A FISH TALE
Now, don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that the majority of fly fishers are fine upstanding individuals. We would never intentionally “exaggerate” of “supersize” a fish we caught. Then again, human nature being what it is, the “tale of the tape” can sometimes get lost in the translation.
Case in point, on the (Canadian) Thanks Giving long weekend, I was to meet up with several friends for a last outing of the 2009 season. While waiting of a couple of them to arrive Saturday morning, I quickly strung up a rod and went to test out a small hole on the #38 here on my home waters.
The #38 pool is a large holding pool. It measures over 300 feet in diameter, so knowing where the “holes” are is handy. Often aerial photos can help one spot shoals, sand bars and such.
Anyway, I strung up a 4wt rod since we would be fishing principally for small juvenile sea run Brook Trout. The old Martin Classic click ‘n pawl reel would do fine (yeah, right!).
I scampered down the ballast rock and stripped out a couple yards of line. A quick toss of a #8 Brown and Brown woolly bugger and I was soon retrieving the fly slowly though the hole.
As I day dreamed and watched the clouds forming overhead, the rod tip dipped then dove. My line cut hard right and headed for the current. In a flash, the line accelerated, gave one burst of speed and the reel back spun on itself ... Bird’s Nest!
Just as I was starting to think that it was possibly a small salmon, the trout rolled on the surface and I saw the distinctive white leading edge on a pectoral fin. A big Hen had inhaled the fly!
Not wanting to over work a spawner, I quickly stripped the line in and worked the trout to my feet. As I worked to get her close to hand, I noticed a young angler to my left in the bay. He was intrigued to see me fighting a trout as there were very few caught the day before.
I easily worked the barbless hook out and quickly measured her against the mark on my rod.
All of my rods have marks on them to measure 14 and 25 inches. The 25 inch mark is to know if an Atlantic salmon is a legal “Grisle” as many rivers are C&R only for salmon 25 inches or more.
The 14 inch mark is for sea trout, as the 4 rivers here in the Saguenay region of Quebec have implemented a new regulation limiting captures to 1 over 14 inches (in order to try to preserve the breeding stock).
This big Hen was a good 3 inches LONGER than a Grisle! That would mean she was at least 28 inches!
I lifted the fish out of the water for 1-2 seconds to show the young angler who was 20 feet away and then sent her back on her way.
I didn’t think anything else of this catch for the rest of the day and spent a wonderful time with friends chasing the elusive sea trout. A cold front rolled in and action was lacking, but a fine time was had none the less.
That evening, we were preparing supper at camp when two friends stopped by for coffee and a chat. As he jumped out of the pick-up, Jerome calls out, “Ok, Christopher, you will give us the real story. We heard from three different angles that you caught a trout this morning that was 30, 32 or 34 inches!!”
Apparently, the young angler who had seen the trout this morning had rather quickly recounted he exploit to another angler and so on and so on ....
I quickly clarified this to our Friends. As I had actually measured the trout against my rod, it was clear that she was over 25 inches, but less than 30!
News travels fast on a river ... it just gets bet out f shape a bit in the translation!
Have a fine winter season.
Chris Chin