Has This Happened To You?

[Grizzly Wulff]

For the past three days I've been driving up to Rocky Mountain National Park in the afternoon to catch a fabulous PMD hatch. Yesterday I spotted a nice brown working over a moss bed across the stream from me. I got him to look at my fly a couple of times, but each time he turned away at the last second. I let him rest for awhile, changed PMD patterns and he took the fly on the first pass; nice 12 inch brown in skinny water.
Today I was back and the same fish was in the same spot. Same thing; refused the first offering, which was the fly he took the day before. Rested him, changed to a no hackle PMD, and bang, got him on the first pass.
So, the question is how often do you manage to catch the same fish? I know I've done it in the past, or at least thought it was the same fish, but this time because of a unique mark on the dorsal fin, I knew it was the same fish.


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Dan S
The poster formerly known as Outrider

[Bamboozle]

Grizzly Wulff:

It's happened to me 3 times this season!

In my case in the 4-5 times I can remember it happening its always been in the same stream, (I fish there a lot), and its always been a stocked trout of decent size, 13-16" in a stream with an abundance of wild fish.

Only once has it been on the same fly and only once on the same day, followed by once again on the following day.

In my case I chalk it up to stupid stocked trout .

[Panman]

I was fishing a small stream someplace in Virginia. A LMB of about 12 inches decided he liked my Rio Grande King and smacked it. I set the hook too hard and the leader broke next to the fly. I tied on another identical fly and flipped into the same pool and the same LMB took the 2d fly. I landed the fish, retrieved both flies, and released him.

Tim Anderson

[fishlux]

I caught an 11" rockbass (huge for here) on a buctail craw. That was on a Wednesday. I caught him again on Saturday on a dragonfly nymph. Had to same one, Same hole, same size. Since the hole is smaller than my garage, I refuse to believe there are 2 rockies that size there. I doubt there are two that size within 3 miles.



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If you can't do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly.

[beadleech]

Some years back a friend and I drove 70 miles west every 2 or 3 weeks one summer to fish a section of a nice smallmouth river we found while attending a company sponcered golf outing [when every one retired to the hotel to drink we ran over to the river!]. The city had used large slabs of concrete removed during a "renewal" project to stablize the river banks. One slab [half the size of a single car garage] was positioned at the top of an outside bend and the water had carved a cave of sorts between the slab and the bank. When the fishing had been slow we'd toss a coin to see who make the cast and throw a slack line from directly upstream with a white popper and, when the line straightened out just at the "cave entrance", pop it once. Wham!! Nice smallie [~14" at start of summer; just over 16" at the end] would blast the popper. We caught him 9 times that summer. His lip looked like Ja-Lo's ear lobe! We called him Ole Dumbo. Something [or someone] got him b4 we got back up the next year. Never saw him again. I've always sorta missed him since. We still call that bend ole dumbo's rock.

Donald

[Canoeman1947]

Several years ago I was fishing a small stream near my home. I was using a small popper for bass or sunfish when I hooked a spotted bass about 12 inches long. After a couple of jumps he got off. I could still see him swimming around, so I cast to him again. Again a hookup that lasted for a couple of jumps. I told my fishing partner, "Third times the charm", and he said no way could any fish be stupid enough to hit a third time. Of course, I didn't believe it either, but the third try I actually landed the fish. Thank god for eager but stupid bass.
Larry Compton

[DG]

All the time.

I caught a big ol' brown in MT four times in one month once. Have pics from at least two of the four catches.

My ex, my brother-in-law, and I caught the same trout on the San Juan four times in one day once.

A couple years ago on opening weekend, I caught a half-pounder steelhead twice and broke him off twice in two days, all on the same fly. The two time I caught him I got back the two flies I lost in him.

A buddy of mine caught a brown trout this winter two days after I caught him and removed a tag from him.

And, I have retrieved both my flies and flies of buddies from trout and steelhead many many times.

Dennis

[sculpin29]

I was ling cod fishing (not with my fly rod). I felt a fish so i set the hook really hard because ling cod have really strong mouths. The fish broke off but I was half way off the bottom. So I started to let my line out but it would not go. Then I feel a fish, i bring it up it was a large yellow seabass but the other side of the fishs mouth was ripped almost off. I think it was the same stupid fish.

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trout, bass, sea bass i dont care its fishing. <><