2024 Fish Pic Thread

[Rasputin]

A healthy lookin' passel of fish.

[Rasputin]

It was a warm sunny day in Missoula, and I was thinking about fishing all day at work. I got off a half hour early, so decided to get a couple hours fishing in before dark. It wasn't hot fishing, but I did manage to catch two whitefish, and one trout. I also lost a trout much larger than the modest sized one I caught.





Sadly, the trailer nymph was hung up in the net when I took the pic, sorry little guy, that looks uncomfortable.





I have tomorrow free for fishing, and tonight's outing just whetted my appetite.

[Rasputin]

First of all, I want to say, that if you opened this thread today, hoping to see one of my legendary scenery posts, you are SOL, today I'm posting fish pics only, so suck it scenery lovers!

Today I returned to section of river which had produced moar bigger whitefish, only I today I fished the opposite bank of the river. I previously posted about scouting the area, when there was too much ice along the south shore to fish it; the ice was gone today, and I did well. Across the river from where I caught a noble Northern Pike Minnow, I worked upstream, fishing soft water at the edge of seam of the rapid water. I'd scoped this area hungrily from the other side of the river last Friday, and within a few casts in the tasty zone, the indicator dipped, and I hooked into a cutt-bow pig:





I moved upstream twenty feet or so, and within a few casts the bubble sunk again. It wasn't as big as the first one, but had me thanking God Almighty for such fishing fortune.





I headed up river and found a section which had been entirely under ice when I'd seen it before. There was a smooth glide on one side and a short riffle dumping into some broken water. In the middle of this slow moving broken water, I snagged and broke off the flash back pheasant tail I had hanging from my Pat's rubberlegs. I replaced it with one of the nymphs I'veseenblackdiamonds! sent me, with a pink beadhead and hot orange tail. It proved just the right thing as it produced a beauty within a few casts. Again, a bit smaller than the one before, but Alleluia!





The day was mostly gone so I made my way back down stream, I couldn't resist trying a few casts around where I'd caught two earlier, and sure enough I hooked up again, another decent trout, but this one came unpinned, ahhhhh shucks! Not to worry, I already caught a hat trick of >15" fish, and also, stepping in to cheer me up after a cast or two, was this sporty whitefish, which was just a bit smaller than the last trout I'd caught, but I was a happy man. Amen.

[Terrapin Ben]

Lunkers! Are you skiing at all this winter (can we call it that?) or just wading cold water, Rasputin?

[Rasputin]

Lunkers! Are you skiing at all this winter (can we call it that?) or just wading cold water, Rasputin?

Not skiing anymore, I just fish as often as I can. It had nothing to do with the snowpack. I do worry about the lack of snow, but mostly because that's where rivers come from.

[stapes]

FKNA!

I haven’t had the fishing itch all winter but now I do! Keep it up Rasputin!

[Rasputin]

FKNA!

I haven’t had the fishing itch all winter but now I do! Keep it up Rasputin!

Well, I'll do my best to make you itch more!

I went fishing today, and yes I fully intended to return to the place I'd caught the big trout last time out, but when I arrived at the fishing access, the sun was shining, and I thought: "Hmmm, that sun will be fully at my back if I go up there, so maybe I'll go fish my usual spots first...". I did just that, and it turned out to be a very good thought indeed. I also thought: "Hmmmm, it's bright out, and that big hurkin stonefly nymph that caught that big one has a flashback thingee which will provide a shiney for a trout to grab, I'll rig that with one of those rainbow warriors that ISBDS sent me as a trailer....." This also was a very good thought.

I tromped down to what has become my favorite fishing hole, and proceeded to work the aforementioned big hurkin stonefly nymph through the forty feet of river which has produced many fish, big and small. After ten minutes or so, the indicator shot out of sight and my corresponding hookset felt like I had hooked a log, until the line started moving in the water. I'll digress here, to extol the virtues of the big hurkin stonefly nymph: oh BHSN how lovely thou art, with thine green flashback thingee, striped olive rubberlegs and red wire wrapped peacock body, how buggy lookin' thou art, how large and sturdy is thy hook, and how beloved of big troutfish thou art! Digression over.

It took a great while to bring the beast close enough to net, and I failed to scoop him, but the hook held, and I worked the fish toward the net again, it took several tries, but eventually I landed what I believe is the biggest trout I've caught. A golden rainbow! Glorious!!!





I tried a few more casts after releasing the behemoth, but figured the fuss stirred by the big guy probably spooked the hole, so I made my way down to the confluence, which did not produce much action except for a small trout, which took ISBDS rainbow warrior.





The weather was changing, and since the sun seemed to be headed behind a sizable front, I figured I wouldn't be casting a shadow from the south shore, so I noshed on a cream cheese bagel, as I hiked the mile or more to where I caught the fat pig of a cut-bow on Wednesday.

When I got there there was blue sky above me, dark clouds to the west, and fluffy white clouds to the East. the latter had the effect of reflecting the sunlight from the West, above the storm front, and onto the water, obscuring view of my indicator almost entirely. I yelled at the fluffy white clouds to stop it, but they continued being fluffy and white, and reflecting too much light.





However, during a moment when I could see the indicator, a whitefish very gently started swimming away with my big hurkin stone fly nymph!





The front was coming over head, the water looked darker, and I could see my bubble when it got sucked under abruptly, and I was whooping it up as I landed a thick 16" rainbow:








Yes, in fact, a bit later another sharp strike indicated that the big hurkin stonefly nymph had added another notch to its hook, and brought in a 16" cut-bow, fatter than the previous rainbow:





I then headed up stream to the other spot which had produced on Wednesday. While I was checking the time, I was using my time tested fish attracting technique, namely, letting the line drag in the water while not paying attention, wham! Honestly he hooked himself even before I came in late with a hookset that Jimmy Houston would have been proud of. I was winching the big plump troutfish in, against the current (one of the most outstanding aspects of the line dragging technique, is it guarantees the fish will be directly downstream in the strongest current), and had him about ten feet out when the knot, which had landed three large fish already, failed, and gone was my beloved big hurkin stonefly nymph, along with said big plump troutfish, and the soft hackled flashback nymph which had only just taken the place of ISBDS's rainbow warrior.


I re-rigged with a Pat's, and one of the pink pearl bead head nymphs from ISBDS, and started back toward the truck, stopping by at the big trout catching spot, and catching a trout similar to the small one above, but which had the distinction of being able to squirm loose without a picture.

Another front was coming in, and snow started falling heavily as I walked back to the truck. With a glow of amazement in my heart, I reflected that I had caught my biggest trout, and two other big fat trout (honorable mention to the supporting cast of three small fish). It really doesn't get a lot better than that. Except, when the pretty girl recognized me and stopped to talk as the snow fell softly down, it was nice, though she was GF to a buddy from the mountain, exchanging pleasantries can be pleasant.

So long until next time!

[Rasputin]

I got off work an hour and a half early, so naturally I went fishing, and got a couple hours in before dark chased me off the river. I had a take at the usual honey hole, but didn't manage to get a hook set, but was taunted by a large flash after pulling the nymph away from it. I went down to the confluence and got no bites on a couple different rigs, but found success once I put on a red BH SJ worm, trailed by a Northshore stonefly nymph. In the soft water next to the main flow of the confluence, I hooked this healthy cuttbowfish on the worm.





With about a half hour of light left, I hiked up from the confluence, thinking it would be worth trying the honey hole again for a few casts. This was very good thinking, as after a few casts, the bubble suddenly fled from sight, and a solid set led to a sporty fight, ending in a net heavy with meat. Another victim of the Northshore stonefly nymph!







This past week has delivered biggly. W00t!

[Rasputin]

Another beautiful day in Missoula inspired me to run down to the river, after work, for a couple hours. I managed to catch a couple fish down at the confluence, the second of which was small, and too slippery to get a picture of, but the first one was decent.





Now that the days are getting longer, I expect I'll be doing quite a bit more after work fishing. Tomorrow is a fishing dedicated day, so hopefully I'll have another yarn to spin, adios.

[Rasputin]

I went fishing this afternoon, I hiked up to the big troutfish catching place, and caught a whitefish which was not a big.





After a while of not catching anything else, I hiked up to the other place I've caught a big trout, and there caught a whitefish also.





Not a great day out, but I caught fish and was not indoors, so that's good. I did not catch large trouts, I didn't like that part.

[Rasputin]

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Anyone know a good source for polarized, low light, prescription, bifocal sunglasses?

[Rasputin]

I don't know how good they are, but Smith has prescription lenses, including bifocals.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I don't know how good they are, but Smith has prescription lenses, including bifocals.

They don't do the low light tint with a prescription or with bifocals.

[TBS]

At Mt Bachelor on Friday.
I thought I had the only “I suck” sticker in the county.
Anybody want to claim?