SteveM

Kinda funny that your mind would even go there, Rick. Do you have a big hand fetish or something?

Kinda funny that your mind would even go there, Rick. Do you have a big hand fetish or something?

So, are you telling us they're swingers? Awesome!

Looks real nice,Pipes! About how much did this project cost, if you don't mind my asking?

Ugly girls are sometimes REALLY, REALLY grateful that you asked them to dance, if you catch my drift! (So I've heard, anyhoo!)

At least when bend over to tie your laces, you've got a built-in rod-holder!

Well, I really put my "never get upset when I lose a fish" deal to the test yesterday. Had a couple hours free time, so headed to a small river south of the city for a few fish in the after noon. Between my bro & myself, we caught a bunch of smallish bows, one small bull, & a bunch of big whites. After missing a few fish where it felt like I got a good solid hookset, I sharpened my hooks- didn't make any difference; I might have got one fish per five hooksets. Several jumped & came off; one got into the wood; several just came unbuttoned within seconds; a few more almost came to hand before saying "See ya!". Many of those came on the swing of a nymph, where you're basically pulling the hook away from fish- not surprised to miss some of those. Never felt like I did much wrong on most- can't beat yourself up over a bit of bad luck. Really enjoyed the beautiful, healthy fish I did catch- even the hawg whitie with the fugly, upturned snout; so solid, I thought I was snagged at first- then he started peeling line! All in all, a great couple hours- and, no, I NEVER got pissed about losing any fish. =Bob Loblaw-

Sho is fugly tho', bro! Functional tho', right? Just so there's no misunderstanding- I'm referring to the vehicle, BTW!

Sweet! Sometimes ya gotta stop & smell the flowers; more to life than just trout. Great pics!

Not all the heads crunch,Rick; many just squish and ooze fecal matter!

Great pics, Dave! Dig the one with the foot in it; most people only get their finger in the picture-but not you, mang! You're right, you "only live once"; unfortunately, you only get to die once, as well. Ain't no sense in rushing the inevitable. Besides, if you die, Glenbow or Birchy will eventually take your "POSTWHORE" title away from you. Can't have that, now, can we?

What were they driving?

Thanks, Rick. Since I can't seem to find time to hit the water much, I thought I'd contribute a story from a few years ago; this is a good thread for others to do the same. Keep'em comin'! Steve

Thanks for the contribution to the thread, flyslinger. Great story with a great point- it's never hopeless, as long as your fly is in the water. Sometimes, what we write off as a bad cast can get us into some great fish. Again, thanks for the story; feel free to add more. -Bob Loblaw- (AKA Steve M.)

"a beautiful hookset to the corner of the mouth" Kinda reminds me of the two idjits who used to be on Canadian Sportfishing- "Nice fish, Italo! Look at that sheen!" "Thanks, Hank! Notice how I got the perfect hookset, right through the roof of the mouth." I always wished the other dude would say, "Of course he's hooked through the roof of the mouth; you're vertical fishing a jig. Where else are ya gonna hook'em, ya f***in' moron!" As for your story, don't ya love catching fish on found flies? I know I do! Thanks for posting, Lone. -Bob Loblaw-

Awesome story, Rick! That's exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping I'd find in this thread; thanks for posting. Sounds like a hella sweet 'bow. I know how you feel, man. I've caught most of my big fish when I'm fishing alone, with no camera; so much so that I'm beginning to think cameras & fishing partners are jinxing me! -Bob Loblaw-

Arctic Grayling have gotta be the worst fish to land by hand; they just never settle down, always have one more flip left in 'em!

I contemplated changing my tippet, but didn't. After about 10 minutes of fighting the trout, he swam straight at me- and right under the big rock I was standing on. By now, I was really wishing I had gone up in strength from the 3lb test that was connected to the 25" bulltrout under my feet. Things were not looking good- I couldn't even feel the movement of the trout now; was I snagged under the rock? Arrrgh! The day had started off great with some dryfly action for cutthroat trout on the Elk River in Southeastern B.C., as well as some bulltrout up to about 24". At one point, I'd had 3 bullies chase the cutt I was landing; I released the cutt and grabbed my other rod, already rigged with a big marabou streamer. In the next little while, I landed all three of those bulls; they just stayed right in the area for me to catch. By then, it was time to start our drive back to Calgary. After 4 days of fishing the Fernie/Sparwood area, we wanted to make one more stop at Michel Creek on the way home; always time for "one last cast", right? As my brother & I fished our way up the creek, the fish just weren't cooperating, so I started the usual process of frequent fly changes, as well as downsizing my tippet. Through this, we managed to catch enough cutts to keep us interested, & keep us moving upstream. As we walked up to the biggest pool we'd seen on this piece of the creek, we decided this would be our last stop before we headed up to the road, & back to the car. This pool was deep & clear, but difficult to see into, as the water moved swiftly between & over big boulders. But every now & then a smooth "window" would open in the roiling surface near the head of the pool; this allowed me to see the school of whitefish on the bottom. A couple of them looked quite large- time to throw on a nymph & indicator, & catch a few whities to end the day. This was when I thought about going with a heavier tippet, but decided 3lb would be good enough to catch a bunch of whites. Apparently, those whitefish had other plans. After drifting several different beadheads through the school with no takes, I tied on old reliable- a San Juan Worm. On my third drift with the worm, my indi got abruptly yanked under...hookset...fish on!!! It felt like a heavy fish, & pretty quickly I got a glimpse of my opponent on the end of my line- good fish! As the fish neared the surface, I realized it wasn't a monster whitefish at all; the white leading edge on the fin was a dead giveaway- BULLTROUT! That's when that 3lb tippet started seeming a little flimsy- a good-sized bull, fast water, lots of big, sharp rocks versus me with my 7.5 foot 5wt & 3lb test tippet. I wasn't entirely confident that this fish was going to be landed. That bull had his way with me for about 10 minutes, yet, somehow, he was still on the line. That's when he swam under the rock. I'm sure you guys have had those moments where you're absolutely powerless to stop something that you can see happening right in front of you- this was one of those moments for me. Tried to steer him away from the rock with side pressure; not a chance. Into the hole he went. When he stopped, I tried pulling on the rod as hard as I dared- nothing doing. I reached down & pulled the line tight with my hand, hoping to at least feel the movement of the trout- nothing. As I looked down, I realized the hole he'd gone into was actually a space between two big rocks, & it appeared as though that opening went right through towards shore. I had one last chance. I yelled for my brother to grab a stick, something to poke into that opening from shore; hopefully, this would result in the trout vacating his safe haven & swimming back into the pool. As luck would have it, there was a 10 foot stick nearby & my bro' grabbed it. As he VERY GENTLY felt around in the underwater cave, I kept one hand on my line. Suddenly, a little hope- I could now feel the movement of the fish; seconds later, he came shooting out of his hideout into the pool. Obviously, he'd had a nice rest under there, because he still had a ton of energy- it was like starting the fight all over again. Now I was really wishing I had gone with heavier tippet, because if there was one nick in that 3lb test, it would snap like so much sewing thread. I must have had some good karma that day, because nearly 20 minutes after hooking up, I tailed a beautiful 25" bulltrout. One of my favorite fishing memories, ever. My worry about the stress of the battle on the trout was alleviated by how quickly his strength came back as I held him in the creek; just to be sure, I held him there a little longer. One last look, a "Thank you" for the fight; I opened my hand, & got a facewash as the bulltrout made good his getaway- his last act of defiance before he disappeared. A fitting end to the day. As a footnote, I don't advocate using tippet so light that you can't land a fish in a timely manner. I wasn't anticipating hooking a bull on a SJW; I thought bulls were caught on streamers- now I know better. Also, that was the last time I used less than 5lb test tippet for any kind of fishing. If the fish are that line shy, I guess I just won't catch'em! -Bob Loblaw- This is one of my favorite fish stories; hopefully, you guys & gals will add some of your favorites in this thread. They can be stories about big fish, difficult fish, big ones that got away, first flyrod fish, special circumstances around a certain fish- anything that makes the story special to you. Long stories, short stories, several stories- let's have'm, folks! Thanks in advance, Steve M.(Bob Loblaw)

And to think, yesterday I thought you were turning into a Canadian! It must have been a temporary condition,'cuz this sounds purely American. Gotta admit, it's the unfortunate truth; many have climbed higher by stepping on the heads of those below them.

Don't just assume that was an accident, guys; I believe that may be a home lobotomy kit, available at Wal-Mart. Brought to you by the same folks who sold the original home circumcision kit- "4-Skin-B-Gone".

Brownstone, me son, dat's a lovely salmon! I lows ya must be right proud, eh b'y! I s'pose you've had so much moose, & lobster, & jiggs dinner ya must be sick of it. I knows how everybody & their dog likes to feed ya when ya goes back to da Rock; one time I was downhome, me buddy cooked up a friggin' scoff of moose at tree o'clock in da marnin'. No, I knows ya wasn't good! Washed it down with a few Black Horse beers. Never made a trip back home that I didn't gain weight - and enjoyed every bite! Looking forward to your next fishing report. Good luck! Steve M. (Born & raised in Gillams, NF- near Corner Brook)

By da Lard Sufferin' !!! I can't believe ya went there, Dave & Birchy! You're lucky my father taught me never to engage in a battle of wits with unarmed men. Anyway, Birchy, ya knows friggin' well a Nova Scotian is just a Newfie who ran out of money on da way to Tronna! Seriously, tho', ya can't really piss off a Newf by telling a Newfie joke- who do you think makes up all those jokes if it ain't us Newfs? But if you do piss me off, I'll bring all those outta work fishermen up here. How long do you think it would take us to fish this province out like we did to our own? Mmmmm....bulltrout fishcakes & sturgeon tongues.... me mout' is waterin', b'ys!!!! Carry on as if you was normal!! -Bob Loblaw-

Sorry for your loss, SilverDoctor. Hope by some miracle you get it back; stranger things have happened.

Didn't swear once? Wow! Next thing you know, you're gonna be getting all polite-like, & saying "How's it goin', eh?" OMG, you're turning into a Canadian! Quick, blow something up before it's too late to stop the transformation! Seriously, getting to play with a couple nice trout is a great start to your day-beats the heck outta sleeping in! Good on ya!

Last bump....anyone else familiar with the Revelstoke area? Either in terms of fishing or any other interesting things for a family holiday? Thanks, Steve M.