Today was a great day out here at Tagish.
In the AM I had a hired gig as a sightseeing guide for a guest of my closest neighbour - the hospitality lodge that's about 5 km away. I spent the morning touring around a glass-like lake, and had a chance to take the client on a nice hike to see some stunning waterfalls. She wasn't overly confident about her physical ability, but a gentle nudge or two and she was beaming when we got to Racine Falls. Tucked away just on the BC side of the border, they're not a sight that many get to see. The fact that I got paid to do this trip is above and beyond. That morning will put fuel in the boat for the better part of a month.
In the PM I went out to grab a couple trout. I have a charter gig lined up for tomorrow, and after eating and gifting the last trout I wanted to have a couple 'contingency' fish in the fridge for a shore lunch. Just in case.
2 fish in the first 10 minutes after heading out at 8 pm, and 3 in total within 45 minutes. They were on.
The second fish was a beauty. No personal best, but measured out at 28" to 29" which puts it in the must release slot (27 inches to 40 inches get tossed back for breeding purposes). I figure a healthy 12 to 15 lbs. She pulled line and went on a few nice runs, and over a 7 or 8 minute fight she had my arm a bit fatigued. Lots of fun and she put a huge smile on my face. Never took her out of the net. Barbless hooks just fall out, and a quick check against the adhesive yard stick on the gunwale has her back in the lake without ever having being handled.
She filled my net - which isn't small - curving all around its hoop and at the same time filling it top to bottom. That's a Northern King mag in her mouth (watermelon).