It's About Time (9/16/10)

Is it me or have the bigger trout been MIA this year? I have spent significant time on the water this season and have caught lots of fish; however the larger trout have been very elusive. Last season I was fortunate to catch several large trout including the one that I wrote about in the post titled, “It Took Me 25 Years, But I Did It.” This season both brook trout and brown trout, up to twelve inches, have been very eager to participate and I am very appreciative for the trout I have caught no matter what the size. I do, however, like to catch a few pigs each year. Let me rephrase that, being an Average Joe Fisherman, I TRY to catch a few pigs each year. You know what I am talking about. The kind of brown trout that comes out of is lair to look at your fly or spinner looking like a black submarine, a trout so big that it looks out of place in a tiny stream, so big that it causes your heart to skip a beat. The kind of trout that is so big, if you are lucky enough to tangle with it, the battle leaves you trembling afterward. Unfortunately this year I have been skunked in the pig department… until yesterday. =)

Yesterday I left work with the sun shining brightly. Once my truck was pointed north, I saw some clouds in the distance but thought nothing of them. The forecast was for rain after midnight and truth be told, I was planning on fishing in the sun catching smaller trout. That is what I had mentally prepared for all day while at work. When I arrived at my destination the conditions had deteriorated to a cloudy sky with the smell of rain in the air. I couldn’t have been happier. I would be pig hunting!

The mouth of a small stream


I “geared up” as quickly as I could and began walking along the bank of a larger river. It was not the larger river I was interested in this day, but a small little stream that flowed into it. I realize that my chances to catch a large trout were probably greater on the larger river, but I really do prefer smaller streams and the challenges they present.

The fishing started off great. The catching however was relatively slow. I must confess that I had visions of last week’s three hour effort, without seeing a fish, repeating itself. Finally I caught a respectable brown trout, then another, then another. There were fish everywhere they were supposed to be. About an hour into the trip I fought and landed a nice seventeen inch brown trout. Yes, that is an accurate measurement. Are you accusing a fisherman of stretching the truth? Anyway, I measured its length before I let it go. When it was all said and done, in addition to landing the seventeen inch pig, I landed several other fish in the thirteen inch class. I saw two other larger brown trout that gave serious consideration to my offering but ultimately turned it down. One I would bet my left you-know-what that it was easily twenty inches and the other I would safely say was two feet. It charged out of a dark undercut, saw me, and proceeded to haul a$$ upstream.


The last picture below is where he lived

On the long walk back to the Silverado I found to my surprise that I no longer felt like an Average Joe Fisherman, but a wise, accomplished trout fisherman with a dash of “I am the man” thrown in. After sleeping on it, I realize that I am and always will be an Average Joe Fisherman, but every once in a great while, whether it is due to the stars aligning, the moon’s cycle, or God just throwing me a bone, it all comes together and I have a day like yesterday. I’m going to try for a repeat performance this Saturday. I’ll let you know how it goes.