Two Thursdays ago, I went down to Firehole and was dismayed to find most of the water was iced over. Luckily there was still open water to the shoreline right where I like to fish. The usual half ounce gold colored spoon soon started to attract some fish, eight in all, with 6 being pan sized rainbows. The other two were really great fish.
I have been hunting for a cutthroat trout for the past couple of months, with no luck. Plenty of cutbows, but no purebred cutty to be found. But last Thursday, right in the middle of my session, I got a solid bite and could tell the fish was a little bigger than the usual suspects. As the fish came closer to the shore, my heart started to beat a little faster as I could see the coloring quite well. It was a big thrill for me to land the 3 and a half pound fish. What a beauty! Of course, I let the fish go...to get bigger and fight again.
Then as I was getting ready to wrap up the evening, I was working the spoon back in...when it just seemed to stop. I thought that maybe I had snagged the bottom, but when I pulled on it, it moved ever so slightly. I kept reeling and whatever was on the other end kept dragging in like a bucket of mud. When it got about ten-fifteen feet from the shoreline, the bucket magically transformed into a lake trout that didn't want to come in. Right there is where the fight began and plenty of drag was pulled. I played the fish for a few minutes before she was tuckered out enough to come to shoreline. She weighed four pounds and had two tags in her back. We have have to remove all lake trout that we catch that are under 28 inches. This is because they are voracious feeders and are decimating the kokanee population in Flaming Gorge. So, on the stringer she went.
Looking out across the frozen water to the west, I had a feeling that there was not too many days left to fish here, so I made a point to hit the water on the following Friday as well. Action stared out slow, and the ice had encroached another 50 feet up the shoreline. I knew that this was the last day that I was going to be able fish this spot. The usual half dozen 'bows came to supper, and then just like the evening before, another lake trout crashed the party. This one was a little smaller, but exhibited the same strange reaction to being hooked. Passive resistance, followed by the fight of her life at the shoreline. She was a half pound smaller than Thursday's catch, and met the same fate of being cleaned and carted off to a friend's kitchen.
I hear tell that Fontenelle reservoir has not iced up yet and the next two days should reach high temps in the 40s, so I might go up there and with any luck, I will have another report to share.
