Bull Trout Trip III

It's about time! I've fished the Metolius 3 times but until today I had not landed a bull trout. past posts on my blog show that by this time of year I have caught well over 10 or 12 big fish but this year has been slow. This fish certainly gave me a run for my money. At first I was sure I was hung up on a rock, as that seemed to be the general outcome of every indicator dunk on the day so far. Even though rock hook-ups are extremely common out there, I always hang on to it for just a second or two longer to make sure there really isn't anything swimming on the other end. Well this rock started rolling up-stream ever so slowly, almost to the point that I thought the moving river was playing tricks on my eyes. Then came the bump - a head shake. Game on!!!! This dandy of a bull trout just seemed to do whatever I wanted it to and withing a minute I had him all the way in. As I began to work him over toward the bank to get the net, he must have noticed the water getting more shallow and suddenly came to life. Line started peeling off the reel as he headed for the stump snag. ALL the big bull trout know the stump snag and9 times out of 10 they head straight for it the minute they realize they are hooked. He managed to get himself down in the old roots of the submersed stump but not so much that I wasn't able to horse him on out. As soon as he was clear, he bolted for the bank. He hunkered way up in a cut bank and sat there for a minute until I began to work him again. I couldn't see him in there but he started moving up stream under the cut bank. My line kept catching on branches from bushes and I started to worry about how this could play out. All of a sudden Mr. Fish started thrashing at the bank. It was then that I noticed that, despite my best efforts, my leader had wrapped up on a branch and was holding the line tight. I was just about to drop my rod in the shallow water and run for the net, thinking that hook was going to pull free (always barbless on the Metolius) or the 6 lb line was going to break. Thank goodness for fluorocarbon! Just as I was about to go for the net, the fish attempted to shoot back out into the river current, breaking the twig that we were hung up on. Shortly thereafter I was able to get the basket of my extended-handled rubber net under his belly. He measured out at a long 28.75 inches and weighed in at about 8 lbs (maybe a little less - but not much!). It was a beautiful morning out there. It was all foggy and quiet, and I never even saw another person until I was driving home. I've included a short video clip of the fish and another picture. Enjoy, and Tight Lines!