I came acrossed this Blog post yesterday and loved it. I could not have said it better myself. It was written by Bubba who guides for Rooster over in Twin Bridges at the Stonefly. I am now inspired to keep on writing my book after serious writers block or summer or something?
So from time to time when a fella catches a decent trout and it has been a slow day I will allow the client to hold the fish for the picture. Now this can be risky, in the event the unsuspecting trout ends up under neath the floor in the boat. Before I describe any further the gong show that took place with a beautiful specimen, I must clear something up right away. It does not work to the anglers advantage to grasp a majestic wild trout as if they were attempting to get the last drop out of their tube of toothpaste! Two reasons, the fish will wiggle twice as much, wouldn’t you?? and fish, if you were not aware do not have an exoskeleton and cannot withstand 100 lbs. of pressure directly to the pumping station.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, it is time to pick on a recent client. A client that supposedly had caught fish on every continent and in every country and most certainly did not need me to throw any pointers his way in the angling department. However, since I have put up with poor angling and what he considered poor fishing, it is my turn! First, his hook set resembled a ribbon routine from the 3rd grade class, his mend was actually the primary influence for character Zorro and his trademark Z. As unbelievable as it may sound this particular angler actually caught fish, one worth taking a picture of. Seeing as we had not been filling the boat with them all day I decided to let him hold the fish and take a sweet “dude” grip and grin. Needless to say Mr. World Wide Fly Fisher had apparently, similarly to his angling abilities, not perfected the art of gracefully holding a fish for a lovely memory. If memory serves me right, this fish bounced off of every surface within sight; the side of the boat, the bottom of the boat, top of the cooler, oar, all the while being batted around like a junior juggler for the Ringling Bros. This poor fish finally found the water and swam over to my feet, as if to beg for mercy. After reviving the fish, he sat in the shallows for awhile straightening out his life and recounting the events that had transpired. Needless to say that trout will think twice before inhaling a hot pink worm. So remember if your guide allows you hold the fish, be nice to it!
***It must be noted that no fish were harmed, just maybe bruised and a little sore today.
Fishing has been solid as of late. Bookings look better than ever this year. We will be going strong through September. Hard to believe it's almost August (Hopper time). We will do our best to keep this Blog updated with all things relevant to fly fishing with CK Outfitters. Maybe we'll even post a photo of a fish if we are having a slow day and trust in the hands of the angler.
It's hard to believe that August is almost over. September is our biggest month and always has been. Kids are back in school, the weather here in Southwestern Montana is near perfect and the crowds are next to none.
