Great read Dan, I'm looking forward to my first Brookie also. What were they taking and how were you fishing?
Joe Leavitt ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dan Crowe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 9:53 PM Subject: [VFB] What a day!!! > Hey All! > > Prepare for a rambling email, but I have to tell someone about today. This > was probably one of the best fishing days of my life. > > The stress level has been in the red zone for a while now, so I thought I'd > sneak out and get some time in with the rod. I had located a small alpine > lake on the map, and from what I could tell it looked promising. A couple of > lakes in that area are known to hold pretty good sized cutts and browns. > > One of the great things about Western Washington is that you can go from the > salt water fishing in the Sound at sea level to alpine lakes at 4000 feet > plus in a couple of hours (with all the fishing you want in between. > > I picked up my buddy at the park and ride at 7:00. He had a fresh jug of > coffee, and we poured a couple cups and headed out. Two and a half hours > later, including 45 minutes on washboard Forest Service roads, we arrived at > our destination. > > At 4000' feet the air tastes like life itself. It fills your lungs and sets > your senses on fire. The lake looked great, and we loaded up and hit the > water. > > As you all probably know, there is a magical time in the fall when trout > sense the winter looming in. They know cold tough times are ahead, and they > gorge themselves on whatever food they can find, almost indiscriminately. At > altitude, winter is fast approaching, so I had a feeling that we were in the > zone. > > After an interesting launch through the mud bank, we set out in our float > tubes. Almost instantly, I felt a tap. I waited and again, tap, tap, jerk. I > set the hook and tied into my first ever Brook trout. It was only about 8 > inches, but it put up a great fight. > > I can't believe how beautiful these little guys are. Slate gray backs, > bright orange bellies, hot red spots ringed with an electric blue that seems > to glow on it's own. The leading edges of their fins are painted pure white. > I was ecstatic. > > I had two more before I got 1/4 of the way around the lake. As I cut out > into deeper water, I felt a solid, heavy strike, not the light taps of the > brookies. I set the hook and after quite a fight, I landed a 13 inch brown. > Another first for me. The lowland lakes and rivers I'm used to are populated > entirely with cutts and bows. > > It's amazing to me how well these wild fish fight. A 12 inch brown fights as > well as any 14 or 15 inch stocked rainbow. They don't dance on the surface > like the 'bows do; they go straight down or out and rip line off the reel > like there's no drag at all. > > We caught fish after fish after fish. I lost count, but it had to be around > 20-25 each, with many more lost. We had barbless hooks, and were trying to > boat them quickly so we could release them unharmed, so we probably lost > more than we should have. Every time we got close to the shore we would hook > up with a brookie, and every time we moved out, we caught browns. > > It was unbelievable. To be out in the absolute wilderness in surrounded by > millions of acres of forest in a tiny little lake just hammering fish after > fish under clear blue skies is truly a gift. I'm not terribly religious, but > I feel like today was God's way of telling me that everything is ok and He's > got it under control. I haven't felt this good in three years. > > Sorry if I went on too long. This was the kind of day a fly-fisherman like > me dreams of, and I just had to share it. > > Dan Crowe > Washington State > >
