|
Kevin
|
 |
« on: October 21, 2011, 08:15:20 AM » |
|
A GRAND SLAM AND A TROPHY
BY JOHN BERRY
This past weekend Lori’s sister, Terri, and her husband, Larry Allen, visited us. Terri is a nurse, Larry is a retired policeman and both are avid fly fishers. They have not visited us as often as usual this year because of the high water. Although I am always willing to take them out in the boat, they very much prefer to wade. This week’s lower flows drew them in and I was glad to see them.
The predicted generation for the Norfork River on Saturday looked good. The water was to be turned off at midnight and not turned on until ten AM except for a brief surge of a partial generator around six AM. They got up very early so that they could be on the water before sunrise in order to maximize their time on the water. I was up early writing in my sunroom and watched as they walked from my guesthouse to their car. Larry stopped by and borrowed a few flies for the trip. They were gone in a flash.
It was still dark when they arrived at the access. Larry quickly donned his waders and sped to the river to claim his favorite spot. The recent fishing report had been very good for this section of the river and he was eager to get started. Terri was not far behind. He began catching fish immediately. There were some nice rainbows, some gorgeous browns in the eighteen inch range and a beautiful fourteen inch cutthroat. All he needed was to catch a brook to have his grand slam (a rainbow, brown, cutthroat and a brook in one day). Terri was also doing well catching trout after trout.
The fishing slowed and Larry responded by trying different flies. Since the water was gin clear, he went to a smaller tippet. He ended up with a size eighteen red copper John and a 6X fluorocarbon tippet. He caught three rainbows on three successive casts and a few minutes later another rainbow. The next fish was a big one. The heavy fish hugged the bottom and felt like a log that was moving. Larry put as much pressure on it as he dared with 6X tippet. His Helios five weight was bent nearly double. Terri moved over to observe the fight. Larry realized that he had left his net in the car. A nearby angler rushed over with his net and waded out to land the fish. The trout was strong and the struggled lasted for what seemed an eternity but was in reality just a few minutes.
As the trout rose to the surface, Larry realized that it was a brook trout. Not just a brook but a huge one. They carefully netted it and Larry posed for a photo. The fish was nineteen and a half inches long and had a girth of twelve and a half inches. It was a hook jawed male in full spawning color. Everyone noted that it was the biggest fattest brook trout that any of them had ever seen. With this fish not only had Larry caught the grand slam but he had landed a trophy brook. They just don’t get much bigger than this.
Larry was elated and returned the trout to the stream to release it. He took some extra time to try and fully revive it. Unfortunately the brook did not respond. Larry kept trying to revive the trout and other anglers tried also. I got a stressed phone call at home and I discussed the situation with Terri. By this time it was apparent that the fish would not respond and would not live. Elation turned to disappointment. Larry wanted to release the fish but it died in his hands.
Even with Catch and Release there is a certain amount of mortality that cannot be avoided. It reminded me of the World record brown trout that rip Collins caught on the Little Red River about twenty years ago. He tried to keep that fish alive but was not able to do so.
The water came up and it was time to leave. Larry reluctantly took the fish with him. When he arrived I walked out to observe it and was taken aback at four pounds and two ounces it was fourteen ounces shy of the state record five pounder caught nine years ago on the Norfork River.
Larry decided to have it mounted. I did a bit of research and found a local taxidermist, John Creager, with a good reputation. Larry caught him on his cell phone on his way to fish. When he heard what Larry had caught he turned around and returned to his shop. When he saw the trout, he too was amazed. By now Larry was realizing the fact that he had landed an exceptional catch, a once in a life time fish. He left the trout at the taxidermist and looks forward to getting it back.
Larry had begun the day of fishing like so many others. He had managed to get his first grand slam and the biggest trout that he had ever caught. Amid all this success there was sadness. He wanted to release this fish but was unable to do so. Sometimes things just work out that way.
|
