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back to my roots

3K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Adrian 
#1 · (Edited)
sometimes I get my head so wrapped up in spey casting and steelhead that I forget to slow down and revist the pleasures that brought me into our sport in the first place. so I recently put down the long rod, picked up a 5 weight and went out with an old friend to one of our favorite trout streams. smartest thing I've done in a long time...
 
#6 ·
Dana,

That is a gorgeous trout. It makes me want to go trout fishing again, something I have only done a handful of times in the last 11 years since moving to WA after spending 12 years in the trout nirvana of Montana. My 11 year old wants to go trout fishing and have me take one of my very underused trout rods in order to fish with him. This gives me the incentive to out the trout flies and rods and go fishing with him instead of just being there to coach and help him.

Thanks for posting this.
 
#8 · (Edited)
for some strange reason...

...steelheading always seems such serious business.

I well remember the "moment" I kinda felt I figured it out many years ago. I used to pack a camera with me and photographed almost every trout I caught back when I lived near the Bow in Calgary (the new age version of the big stringer full of fish). One day I hooked this really nice brown trout and netted it after a long fight. In order for me to take a picture of the fish I would have to fumble around for my camera, and it suddenly occured to me that the fish was more deserving of my immediate attentions than my photo album. I carefully revived the fish and off it swam, which made me feel a whole lot more relaxed and happy than I'd felt in a long time. I stopped carrying a camera after that and just got into enjoying the river and the fish I was lucky enough to hook from time-to-time. Those were great times...

Steelheading, magazine writing and web site stuff kinda brought me back into the carry-a-camera headspace a little while back. I found myself sliding back into the "get a picture" mind-set on the river, and I really felt I was once again losing touch with the essence of fly fishing. But a great day with a great old friend on a great river casting to some magnificent fish reminded me of what all this is really about.
 
#9 ·
Dana -

Based on the number of times I have returned to this post just to stare at the perfection of that wild trout, I thought I owed it to you to say "WOW".

Glad you shared that magnificent image with us, although I do know what you mean about fish first, photo second.

Nice fish bro!
 
#12 ·
Dana,

I did the same thing this week in the Black Hills of South Dakota trout fishing on their small spring creeks in beautiful mountain and meadow settings and mountain lakes. Caught a few small rainbows but had some chances at 15-20 inch ones that were very educated in some of the clearest spring creek water I have seen in a long time. One look at the leader shadow and they were not interested.

Have to do more small stream trout fishing where I started in the sport 42 years ago on eastern trout fishing, lots of fun and peaceful beautiful surroundings. No drift boaters and few other anglers to contend with unlike steelhead and salmon fishing here in the great lakes and it appears every where else.

Nothing like walking into a remote mountain stream pursuing trout on the dry fly and taking in the beauty of nature.

Only fished 3 days since the remainder of the trip with two of my sons was hiking the wilderness areas (Peter Norbeck and Black Elk Wildernesses), wild life watching (buffalo, antelope, bighorn sheep, etc..) and sightseeing (Badlands, Custer State Park, Black hills, Mt Rushmore, Lead, Deadwood, Spearfish, etc..) Great area for an out door family oriented vacation. Lots we did not have time to do.

That small stream fishing was a welcome relief from the competitiveness of steelhead and salmon river fishing.

Maybe I should go back to my trout fishing roots ?

Hal
 
#14 ·
Perfection! Gorgeous fish and great picture - nice job Dana!

I've been going through a bit of a renaisance myself this past few weeks. I figure it was about eight years since I showed a dry fly to a fish before last week-end.

Rumours of large cannibal trout in the 15 - 29lb class just across the border within an hours drive of my house have got me thinking too!
 
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