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.
luckymagicstick (Andy) was the first to draw blood. A Cutthroat. Things were starting great.
Whata Hog! LoL
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.
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.
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.
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
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
How we saved a Cutthroat Trout(Pic Heavy)
Gr8 story n pics.
Hybrid Mode
