surf12foot:
Cast- strip, strip- cast- strip, strip "Wham fish on" but no! 3 hours into it NO, this was the routine that me and Kevin was locked into. The 4th hour no but we have a couple of fish jumping finally the 5th hour, now "WHAM" fish on- rod doubles over and he doesn't know he has been hook yet,so a perfect strip set and the fish is pissed (like he wasn't all ready) and starts to head back down the slough digging into the mud bottom and running for hell. All I could saw was "Kevin" as the sleigh ride began. The fish would come up for a bit and dive back down and dig into the mud, then come completely out of the water and dig like a madmen into the muddy bottom while sprinting down the slough towards a bunch fallen logs 40yards away. Luck must have been smiling on me for within 20 yards of the snarled down logs the fish comes up one last time and turned on his side, turns towards me head first right along side the kayak and right into the waiting net. 32 inches and 22 3/4 lbs. fish is sitting in my lap. A couple more casts and no fish and it was time to head home.
workhard:
That's awesome. Nice fish!
C_Run:
Glad you got one. Congrats.
surf12foot:
Well, time for a update. Showed up this morning and right off the bat 3 fish jumping and rolling as if not a care in the world. Little did they know that I was perched on high ground planning out my plan of attack just like a cougar stalking it's prey. We launched (Kevin and I) hoping to catch the fish completely buy surprise. We each took to a fish- cast- strip- cast- strip- cast- strip! Fish where moving about here, there (we couldn't think straight) and as fast as they showed up they where gone, nothing but silence-that weird nature silence like you get from the animal planet channel when the zebra wonders down to the water hole and that dam JAWS theme going off in my head. Then ripples to the far side-cast, nothing more ripples over there-cast nothing and a v wake ever so slightly coming right at me and then gone just as quick- what the hell cast any way and a big nothing. Made a couple cast up along the bank and just as I was pulling my fly out the water a good size fish exploded on it or should I say where it was. There is HOPE! One could feel the weather changing and not for the good, you know fingers getting stiff knees aching. The fish that was there now where not really showing themselves -maybe a ripple here or there a small rise as if it was a trout sucking a #16 blue dun fly off the surface. Made a cast out into some strange water (the type like you just don't know why but you did) half way back my fly stopped dead set the hook on instinct nothing but heaviness but my line was moving away slowing. Laid into again and this time a head shake but nothing big so thinking it was a jack. Called out to Kevin to let him know "Fish On" but by now it was towing me around and straight for a tangled root ball over by the reeds. Was able to turn him before any damage could be done but in the process of turning him put him on a direct line to some pilings and for the life of me I couldn't turn him(seems like he was hell bent for those pilings) and wasn't slowing down at all. Well he made it to the center piling "there was 5 in total" so with the fish already around and was going to try to wrap around I let him have some slack and in a instant he changed directions to down stream. Now with the kayak coming up to the pilings and the leader safe for the moment(just the fly line rubbing along the pilings and squared pilings at that) what is one to do? Lets just say" thank god for a 11ft. rod"! Come up to the piling hold the rod up and do a roll sat over the piling the day is saved.(insert applause here) The fish sensing this and plus towing 400lbs around finally came to the net. We tried a while longer but the weather was changing for the worst and it was time to head home.
Tinker:
Yeah, yeah... that's all true, but you forgot the important part of the story: my hook-setting skills haven't improved since last week, not even a tiny bit. :o
The fish was bigger than it looks in this picture. I need to train that guy to hold the fish towards the camera.