The Very Large Trout Lover's Thread (ot)

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 181 - 200 of total 2114 in this topic

<< First | < Previous | Show All | Next > | Last >>

Trad climber

JTree & Idyllwild

Jul 30, 2011 - 01:36am PT

Throw us a bone and tell us what flies you like most.

Hi Pate:

I'd say for pink salmon a greenish flash fly is number one. My wife yvonne is a master fly tyer, and I get my flys from her!

Trad climber

JTree & Idyllwild

Jul 31, 2011 - 02:56pm PT

New world record rainbow from Idaho,,,,34.74 lbs!!!!!!!!!

That's a whopper, but not a world record. It's the new Idaho state record.

The official International Game Fish Association (IGFA) all-tackle world record for rainbow trout is 48 lbs., caught at Lake Diefenbaker, Canada, in 2009.

This record is controversial, however, in that it was a triploid (genetically altered with three sets of chromosomes, rendering them sterile) that escaped from a nearby fish farm and got into the lake when they were small. These fish channel all their energy toward eating- not waisting any energy on reproduction!

In fact, all the line class records have been from this lake. Although these records have been accepted by the IGFA, many in the IGFA believe that triploids are unnatural, and accepting these records is like allowing Barry Bonds' home run record to stand against Hank Aaron's.

shady

Trad climber

Aug 4, 2011 - 11:03pm PT

Prolly one of those flavorless, genetically modified McFish they're selling at the grocery store as Steelhead.
They should sell them, and the McSalmon, as fertilizer. X^P

Speaking of fertilizer, the comparison of "*" and Hank Aaron is right on.

shady

Trad climber

Aug 4, 2011 - 11:30pm PT

They should have a class for those GM things like they have for Tiger trout.
Is there a way of distinguishing those GM fish from naturals, by eye?

Avajane

Trad climber

Seattle

Aug 5, 2011 - 02:17am PT

tolman_paul

Trad climber

Anchorage, AK

Aug 5, 2011 - 12:49pm PT

Maybe not very large trout, but last time out on this lake with the boys, we did catch a few decent rainbows in the 12-14" range

The cool thing about the area is there is a beaver damn between the first and 2nd lake, and a long meandering water passage between lake 2 and 3. So it's about 1 1/2 hours of paddling to last lake, and you typically have the lake to yourself as most fishermen and are elbows to a-holes on the Kenai chasing bigger fish. Me, I'd rather be on a lake full of wild rainbows, tossing spoons, castmasters and spinners in amongst the lilly pads and having a feisty rainbow put a healthy bend on your ultralight rod.

Not to mention some of the best sunsets and hearing the loons on the lake.

TGT

Social climber

So Cal

Aug 5, 2011 - 01:22pm PT

The smaller trout taste better anyway.

12"-14" is about perfect.

High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber

-A community of hairless apes

Aug 5, 2011 - 01:26pm PT

I obviously lapsed into the wrong culture and lifestyle at some point and missed the boat.

Great stuff here.

Trad climber

JTree & Idyllwild

Aug 5, 2011 - 09:44pm PT

shady

Trad climber

Aug 7, 2011 - 06:58pm PT

Damm Paul, fine pics. The essence of fishing, purdy fish and beautiful sceinery.
Nice pic BG, that's about as peppery a bow as I've seen.

Bob D'A

Trad climber

Taos, NM

Aug 7, 2011 - 09:27pm PT

Caught several nice brown and rainbows last week,,,here is a nice brown,

Charlie D.

Trad climber

Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra

Aug 11, 2011 - 04:01pm PT

The one that didn't get away!
Climber's don't say you weren't warned (I posted this before);^) all in fun!

Avoid “The Way of the Rod” and becoming a “Non”

We can all appreciate that much of our continued activity as mountaineers is partner based. Keeping yourself fit certainly contributes to a long active mountain life but it’s also important to have motivated partners to get us off our cans. Having enjoyed the company of many enthusiastic mountain adventure seekers over the years I have witnessed the making of more than one Non (Non-climber/skier/alpinist/mountaineer).

It is a slow, subtle and irreversible process that like a frog being thrown into a pot of cold water on a lite burner its’ defining spirit departs before much notice. Perhaps the most covert making of a Non is by what has been described by my good friend and Ghoulwe Dave J. as going “The Way of the Rod”. This path of course refers to the activity of fishermen/women. Like the poor frogs demise it can go unnoticed because much of the activity occurs in the mountain ranges of the arid west that we share where alpine snow melt provides habitat for the fish they manically seek. Let me describe some of the symptoms I’ve observed that in retrospect by intervention could have prevented the making of a Non-partner.

While packing gear for an adventure watch for a fishing pole being thrown into a pack particularly if you get a negative reaction questioning why in the hell they’d need a pole on an alpine rock climb. If you’re lectured it’s not a pole but a rod it may be too late. If your base camp ends up in some mosquito infested low land within the sound of running water as opposed to a sparse frozen bivouac high on a moraine I can guarantee you you’ll be hearing about threatening weather first thing in the morning.

Watch for attention symptoms while discussing gear or scoping a route. If their eyes are cast down into the water while you’re debating what pro you should take or wondering where the route starts and they suddenly get agitated over an insect swarm you might as well think about soloing the route or picking an easy scrabble. If they pull out their favorite bud the last time you experienced with a Bill Clinton hit which sent you into thinking OMG a cardiac arrest and they coat it with hash oil you can rest assure they’re more interested in thinking like a trout then having the mind set to reach a summit.

Next time you’re at your local crag which they haven’t visited in years observe their shoes, harness and protection. If a shoe of fossilized rubber is pulled from an uncomfortable outdated pack along with a harness that barely fits and cams that are made of ridged aluminum stems you’ll be learning more about insects and how a trout thinks that day then you’d ever what to know. A new looking rope of 165 feet in length is another indication that you might as well forget about a second route that would compete with the late afternoon insect hatch you’ve just heard about on level with a Ph.D thesis.

The gear represents a reallocation of financial resources, going The Way of the Rod is costly. Showing up at a ski resort wearing a Patagonia fishing jacket is a dead giveaway, at that acute stage you might as well accept your friend as a Non. An intervention where you covertly snap the damn pole in your car door could result in violence. Grabbing one of their many fly reels and throwing it into the talus or burning their fake insects in frustration could result in a prison sentence for your once great adventure companion and you may never climb again.

Exhibited symptoms are not limited to alpinism; a family camping trip can reveal the making of a Non. If their children have expensive fly rods, waiters and there are no plans about hiking to summits or doing any bouldering the infection has spread and you best get your own kids safely away or your family reunions in the coming years won’t include climbing or skiing. Missing power bait or salmon eggs from your kids’ grandfathers’ tackle box or smashed barbs are also symptomatic of an infection as well.

Watch for symptoms as the seasons change. Again gear is an indicator of financial reallocation. Hopelessly fused climbing skins and skis that would be better used for deer proof fence posts that make your short ones look obscenely obese are yet another give away. Perhaps the most telling is on powder days when the banter over the coming Pacific cold front doesn’t include your buddy and later you hear they’re headed to some boggy tidal flat for a steel head run in the rain. If any of their emails include this symbol o:{{{{{{{{< or the farewell saying “tight lines” it’s not about being born again or keeping ropes tight on alpine terrain to avoid rock fall; at that point you best move onto the next stage of loss.

I must admit there are far more sinister ways to Non-hood such as The Way of the Club (golf). That foolish activity of attempting to put a white ball into small holes of a comparatively infinite large outdoor environment will build you socially and ruin you physically as opposed to mountaineering which does the opposite. Regardless, The Way of the Rod in my experience has claimed more than most as many perhaps of choosing a Non as your significant other. A true lover can learn to appreciate your need to “feed the rat”. So take this sage advice if your intention is to continue to move over mountainous terrain until the end of your days, avoid The Way of the Rod. Keep your buddies from doing the same, being a Non is no path to the enlightenment we enjoy as mountaineers.

Berg Heil,

Charlie D.

the_don

Trad climber

Somerville, MA

Aug 11, 2011 - 04:10pm PT

Yeah, we call those guppies... the girth was far more than length.

I believe that is referred to as a cheswick.

Trad climber

JTree & Idyllwild

Aug 11, 2011 - 09:55pm PT

The one that didn't get away!

taimen? mongolia?

Patrick Oliver

Boulder climber

Fruita, Colorado

Aug 11, 2011 - 10:07pm PT

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Aug 11, 2011 - 10:20pm PT

Damn, Charlie!!!!

Nice fish!

Danholio

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Aug 11, 2011 - 10:49pm PT

In stark contrast to the proud list of fly caught natives on this thread, I hope it's ok that I post a photo of a big 'ol stockie that I caught in Oakland. 17 pounds on a jointed Rapala.

The net we had (you can see it in the background) was too small so I passed the rod off to my friend (also a climber/fisher) and yanked him into the boat by the gills. Love telling that part of the story!