Fishies and Freshies

This was the day I had been waiting for. Today we were to hunt bullies. The trip was already off to a great start, but I could hardly contain my stoke-level to chase these fish. The drive was a long combination of pavement and dirt. The drive was followed by hiking through trees, across water, and over rocks. The surroundings were much of what I had imagined, and definitely more. This place was truly awe-inspiring. The deep, clear waters flowed over rocks and boulders of all colors.

The first bully was spotted cruising in some deep slack water. It was so crazy to finally see one - especially under such beautiful circumstances. A fish close to thirty inches lazily cruising calm, crystal clear water in search of food.













Another hundred yards or so upstream was the hole where we would begin to tempt these beasts. The "hole" was one unlike one I'd ever fished before. The river was roughly 40ft wide, about 30ft deep, and surrounded by rock. The water was passed through a narrower, steeper channel and dumped into a wider, deeper pool. We chucked our meat from atop the small cliffs above the pool. My first fish came seconds after a cast to some calmer water on the far side of the main current.

The take was ridiculous. My streamer slapped the surface and almost immediately the fish appeared from below and destroyed the fly. The fish wasn't the most impressive of specimens, but it was a monumental fish, nonetheless.



Another highlight was seeing a large bull trout with an 8 inch whitefish in his mouth being chased by another large bull trout. It was incredible to see just how gnarly these fish were. Later in the day I once again faced the first fish we spotted that day. In my eagerness I had pulled my fly from its mouth earlier in the day and I now had another chance. Derek had a fish on and this fish had come back out to investigate. From an elevated position, I tossed my oversized streamer out and stripped it passed him. I'll never forget how awesome it was to see his huge jaws and the white of his mouth envelope my fly. It was a great way to end yet another awesome day chasing trout.