Merry Christmas!

Winter Break

I decided to start my break with a trip to the Metolius. I had gone Thanksgiving and seen a Bull Trout viciously attack a pretty sizable dying rainbow trout (it very well may have been a dying Kokanee which would make more sense, but that is not what my eyes saw). I had this trout, or to be more accurate char, in my mind as I made the trip. His hole was the spot where I started my day. I was fishing with a streamer that was probably 6-8 inches long, so if he was in the mood for a big meal again I'd be ready.
I felt pretty good about my chances, but as I worked my way through through the pool I began to wonder. Then my fly stopped cold and I was hooked into something very strong. I have little experience with Bull Trout but I am quickly realizing that when it feels like someone is tugging hard at your line but not going anywhere it is probably a Bull Trout. While this doesn't make them a great sport fish, it does make them impressive. (I can just picture a Bull Trout locked into a fight with Rainbow Trout and thrashing around. I'm pretty sure the Rainbow will be hightailing it out of there as quick a possible, which is why Rainbows are so fun to catch.) That's not to say Bull Trout aren't strong and aren't fun to catch. I think quite the opposite. For short stretches of time I think they are stronger than any trout and are a blast to catch since they are so violent. Back to the story at hand. I managed to keep him for getting tangled up under his long and started to pull him in. I thought he was tired out but he thrashed around some more on the surface. This was a scary fish. I could picture that thrashing being him attacking a duckling or another fish. As I brought him to hand I realized he was definitely the biggest trout I'd ever caught and was definitely the most impressive fish I'd ever caught. Any fish species that is native, can only live in very clean water and spent years with mankind trying to exterminate them is cool with me.
Unfortunately the picture does not do him justice. (My camera had a rough day as it got a little wet and didn't start working again until today, so I'm just happy to have A picture.) Lets just say my Betta Clarkii would be the fish equivalent to finger food (fin food?) for him. The rest of the day I had a little luck with nymphs but the surface action never happened. It would have been hard to have topped the beginning to the day anyway.

Fish Man

This guy is crazy, but he's got some pretty cool footage. He literally swims the Yellowstone River for fun.

http://www.mikekasicsound.com/FishMan.swf

Steelhead Evening

So, I decided to take a break from grading yesterday and try to catch a steelhead. It's getting late in the season for them on the McKenzie, so I figured I better take advantage of being able to take a couple hours off. First cast I hooked into one. He raced around the pool and leaped a couple times. After he jumped I realized something was wrong since my rod was awkwardly bent. The line had gotten rapped around the tip, so I had to ease of the pressure and take care of the problem. He took advantage of the break to catch his breath and bolt downstream, putting me into my backing. I was stuck between deep water and fast current, so I did the best I could to pull him back to me. I had got the line far enough in so I could see the leader and.....nothing. I felt the line go limp. No more fish. No more fly at the end of my line.

I tied on a new fly and got back to it. A few casts later I hooked into another steelhead, but the hook popped out after only a few seconds. There were no fish after this other than a tiny rainbow. I did see a salmon that was cruising around in full zombie mode. I could easily spot the fungus growing on him as he prepared to die after making the remarkable journey back from sea. Seeing a salmon after it has spawned may not be mother nature at her prettiest, but it may be nature in its rawest form (that is unless that was a hatchery salmon, then you can forget most of what I said).

Back to grading...

Maine Brook Trout in Oregon

There are some fish that I will always associate with certain places. Westslope cutthroats will always remind me of Glacier National Park and the summer I spent there. Yellowstone cutthroats remind me of the Yellowstone River and Park. Brown trout make me think of Spring Creek and the other streams around Penn State. Then there is the brook trout. No fish makes me think of Maine more than brook trout. So, today I thought of home a lot as I caught several nice brook trout. This is the time of year to catch them. They are fat from eating all summer, hungry because they now winter is quickly approaching and gorgeous because they are preparing to attract a date. I thought I'd share a little slice of Maine today. I caught more fish than these two today, some a little bigger, but none were prettier.

Backcountry Lake Outing

After a change in plans I headed to Linton Lake for a day trip. In between periods of sunshine and downpour the fish were pretty active. I was able to get this little brook trout (I had heard they were in there, but had never seen any evidence until this guy) and a nice male brown trout around 15". Pretty nice way to spend one of my last free days before my life is taken over by economics again.

More Pictures