As winter progresses and the water up here freezes over, ice creeping further south every day, I have been having to go fishing further south also. la winter I caught a 6 pound lake trout, then a 29 inch 9(and some change) laker, then a 33 inch 12.95 one in the spring. I was looking forward to my next personal best....which arrived last Sunday. Fishing the shoreline near Anvil Draw, along with a fishing buddy, we were both working a wind blown point. I had caught one rainbow trout that weighed maybe three pounds, and was throwing the usual half ounce spoon on 6 lb line. I felt the strike and realized that it would not be a small fish. I did not think it would be too big though, because there were no long searing runs that peeled line off the spool. But when I caught a glimpse of the fish, I knew that it might rival the last big'un hat I hauled in. I called out to my friend, who immediately reeled in her line and moseyed up the shoreline, phone camera in hand. It took a little over 5 minutes to bring the fish to the bank, where I prepared to lip it with a pair of plastic fish pliers The fish tried to make one last desperate lunge towards deeper water, yanking the pliers out of my hand and and at the same time, snapping my line. He was now pointed towards open water with both the pliers and the lure attached to his mouth. I quickly grabbed the pliers and turned him around
My friend was taking pictures and video the whole time, so I held the fish up, and shoved it head first into the camera, then held it lengthwise for a shot, then laid it down next my rod to get a measurement, as I did not have a tape measure and scale with me. Satisfied that we had enough documentation, I let the estimated 17.75 pound fish go and watched him slowly disappear into the lake. He measured out at 35.5 inches on my fishing rod.
We fished a while longer. I caught a small cutthroat and my friend bagged 6 pan sized rainbows before it was time to go home. When we got back in the truck, I said "let's see those pictures of that fish". My friend said "I took mostly a video", to which I answered "Well then, let's see that video".
Her "I'm trying to find it."
Me "What do you mean?"
Her "I can't seem to find the video on my phone."
Me "Well then, there is no video."
And there wasn't any. Disappointed, I put the truck in gear and we started our snow covered exit from the point. There were a few photos though, so here they are. My personal best trout (of any kind)so far.
And then it's onward and upward to my next personal best. The lakers top out at over 50 pounds up here in Flaming Gorge.
Never butt heads with buttheads.
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