2024 Fish Pic Thread

[Rasputin]

I liked the story as much as the pic, I've lost many flies by getting distracted while swapping out rigs, but gradually this has lessened as I've developed "chairlift awareness", moving very deliberately so that I don't absent-mindedly drop something. That your box was caught in a eddy made me smile, it's nice when our mistakes don't cost us more than the momentary fright that we did something foolish.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I pretty much soiled myself. That's unusual on the Big Wood, our town river.

Another fun part of the story... I'm not an organized person which makes the very nature of fly fishing difficult for me. A few minutes prior to that fish, I was rerigging and looking for my little foam box of girdles that I brought. Panic hit as I recalled balancing it on my bag while tying on some tippet. I looked around, knee deep in the water and then saw the tin floating UP stream from me, caught in a very small eddy. That sort of shit doesn't happen to me very often. I grabbed it, tied on a tan one and BAM...23" rainbow!

That's cool.

For me, when one thing goes badly I tend to spiral into disfunction until I sit down for a minute and reset.

And nice fish.

[swimmy]

Been on a bender...

[Rasputin]

Damn you're tidy, swimmy!

I got off work early today and headed for the usual place. The honey hole seems to only yield whitefish in the afternoons, I caught two small ones, then headed down to the confluence, intending to return around sunset when I've caught a number of big fish.

The confluence quickly produced moar whitefish, but not any really bigger ones. I caught seven of them all told, including one which I expertly snag hooked in the tail, for maximum fighting power.

I often talk to the fish, and the river, and God and everything while I fish, and I was doing so today, as I was fishing a really good looking piece of water where wide and shallow parts of the Bitterroot pinch together a bit and create a central current with back eddys on each side. I have fished it often, but have only ever caught a small rainbow there. Today I fished the softwater to the seam with no results, but then I thought, since the whitefish were on the bite, and it was really warm today, that maybe, they could be in the trough just above where two current streams collide. As I was thinking that, I was saying out loud how it seems to me ridiculous that I only ever caught but one small rainbow in there, and not even one bite aside.

First cast into the midst got a hard strike, and then I saw a giant shape streak down current and start yanking on the line so heavy, I kinda felt scared. As I tried to get him into the soft water between us, but after twenty seconds or so, the 4X tippets Maxima Utragreen failed. I was gut punched, and that fish had stole my rabbit's foot (hare's ear)! I couldn't tell what kind of of fish it was for sure, but it looked like a giant whitefish, though it fought more like a rainbow. I bet it holds in a bucket at the bottom of the trough, I'm definitely going to target that again.

I went back to the honey hole, which produced one strike which I missed badly. I took today's version of Snowbowl and Point Six in the river's background, and put another day to rest.

[neckdeep]

Warm winter weirdness. The big blizzard that shut down targhee blew 4 foot deep drifts over the water but there's barely any shelf ice underneath. No snap; just suddenly you're on a car sized floating marshmallow.


Fishing was meh. Not much ice out magic to be had in a winter without lasting ice.

[Rasputin]

The big take away from last night's after work session, was a fellow fisherman who said he'd just caught his biggest ever trout on a March Brown dry fly. All I managed last night was one whitefish, four fish coming off the hook, and a sunset pic.

[The Reverend Floater]

That's cool.

For me, when one thing goes badly I tend to spiral into disfunction until I sit down for a minute and reset.

And nice fish.

Exactly. I'm like textbook spiral guy.

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[The Reverend Floater]

I liked the story as much as the pic, I've lost many flies by getting distracted while swapping out rigs, but gradually this has lessened as I've developed "chairlift awareness", moving very deliberately so that I don't absent-mindedly drop something. That your box was caught in a eddy made me smile, it's nice when our mistakes don't cost us more than the momentary fright that we did something foolish.

Yeah, I had a serious moment of "something" helping me out because normally that would be the beginning of frustration and subsequent bad fishing.

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[Rasputin]

Well you guys are making me feel less chagrined by my frequent references to streamside meltdowns.


Today I went to "the big fish catching place", and in spite of much casting, the big fish remained coy. This was the only fish I managed there.





So, after hooking and losing a whitefish there, and feeling scorned by the resident big fishes, I headed upstream to the "big hurkin' stonefly nymph losing place" where I also know there are big fish, like the one that took my big hurkin' stonefly nymph. It wasn't too long before my indicator told me that my brand spanking new pink worminator had been a good investment, and I managed to land the type of troutfish I had made the hike for, YAY for me!

[plugboots]

I put Red, White, and Blue backing on one of my new reels. Yes, Red, White and Blue is capitalized. If yours isn’t like this, why do you hate America?

[::: :::]

and I managed to land the type of troutfish I had made the hike for, YAY for me!

Totally worth it!

I put Red, White, and Blue backing on one of my new reels. Yes, Red, White and Blue is capitalized. If yours isn’t like this, why do you hate America?

Damn, man, how can I get into this? Is there any more left?!?

[Rasputin]

Totally worth it!

It amazes me still, how catching a big fish changes my mood, I can feel a inner smile for hours afterward. Really, the place I caught that one is only about a 40 minute hike from the fishing access parking lot, but I've developed painful swelling under the head of my right foot's first metatarsal, which has made hiking uncomfortable, but catching a fish like that is definitely worth it nonetheless.

[plugboots]

https://jblineone.net/shop-our-produ...w-core-spectra

[stealurface831]

Red white and blue. Is that some sort of accuracy-distance-tight loop combo backing?


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[plugboots]

Red white and blue. Is that some sort of accuracy-distance-tight loop combo backing?


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It’s really good 60# hollow core backing that I wanted for Tarpon. It just so happened the RWB was on sale, and I like the change of color every 50 feet, which is available in another color set if I recall. But…merica.

[swimmy]

Not so humble rod/reel porn...

My company got me this set up as a token of appreciation and today I got it out for glamour shots. Sweetgrass with a Hardy Perfect. So classy.



Actually had an eater on a March Brown but couldn't close the deal.

But it was a nice day out with my oldest step son.

[stealurface831]

Sweetgrass are the truth! Brackett is dialed like no other. Congrats man.


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[::: :::]

Purty

[TBS]

Gorgeous - that’s some major appreciation

I’d be afraid to use it - I’m not worthy

[swimmy]

Sweetgrass are the truth! Brackett is dialed like no other. Congrats man.

This is my first venture into the world of bamboo. But I have a good friend who is obsessed with bamboo and he says the same thing. He has a ton of respect for Sweetgrass and Glenn. When the company told me they wanted to get me a rod, he actually helped me pick it out.

Purty

Random photos of bamboo rods and Hardy reels might be my new thing.

Gorgeous - that’s some major appreciation

I’d be afraid to use it - I’m not worthy

I've been with this company for 20 years. It is the only job I've had since graduating. They hired me right out of college and immediately relocated me to Bozeman. I'm really grateful for my career and agree, it is an awesome gesture on their part.

[Rasputin]

Congrats swimmy, quality gear clears the fishing day of a set of limitations, and allows focus where it belongs, on the drifting fly.

I find it interesting that bamboo has become the epitome of fly rods, as that was the standard long ago. My dad had a number of bamboo fly rods; during his efforts to clear his house of things he didn't use anymore, he auctioned off most of his bamboo rods (from the '50s and '60s) on ebay, and was very surprised at how much they went for. He much preferred his graphite rods which were much lighter and better balanced. Of course none of them were Sweetwaters, or really high end brands.

When last I visited, among many things he tried to give me, was a bamboo Shakespeare rod. It came with, and has, two tip sections, in case one got broken. It has very slow buggy whip action, and is quite tip heavy. I left it with him, as I am in my own process of downsizing, and I have three fly rods already. I will likely inherit all of the fishing gear eventually anyway.

[lifelinksplit]

Not so humble rod/reel porn...

My company got me this set up as a token of appreciation and today I got it out for glamour shots. Sweetgrass with a Hardy Perfect. So classy.



Actually had an eater on a March Brown but couldn't close the deal.

But it was a nice day out with my oldest step son.

Ooh I know that riffle. If anyone happens to be poking around and sees ice coming off at C&W lakes lemme know.

Heading out to the local to teach the new dog some fishing manners. Wish me luck!

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[I've seen black diamonds!]

That's a great gift, Swimmy. Congrats.

[stealurface831]

This is my first venture into the world of bamboo. But I have a good friend who is obsessed with bamboo and he says the same thing. He has a ton of respect for Sweetgrass and Glenn. When the company told me they wanted to get me a rod, he actually helped me pick it.

Glenn is the man. If you get the chance, take a tour of the shop up there. Pretty cool operation. What length/line you get?

In continuing with the new rod/reel theme, the UPS man just stopped by with some goodies. Mine is bigger.



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[lifelinksplit]

Had a nice day on the creek. Rocky did great and wasn't super interested in the fish unlike Walter. Almost pulled off a slam but no bull trout. I suck at taking fish pics. I'm a bit overdue for new boots and tires....

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