How we saved a Cutthroat Trout(Pic Heavy)

[Timo]

It started like most other fishing trips, with a phone call. “Wanna go fishing Thursday?”
Yes I did, and we headed out Thursday morning to assault the rivers of our Eastern slopes. Our prey … Cutthroat’s… our gear... fly rods and one spinning rig armed with rapalas for the ravenous Bull trout.



The gods were good and blessed us with a beauty of a day. And we were in a fantastic spot.
http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5056/936163292_p2b8s-M.jpg



luckymagicstick (Andy) was the first to draw blood. A Cutthroat. Things were starting great.
http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5058/936164866_y8UX3-Ti.jpg

Whata Hog! LoL

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5061/936165435_q39uP-M.jpg

I had one on and lost it… honest, common doesn’t fishermen’s honour mean anything anymore?

Next up is luckymagicstick (Brett) catching this fine specimen of a Cutthroat on a rapala. He has fished this hole before and he predicted he would pull one out of there just like last year. He just did not figure to catch it on the rapala he was hunting for Bull trout.

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5079/936170981_6SpAw-M.jpg

As the day progressed we forded the river many times fishing pool after pool. Climbing and descending steep pitches to get to the next honey hole.
http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5069/936167797_EgjBM-M.jpg


http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5074/936169648_C59iw-M.jpg

Nice casting Andy!

Andy and Brett continued with success with more Cutties.


I had another one on and lost it… honest!

Well mid day was fast approaching and I still had not caught a fish. But remember I had lost a few… honestly I am telling the truth here.
My nephew Brett started in on the abuse as I cast into another pristine pool. “Hey Uncle Timo, it’s starting to look like you are going to have to get your picture taken with that rotting dead Whitefish we found a few pools back.”

Visions of picking that foul piece of fish for a picture ran through my mind not only would it stink to high heaven but so would the abuse I would have to suffer on the drive home if indeed I was skunked. Ya I would laugh about it in the future but it was not something on my bucket list.

No sooner than when that thought and Brett’s laughter passed I found my self hooked onto a fish. A fiesty fighting Cutthroat that my Orvis 4 piece Rocky Mountain with a 4 weight line and a 4X tippet was made for. Fishing Rocky Mountain streams.



Well this cut made a nice couple of runs up and down the pool and I was determined not to let this one get off like the other two before…honest.

So keeping my rod high I felt I had bested the wee beasty but he decided to take another run down the pool. I did not feel he was a great sized fish and I let my fishing mates know. Meanwhile Brett took the camera from around my neck.

No sooner than the words left my mouth came the exclamation Oh! My god he’s a monster! I don’t know who said it but I agreed and yelled at Brett to take pictures lest this awesome catch go unlanded like so many others… honest.


Getting him closer to shore Andy says it’s a big Bull! No it’s a big bull with your Cutthroat in its mouth!


Andy grabs him buy the tail and belly and all this time we figure once he touches this fish it will spit out the Cutthroat and be gone.

I will let the pictures do the talking.

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5094/936176618_kRsNC-XL.jpg

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5095/936176850_kq6dM-M.jpg



http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5103/936179143_qW9hw-M.jpg

In the end both fish were separated and released alive. Due to the stress both fish endured we did not take to much time posing for pictures. So that’s how we saved a Cutthroat. I caught my first Bull trout and my biggest fish on my fly rod. And I did not have to pose with that smelly whitefish


http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5106/936180005_YH6e2-M.jpg



I bet that is the first time most of you have ever seen the rare Eastern Slopes Gutthroat trout.

I have more pictures but I forgot about the 10 image limit

Cheers I hope you enjoyed the pictures and story

Timo

[doublehaul]

that's awesome man. great photos!

[dave99]

Hahahaha! Great story Timo, your humor brightened up my evening!

Dave99

[DaveFish]

Haha, that's so sweet. Congrats and thanks for sharing!

[Ken07AOVette]

Very cool story and pictures. THAT included with a great day with buddies makes a summer trip worth it.

[lucky_magic_stick]

Hey Timo,

AWESOME story! Also what an awesome day! The pictures don't do justice to what a fantastic bull you had caught there. Both us Lucky_magic_stick's (Andy and Brett) have agreed it was around 28-30 inches in length and roughly 5-6 pounds (with cutthroat 6-7 pounds :P ). Great day, shall return to the Eastern Slopes. Everyone's happy, Andy won first fish, you won biggest fish, Brett won most fish! Surprisingly enough, I (Brett) was trying extremely hard to catch my first Bull Trout, throwing rapalas in all day, mixed in with some flies. My methods of catching the bull trouts were a little bit off, maybe buy some 8 inch rapalas, bigger the bait bigger the fish! Well or I could get lucky and use a live cuttthroat as a bait instead :P . I caught 2 of my 3 cutties with rapalas, each were over 14 inches. Unreal day! Great double header Timo, well I guess single head and double tail eh?

It will have to happen again soon, maybe further south. Thanks for such a great day. :sHa_shakeshout:
Very appreciated for you to join us.
Brett and Andy

Ps. (keep adding pictures!!)

[wannafish]

thats a beauty! where about was that and how did you get out there? im headin out that way soon. any directions/good spots would be greatly appreciated

[ericlin0122]

epic picture!

[Fishfinder]

Tooooo cool:cool: Gr8 story n pics.
Looks like a beautiful area:)

[jacenbeers]

That is really cool. I especially like the picture when you are holding it and the tail is hanging out of the mouth.

[ceedub]

Now that's a fish story! Thanks for sharing.

Craig

[Timo]

Hey thanks for the kind replies.

Here are a few more pictures.

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5057/936163519_w3NHJ-M.jpg

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5062/936165695_cZUM5-M.jpg

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5068/936167357_K4KVx-M.jpg

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5075/936169983_2aF9q-M.jpg


Come on now spit it out!
http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5097/936177366_BNvi2-M.jpg


http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5109/936181060_RbKgz-M.jpg


Access to the next pool was sometimes steep

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5115/936183655_yf3Sp-M.jpg

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5119/936185376_kkt3o-M.jpg

All in all it was a great trip and we will share in these memories forever.

http://shakey.smugmug.com/Other/Fishing-2010/IMG5055/936162419_WTvjs-M.jpg

Thanks

[5Weight]

Gutthroat trout... Ha! That's awesome. Thanks for the story and all the pictures. Great post!

I've had pike do that to walleye and perch in northern Sask, but I haven't fished enough in the streams to see a bull do that first hand. Reading your post and seeing the pictures, I felt like I was there. Beauty!

5W

[FishingFrenzy]

Nice shorts! ;D
Anyway NICE bull and great story!

[smitty9]

Enjoyed the story and the pics. Good show.

Hope your buddy replaced the trebles on the rapala with a single hook. Holds fish just as well, much less face scarring.

;)

Smitty

[Rockymtnx]

Great pics and story.
Thanks for sharing.

[flynick]

same thing happened to me last year.... thought i had a monster got it in 5' away from me and the bull spit out the white fish and swam away

[brandonchudyk10]

great stufff!!!

[rapalaman]

hey thanks for that i had my first flyfishing trip to the eastern hills last year it was great i too caught my first cutty and bull and rockey white in the same day!! the bull was small but there appitite is furious!!

i would like to know where about you were i dont need exact location if you dont want to tell i will understand that honey holes are few and far between now a days.

[209x50]

Very cool!

[the local angler]

wow very cool man talk about landing a fish with a fly and at the same time landing another fish without a hook.awsome pics and experience man.

[jts1]

Great job guys. I am kicking myself for not going along with you guys now. But maybe I will hook into a 8 inch monster at Chester tomorrow....:sign0176:

[goober]

Sweet pics!!

[nevercatchmuch]

you should submit your story and pics to an outdoor magazine.
thanks for sharing!

[WayneChristie]

Hope your buddy replaced the trebles on the rapala with a single hook. Holds fish just as well, much less face scarring.


Smitty
:rolleye2::rolleye2::rolleye2:
great story and pictures, thanks for sharing.

[greylynx]

That happened to me at Top of World provincial park in B.C.

No one ever believed me.

God Bless you for posting the pictures.

One suggestion from your pictures. Walk with your rod away from you when you are climbing over those ridges. It won't get broke that often.

[DarkAisling]

Awesome . . . great photos and a story to match :)

[RedHeadedFisherman]

you should submit your story and pics to an outdoor magazine.
thanks for sharing!

X2 ever consider writing a book lol you can really tell a good story!!!!:test::sign0005:

[lucky_magic_stick]

there you go fishing enjoy Cheers Andy

[thumper]

You're a brave man - wearing those Daisy-Duke shorts in the backwoods of Alberta!
Thanks for taking the time to put together the story & photos - great job!

[58thecat]

Jeepers even in the woods you should limit exposure time of your trouser trout!

Beautiful country you fish in, gut throats are a very hard species to catch, :)