2024 Fish Pic Thread

[neufox47]

Caught some small bluefin off the coast of So Cal. So much fun! 2 days of straight fishing. Caught 5 fish, lost another 4 and I’m tired.


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[Rasputin]

I went to the river late, but wanted to get a couple hours in before sunset, and landed two fish. One was a five inch whitefish which hooked itself as I was walking through the water, unintentionally dragging my pheasant tail dropper in the water. The second was the cutbow below, which rose for a royal micro-chubby:

[Rasputin]

Today, after paying the rent, and breaking in the gift card my son gave me for my birthday, I eventually made it out to "The New Place". I was not in a good state of mind, I can't say why, but I had some things to work through, and so the time on the river was not restful or enjoyable, because things outside oneself cannot be enjoyed unless one has the receptive capacity for that which is without.

Anyway, I was not feeling good, and as a result the experience I was having proportionally was not a good one, I couldn't get the fish to bite, and then when they did, I couldn't hook them. I bent the hook setting it on the one fish that showed a genuine interest in my fly. I got into the state of mind that said nothing good was going to happen, and so nothing good was happening. I left the area of the "black Pat's hole" where I'd done quite well before, and headed to where I had first fished at the "New Place". Along the way, I did my best to count my blessings. I said to myself, "Well you are quite fortunate not to be in Gaza, or Lebanon, or Ukraine, I'm sure folks from those places would feel blessed to be here not catching fish on a beautiful sunny day....". Then I realized I was judging myself for feeling unhappy, as if it was bad of me to feel upset within myself. So I apologized to myself, and about the time I got to the big riffle where it dumps into the deeps, I found that my acceptance for myself softened my mind's control over my emotions, and I started to shudder through my body, and sob out loud.

A few casts later, the chubby dipped abruptly, and the hook-set was met with meaty resistance. It became apparent that it was a rather large fish which had no intention of coming my way. I was concerned that the 5x tippets fastened to the black Pat's would break, as I repeatedly tried to bring the fish closer, my arm was feeling rather strained, and I begged out loud to the God of fly-fishing (The Almighty) to please let me land the fish, as I have lost a disconcerting number of large trout in the past couple weeks. My prayer was answered, and I landed the 20 incher pictured below, which was considerable heavier than the one I caught a while back, my biggest trout yet.





I expect that some who read this thread may cringe a bit when I speak of God and faith in connection to my good fortune in fishing, and that it is just confirmation bias on my part, the rationalization of deluded superstition, and I can understand that point of view, but I also cringe at such skepticism, and think of it as denial bias.

I understand how reality is formed, by the electromagnetic oscillation between an individual's polarities of magnetic essence, and the electrical quickening of consciousness. I have time and again experienced the manifestation of desire, as the vibration of emotional movement opens space for the vision of possibility to manifest into form. I also have often been wise enough to listen to the guidance of the inner voice which foreshadows the future, enough so that I joyfully get to see the fruition of having faith in said guidance. Today this latter dynamic played out thus.

After I released the big guy, I had the thought to switch over to my streamer set-up, as I am quite certain that there are many more big fish in that area, so I grabbed my nippers, and had the line between the blades, when God told me to stop. I was told that I should cast the same chubby/Pat's rig a bit more. So I stopped what I was about to do, and cast, and after a few throws, I was delighted to see the indicator dive again, and was thrilled by the jumpingest fight I've ever had. Though the big one was much heavier, this one was more athletic, and my heart soared, not just because of the fight of the fish, but because I had listened to the voice of truth guiding me to what my heart desired, and which otherwise I would have almost certainly missed.





After releasing my second fish, I thought again about the streamer idea, but the voice again said no, to leave that for another time. So I switched over to a double dry rig. I wanted to avenge my earlier disappointment throwing dries. I didn't care about catching another big one, so I went to a place where smaller fish often rise in the foam of a small eddy, and there I caught a small one on a griffith's gnat. I was very pleased, then went back to the "Black Pat's Hole" and didn't catch anything, but I found a chubby chernobyl on the ground. As it often goes for me, adversity triggers the movement of my will that allows my desires to manifest, that's how it works, to think otherwise is just denial bias.

[John_B]

Some times denial bias perfectly describes my day of fishings. Nice fish R, that big one is a beaut!

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

[swimmy]

First day out in a while. Stellar weather.

[romeo tango]

hey Rasputin, check your mailbox,
message sent
.

[Rasputin]

Nice fish Swimmy, good to see you back at it.

hey Rasputin, check your mailbox,
message sent
.

Got it, I was out of town, not catching big fish, at "Big Cutthroat Creek".

Yes. Sad but true, that in two days at Big Cutthroat Creek, I caught only two modest sized cutties, and one small rainbow. The water is the lowest I've ever seen, and the fish are skittish. The shallow water is crystal clear, and the hot spots there were luke-warm at the best times of day. I briefly had a big fish on last night, which surprised me, by taking an olive Caddis X as I was stripping it in.

[swimmy]

Nice fish Swimmy, good to see you back at it.

[swimmy]

[Rasputin]

So, after I caught my biggest, so far, trout fish nine days ago, I have had a string of mediocre outings, catching only smaller trout, and often putting in long hours with almost no action. I was getting a complex about it, I lost my mojo, lady luck had left me, etc. Well, today I a few hours before having to be home for a Zoom meeting, so I went to the easiest access, that would be easy to get home on time from.

Since there was only a few hours, my expectations were low, but I had a moment on the river the night before where I had found some peace with my inability to woo bigger fish. I had caught one little fish on a dry fly around sunset, and had lost another just after that, but I had fun doing it. Today I put on the same fly, a bright orange elk hair caddis which the store calls an October Caddis, but frankly, it seems like a poor imitation in both color and shape. However, some fish (three of them today) seem to disagree with me on this point. I rather quickly got my first fish of the day on said caddis; his picture was blurry, but the second fish took a fine picture for me, a cutie of a cutty.





Then I tossed into the "honey hole" which has produced many respectable fish in the past. I muffed the first cast, but got a refusal by a smaller fish. The second cast drifted in perfectly, and got my third eat on the "October Caddis". I was thrilled to break the small trout streak I'd been on.





At the confluence I decided to switch to a hopper dropper rig. I felt drawn to my random nymph box, and tied on a Rainbow Warrior jig head, which I had found a while back when I followed a piece of monofilament in the river. This turned out to be a great choice. First getting a couple whitefish in the confluence of two great Missoula area rivers, and then in the same area my target species, and even thicker than the previous trout fish.





Then I caught six more whitefish. Here's their representative, most were around this size.





I was running out of time, but took the time to fish the spot I had started fishing, and once again Rainbow Warrior for the win. It seems like I've got my mojo back. My 13th fish in four hours. Alleluia, praises to the God of fly fishing!

[romeo tango]

Thanks for the beta,
catch you next time ....

.

[Rasputin]

^^^ Yeah, too bad the timing was off RT.

I went out late again, and it went well;I've got my mojo working. I have been wondering if it's getting late in the year to be fishing hopper dropper rig, but found my answer, as glassy water was broken to take the black and purple chubby chernobyl.





Sometimes the sky amazes me; I very much love when the sun plays peekaboo.





I went from The New Place, downstream all the way to Long Pool, my inner guidance told me it would be worth the hike, and so it was!





I had another good day, I caught four fish in about three hours, and it gave me an eye to appreciate the beauty of little things.





Sadly, I'll be leaving town next week to do something less fun than fishing, in a place I would otherwise have no interest in going. Oh well, the past couple days have been great, and I have all winter to fish.

[plugboots]

Mrs.Plug w/ one:

[east or bust]

This 18”er was a snack compared to some of the hogs I saw today. Some had to be ~35”.



Need a calm day to sight fish, with the normal chop can’t really see them until you’re on them.

[plugboots]

Kinda cool, same fish I caught yesterday. Yesterday sipping midges, today Baetis.

One of the nicer ones from today:

[BobMc]

[Tap]

Wife with some chrome

[skiingislife]

Blue spot

[swimmy]

[plugboots]

Fishing w/ someone allows yer pic to be taken:

[Rasputin]

Strong work folks, this place has been blowing up lately!

I'm about to go catch a late train for California, but I had to get one more outing before I went. I caught seven whitefish and a lone trout, all on a rainbow warrior nymph, and in just over two hours. No lunkers today though.

[romeo tango]

thanks for leaving a few
.

[schindlerpiste]