The Epical 2025 Fishing Yarns and Photo Thread

**swimmy** · 03-08-2025, 07:21 PM

**BobMc** · 03-08-2025, 10:00 PM

That is nice, strong work.

**The Reverend Floater** · 03-10-2025, 09:55 AM

Kicking off 25 with some poon!

See, you have to start small to knock the dust off.

Get a little bigger....

Then BAM! Mega POON!

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**plugboots** · 03-10-2025, 10:15 AM

Nice.

**Phall** · 03-10-2025, 12:05 PM

so cool.

**Rasputin** · 03-11-2025, 09:00 PM

**shroom** · 03-11-2025, 09:20 PM

**shroom** · 03-11-2025, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by shroom

no dice

**Rasputin** · 03-12-2025, 01:42 AM

Had my above post worked, you all would have been treated to a pic of some plump, shiny, rainbow troutfish which I pulled from the waters of a local river. I had a rather lucky day fish catching, including a very speckled one nigh unto 18". Ten fish in less than four hours, three of which were whitefish. The water has warmed (39 to 41 degrees!), and I returned to spots which were un-fishable much of the winter due to wide ice shelves.

Edit to include pics of the aforementioned fishes:

image ru

photo sharing

**kokomas** · 03-12-2025, 05:05 AM

Nice session on a local creek

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**Rasputin** · 03-12-2025, 11:40 AM

Nice fish Kokomas!

**Rasputin** · 03-13-2025, 01:44 PM

Yesterday, I spent a pleasant day on the river with the exception that I lost five good sized fish I hooked, four came off the hook, and one broke my 4x tippets dramatically while jumping and throwing his head. Eventually, as my frustration over this reached crescendo, I managed to land a heavy rainbow just south of 17 inches, then another, a thick 15 incher, which made my day.

**Rasputin** · 03-14-2025, 03:32 PM

I got to the river around a quarter after 5pm yesterday, and there were a group of three fisherman milling around the back of a small SUV in immaculately clean waders. I got out and said "Well you guys look like a whole expedition, except for a boat!" They were friendly, and one of the youngers asked me if I was going fishing (I was also in waders). Yes I said, now's the time of day when the water is the warmest, and I saw some big ones rising last night on the main channel, maybe taking early skwallas....."

I went on to fish with some frustration for a while not getting any bites, until I was saved by a modest sized whitefish. I was on a piece of water which had been hammered mercilessly since the beginning of warm weather. I was not inspired by the results and moved away downstream where the river was wider and became deeper. My first pitch of my "Montana happy meal" (as it was called in a video made by the owner of a local flyshop, a Pat's trailing a worm) was met with a rapidly sunk bubble, and I hooked into something heavy, something strong, something that did not want to come to the surface, and worried me that I might get broken off. I gave up a little line before tiring out the burly swimmer and bringing him closer, it was a twenty incher, a largescale sucker! Not quite what I had in mind, but it was fun.

Later I hooked another one that fought powerfully, but turned out to be a ten inch rainbow with an attitude. Not quite so satisfying as the results of the previous couple outings, but hey, I caught fish, and it sure beat sitting at home for that couple hours.

**Rasputin** · 03-16-2025, 09:59 PM

Today, after sitting in the house watching UFC fights, I finally decided to venture out into the rainy afternoon and wet a line in a local watercourse. I went back to the nice fish catching spots I did well at last week, and after a slow start and many tangles leading to temper tantrums, I finally landed I nice rainbow which surprisingly took the black Pat's rubber legs, instead of the red worms which have been producing most of my fish for a while, and which I have been liberally depositing on submerged branches in the areas rivers. Then I caught another, smaller, trout fish which again took the Pat's. I found this exciting that they are now taking a black stone pattern, but the rest of the day only the red worms produced eats.

Moving up stream a cast or two, I hooked into a ridiculous hog of a whitefish which took some time to get in, as he was a full 18 inches and all full of muscles.

I then took a stroll a half mile or so up to the big bend in the river to the early springtime big fish spot, which seemed like it was not going to give up the goods until, after much patient and impatient casting, I finally got a take and battled and netted a seventeen incher, and my day was made. However I didn't stop there, as a few casts later I hooked an even bigger troutfish, just short of 18 inches, and I thanked the Lord God of flyfishing and all the cosmos, for I had caught three really nice trouts and a lunker of whitefish in spite of not getting out on the river until after 3pm. Thank goodness, I really needed a win today.

**I've seen black diamonds!** · 03-18-2025, 02:46 PM

Tried something new:

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**Rasputin** · 03-18-2025, 08:22 PM

Holy crap, nice one! ^^^^

I went out yestereve, and caught a couple trout, a small cutthroat and a healthy rainbow, and also caught another 18 inch whitefish. While I was landing the rainbow, I looked down and saw my first skwalla of the year parked on my leg, so soon fish will be looking up for them bugs.

Today I fished, and repeatedly tangled my rig, ranting and cursing, through a furious grauple squall, which then turned into heavy wind driven flakes almost a half inch in an hour. After it passed, it became a beautifully sunny, but windy, afternoon. The fishing was slow, but eventually, once I made it to the area which has been yielding big fish, I was treated to a couple of them, including a hard pulling 18 incher.

**plugboots** · 03-18-2025, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds!

Tried something new:

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They’re perfect for learning saltwater. Juuuuust hard enough.

**teleee** · 03-19-2025, 06:42 AM

Yep - they are the gateway drug to the salt addiction.

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**I've seen black diamonds!** · 03-19-2025, 02:44 PM

Hooked up with and landed a black drum today after several failed attempts. Made one of the better casts of my life at a sheepshead and had a solid eat from but didn't have a solid hook set. Man, this was fun. Started seeing the fish much better on day two, but still struggled to identify which way they were facing if they weren't moving. I definitely cast at a few fish butts.

For trout fishermen thinking of taking a redfish trip: what I was least prepared for was the shortest casts. I practiced casting with fly in hand quite a bit before my trip but not enough. I should have practiced more short casts to all angles, starting with fly in hand with a chair in front of me to simulate a trolling motor and a step ladder behind me to simulate the guide.

I only trout set once but it cost me what would have been the biggest fish of the trip.

I wish I had a couple more days to keep learning/getting better.

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**The Reverend Floater** · 03-19-2025, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds!

Hooked up with and landed a black drum today after several failed attempts. Made one of the better casts of my life at a sheepshead and had a solid eat from but didn't have a solid hook set. Man, this was fun. Started seeing the fish much better on day two, but still struggled to identify which way they were facing if they weren't moving. I definitely cast at a few fish butts.

For trout fishermen thinking of taking a redfish trip: what I was least prepared for was the shortest casts. I practiced casting with fly in hand quite a bit before my trip but not enough. I should have practiced more short casts to all angles, starting with fly in hand with a chair in front of me to simulate a trolling motor and a step ladder behind me to simulate the guide.

I only trout set once but it cost me what would have been the biggest fish of the trip.

I wish I had a couple more days to keep learning/getting better.

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This is the truth. Peeps (myself included) get so focused on double hauling, sending long casts, etc that you get worked on the short finess stuff. Much easier for me to send one 60' into a headwind between a couple of mangroves than a 10' quick draw with a 5mph side breeze. It's the short stuff.

Today's haul.

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**jpcm** · 03-21-2025, 12:02 PM

Awesome to see all the salt stoke! And pictures working again. Mrs and I got our first taste of it as well this winter as well And I’m absolutely hooked.

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**jpcm** · 03-21-2025, 12:14 PM

The Permit game has me absolutely mind fucked. I had many really good shots. Only to fuck it up in soo many different ways. Even got a couple eats and fucked those up! . Mainly nerves leading to poor casting, tailing loops, slack in line, bad swimming of crab, blown hook sets. Then when you do make the perfectly executed cast, presentation, and swim, the fish wants nothing to do with your fly.

It’s really a crazy game. You just have to be perfect with every piece of the execution. Soo much fun. And really pushing me to improve before my next trip.

Also just exposed how I’m not very good at this sport. Basically playing little league trout fishing all these years. I spent one day fishing with a buddy who is an exceptional angler. Watched him throw two cast and catch two Perms. He then had to spend the rest of the day watching me blow opportunity after opportunity!! They are such cool fish!

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**The Reverend Floater** · 03-23-2025, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by jpcm

The Permit game has me absolutely mind fucked. I had many really good shots. Only to fuck it up in soo many different ways. Even got a couple eats and fucked those up! . Mainly nerves leading to poor casting, tailing loops, slack in line, bad swimming of crab, blown hook sets. Then when you do make the perfectly executed cast, presentation, and swim, the fish wants nothing to do with your fly.

It’s really a crazy game. You just have to be perfect with every piece of the execution. Soo much fun. And really pushing me to improve before my next trip.

Also just exposed how I’m not very good at this sport. Basically playing little league trout fishing all these years. I spent one day fishing with a buddy who is an exceptional angler. Watched him throw two cast and catch two Perms. He then had to spend the rest of the day watching me blow opportunity after opportunity!! They are such cool fish!

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So well said. Welcome to the addiction...crack rock ain't got nothing on permit.

I am fortunate in that we do a family vacation in tarpon heaven. But at the risk of sounding spoiled, I'd trade five days chasing tarpon for an hour of permit flats.

That said, I had more fun today than I have had in months.

Took the girls (5 & 9) out on a friend's ponga and they straight murdered sea trout, Jack's, cuda, snapper and even a snook. I told them we could leave at any time but we stayed an hour longer until their fighting over the rod became too much. Mission accomplished and civiche enjoyed!

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**Rasputin** · 03-23-2025, 07:54 PM

I caught a fat 19 inch rainbow today, after first reaching many states of hysterical ranting, good times.

**Phall** · 03-23-2025, 07:55 PM

Been a minute since I fished a certain tailwater here with some really shitty access issues going on. Went to an old reliable and had issues keeping the bigger fish on the hook. Had a few take a wdfifty I tied up which were the first ears of fly I tied besides a worm. Bwo’s started popping at one ish and caught a few on dries before realizing I had been fishing for five hours and didn’t have my water bottle.
Photo uploaded fail,sorry!