We got down to literally the last 2 hours of the last day and I was blind casting ( not afraid to admit it....might as well keep trying right.?) over some big coral heads when I get a chase by a good midsize Geet( maybe 75 to 80cm). It was about to open its mouth when literally from underneath the boat came this toad and inhaled the fly. We were both like...OMG...holy sheeet....!! Now, I cleared the line and settled in for battle with it now peeling line like crazy. I thought, I cannot get on that plane tomorrow if I don't land this fish...I will be beside myself. Well, we land this fish with knees shaking( we've all been there) and then he measures it......98cm.....like are you sure..?? Measure it again......98cm. I say, look, no-one will ever know..LOL what's 2 cm....? We stuck with the 98cm and celebrated back at the lodge.



The other one is a recent trip I did and caught a nice tank of a buck brown literally on the last 10 minutes of the last day near the boat ramp.




I have to admit that luck has been on my side at times, but I am firm believer that you just keep trying. Preparation will intersect with opportunity and when it does, be ready because you may only get 1 chance. Winston Churchill once said," Never, never give up".

Let's hear you best last day, last cast stories.

 

[dirty dog]

Thanks for the pics.
The last cast for me was on the N. Umpqua River near (blank) creek.
I had had a very good day and had caught many small RB's and Coastal cutts.
I tired from the walk and wade of about a 1/2 mile over slippery rocks and bed rock, so I said to myself, time to head home.
There is a little pool right where the trail takes off to head for the parking lot.
Heavy rapids on the outside, dead water in the middle, fast current on the inside making a circle.
I say to myself "one more cast".
I got the fly just right and it drifted about two inches when a nice 12 plus inch RB takes and it goes crazy leaping and running and as it gets within reach for an in water release it comes unbuttoned, sweet.
I smiled all the way home

 

[Bonefish Jack]

Ascension Bay, somewhere around 10-12 years ago.

Prologue: On the last day of six fishing days, late in the afternoon, I was with the guide, casting to a large mixed school of bonefish, jacks, and permit (none of them very large.) I hooked what we thought was a permit - it turned out to be a jack. Guide says, "damn yack," and kills the fish. He was pissed.

Last Cast: I kept casting into this school, pulling the fly away from the bones and jacks. Then, last cast on this last day, hooked and landed my first permit.