Re: [VFB] Trout With BIG Teeth

[Jerryphl9]

Chuck:   Sounds like "The Hunt for Big Fish" if it was then it was Larry Dahlberg, creator of several flies including the Dahlberg Diver.   I found out the hard way that trout have teeth.  On my first trip to the Upper Delaware River, many years ago, I asked the president of our club where to fish and he said try the pool below the cabins.  There were at least two dozen people all ready fishing it.  I said how about the riffles in front of the cabins. He told me I might catch a couple of small ones.  So I headed there.  Tied on a fly I'd just discovered on the net called the Nalle Puh, and started fishing the pocket water in the riffles.  First pocket, second or third cast the fly disappeared and I set the hook on a nice fish.  Got it in and saw the guy I was sharing a cabin with watching.  What you get, and this was a 20 inch fish.  Without thinking I reached down and lipped the trout to hold it up. My mistake. It hurt but I didn't drop the fish. Moved to the next pocket. First cast another nice fish took the fly.  With no net I had to lip this one even though I knew what was coming.  Held this one up for my buddy to see.  Next morning there were at least a dozen guys fishing those riffles.   Why don't we use steel leaders?  Probably because most people think of trout quietly sipping mayflies off the surface and forget they are top of the line predators, and once they reach a certain size, their diet is more minnows/small fish than insects.  I read an article somewhere where a trout can swallow a bait fish half its size.  Now back to why we don't use steel leaders they would absolutely ruin the presentation of a dry fly. If you buy that one, I've a bridge to sell you.   It's more in the type of teeth.  If you were fishing for Kings, or even Spanish, like bluefish they tend to slice and dice their prey. So if fishing live bait, you often come in with half a bait.  Trout, from what I've seen tend to grab live minnow, and swim around with them for a bit in their mouth.  I would imagine their teeth are conical made more for gripping than slicing. That's why we don't use wire leaders.  Anyone else have a better explanation.   Jerry C "All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."   In a message dated 4/26/2006 12:46:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Folks: I was just watching a show on the OLN (Outdoor Life Network) and a guy named Larry (forget his last name).. was in Chile fishing for HUGE brown trout and it looked like those things have killer teeth... Since I don't have any  of those here, why don't ya have to use steel leaders like I did Mackerel fishing when I was in FL???? Chuck