It was big trout weekend on the TPWLB, the goal was to bank and photograph the largest fish and submit it for judging by the Trout Porn admins. I had been landing a lot of rainbows in the 6-7 lbs. range, but knew competition would be stiff with the wide variety of experienced fisherman who frequent the page, and I knew that likely a fish 6-7 would not hold. The other people fishing were going to be fishing waters that have nice size fish, but I figured I had some pretty nice spots of my own, so I decided to enter. I knew I was angling for, possibly, my biggest trout to date, not a contest that was going to be easily won.
I started my Friday on the Big Hole in pursuit of large browns on streamers. Long story short, the streamer bite was slow, and I decided that switching waters was going to be the best play. Saturday, on the new stretch of water, I fished hard until around dusk. I ended up hooking, losing, and landing a lot of decent fish. Just before leaving, I put in one more cast behind a rock that usually holds good fish, and put a mend in. While thinking about how great of a drift I managed, my indicator started dragging like it was hung on a rock, so I set the hook. An eruption came from the far bank, and I caught a glimpse of a huge chrome rainbow, and immediately knew that I had tied into the biggest trout of my life. The fight was on as the fish kept changing the angle on the hook running all over, slowly rolling and shaking its head in the current. After a ten minute battle I
lost the fight, and what I thought, my chances of winning
the contest. I decided at this time that I should supply myself with a subsequent enough amount of booze to help with the feeling of defeat, and lighten my mood.
The next morning I woke up with a hangover, but I still went to the river. It was just my luck, that two bait fishers were in my hole when I showed up, so I had to try down stream. After slow fishing I decided to call it a day. I saw on my way out that the bfers had left my hole, so I decided I'd give it a minute. As I got to the water, I simultaneously flipped out a roll cast and started setting up to fish the hole.
Just then, my rig slides under and instinctively, I set the hook. A huge eruption came from the water. I couldn't believe it, I tied into a rainbow a few pounds heavier than the day before. He put up a long attempt to get away, but this time I was not going to lose. After a long battle I eventually swung him into 5" of water where he was beached and landed. Standing over the fish I realized, I had actually got my redemption. This fish was huge and I hooked it on the first cast, with size 18 nymphs, in a hole that previously got pounded by bfers while I was riding a hangover. Was it luck or good fishin'? Probably luck, but it was 28", roughly 11 pounds, and it won the TPWLB that night, so I'll take it either way.
By: Travis Troller