Big Trout stories

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

Ok..for trout starters, here's my 3 biggest. All were caught fly fishing, two on chironomids and one on a leech.

6 lbs (estimated) rainbow on a leech, Stoney Lake, B.C.
25 1/2 inch rainbow on a chronie, Marmot Lake, B.C.
7 lb (estimated) rainbow on a chronie Unnamed Seep Lake, WA

[Anonymous]

YOU should have seen the one that got away... Really!


Hooked trout 2 Saturdays in a row on 2lb leader on a spinning combo. At the end of the leader was a small dry fly, Adams, I think. I was on Harts Lake in Pierce County in a 10 ft. Livingston, rowing it slowly, hoping to keep the fly on top of the water. The pole goes down and I start yanking on it because I think it is weeds. Then I find out it is a trout as it gets close to the boat. We are getting the net and can see the fish when it breaks off with the fly. The next Saturday same area doing the same drill and it is hooked, jumps, and gets off. I believe it was the same fish. I know it was over 4lbs. I have never caught another one that size.

P.S. That was 20 years ago.

[Anglinarcher]

Ok..for trout starters, here's my 3 biggest. All were caught fly fishing, two on chironomids and one on a leech.

6 lbs (estimated) rainbow on a leech, Stoney Lake, B.C.
25 1/2 inch rainbow on a chronie, Marmot Lake, B.C.
7 lb (estimated) rainbow on a chronie Unnamed Seep Lake, WA

WOW, that would take some time to think about. I have been fishing from the time I was still in diapers. I think I held a pole/rod before I could walk.

I have caught some monsters, in Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and even some pretty good ones here in Washington.

What are the rules here? Fly caught, lure caught, or caught any way? Any trout or Rainbow only? Triploids counted or not?

Oh I know, too many questions, too little time. So.......................

My largest Rainbow in Washington was from Rufus Woods, as you might expect, and it tipped the scales at a little over 13 pounds before I turned it back. My 2nd best Rainbow and my best Brown are a little over 6 pounds in Washington, but I won't tell you were (HEHE). Funny, I fish alone a lot, so I never can take catch & release pictures. I seldom keep a fish over about 2 pounds to eat. Oh Well.

[jens]

My largest trout was at Mardon's Resort about 6 yearss ago that I LET my son reel in.......22.5 inches and we still talk about that fish. I have yet to get one even close and he always, always reminds me HE has caught the biggest trout between us.. lol (:

[fishaholictaz]

Well I have caught 1 trout over 10 lbs on a lake in Oregon called Crane Prarie I was only 8 or 9.

I have caught several trips and bows between 4 and 5 in Oregon and Wa.

This summer I caught this nice 7-8 pounder here in wy:cheers:

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

[quote="Anglinarcher

What are the rules here? Fly caught, lure caught, or caught any way? Any trout or Rainbow only? Triploids counted or not?

quote"]

I would assume the rules are: Any legal method. No snagging.

[Ditch Pickler]

One late summer afternoon back in 94' i was fishing off my Sister's "in laws" dock on kitsap lake. I been at it for about 4 hours and only caught 2 12" RB stockers. Then my Bro in law comes out and said its time to go home. I told him okay, but let me reel in my line and get one last cast in. So i put on a fresh chunk of PB rainbow w/ glitter and cast it as far as i could.

I sat my rod down and within a minute i saw my rod move forward about 3 inches. So i picked it up and set the hook. 5 mins of fighting later. I had in my hands a 27" Native RB that weight 8lb7oz....

I'll find a picture of it and take a picture of the picture hahaha

[big fish lite line]

alright mine may not be that impressive but I haven't been trout fishing across the country for 20 years. I've been trout fishing for probably 5 years now and my biggest to date was a 23in cutt I caught last summer about 2 miles from my house.

[fishingmachine]

6lb bow from Beaver Lake
7lb bow from Beaver Lake
8lb bow from beaver lake
4lb Cutt from Lake washington

[fishinkid]

Geeze some big fish. I have no place near my house for wilds. But My Biggest is a 26 incher that was 7/8 pounds. Rocky Ford Creek Baby

[lowvw]

Lake Wa cutty right around 6/7 lbs..28"+, caught her late November '08 throwing cranks for smallies.

[racfish]

Lk Wa for me.My cousin had a house near the bridge.My cousin and myself both chummed it heavy.We used to use Lil jewels and Krocs and get them 3-8 lbs.Thats when the Seward Park hatchery were doing the stell/Donaldson mix.

[big fish lite line]

Lake Wa cutty right around 6/7 lbs..28"+, caught her late November '08 throwing cranks for smallies.

thats what I'm talken about nice fish. I love how cuts hit bass lures

[Anglinarcher]

OK, any legal trout, any legal method, any state, so here goes.

This is not my biggest fish, but it was over 8 pounds. How do I know, well the "De-liar" brand spring scale would only go to 8 pounds and it bottomed it out. But, it was not how big the fish was, but the story behind it.

I spent my teen years in South-Central Idaho. Now those of you that know about fishing in Idaho normally think of the Panhandle area, and there are some great streams, great lakes, and big fish there. Many of you think of Eastern Idaho, and how could you not think of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, or the South Fork of the Snake, or Henry's Lake, or the world famous Silver Creek, or ...................... OK you get the point. But no one ever thinks of the high desert area near Twin Falls.

It just so happens that in the middle of that desert is the Snake River. Now the river itself is not very clear, or at least it was not when I grew up there. It is much better now that surface flow irrigation is going away, but then the river flowed mud from late spring to late fall. Still, the river cuts through one of the worlds biggest Aquifers and you have an area called the Thousand Springs area. These springs, or really mini rivers, bust right out of the canyon walls and drop into the Snake River. This is where the trout, mostly Rainbow, hide and live, and sometimes they get big, very big.

One spring I bought a new canoe and my two younger brothers wanted to go out fishing with me in it. So, with little time available to us as farm boys, we loaded up the canoe and headed to the Snake River. We knew of a spot where one of the big springs came out of the canyon walls, flowed through a State Fish Hatchery, into a natural pond, then into the River. We had heard that some of the big rainbows came up into the pond and spawned where small springs came in, so with it being march, we checked it out. Now, because this is spring water, it is super clear.

I was throwing a Mutaka, black and chartreuse as I recall, along the shore when one of my brothers hollered "look at that monster near the bank". So, I tossed that fly onto the edge of the bank, pulled it off, twitched it, and BANG, missed it. What the *&&*, how could that fish miss it, he hit it so hard. So, we rested the fish for about 10 minutes and came back. I tossed the fly and it landed about 6" from the shore, and again BANG, missed it again. Now I am pretty upset by now. We fish on down the bank and I miss a couple of small fish.

About now, my youngest brother, about 10 at the time, said I should change that cursed fly. So, I did, and in the process,





I discovered that the hook was broken off at the bend, no point, no curve, it was broken at the back of the shank. I don't know how, but apparently I had hit the canoe or a rock on a cast and had broken the fly hook.

About now I was so mad I could boil the water with my stare.:bom: We were running out of time, had cows to go home and milk, so I put on another fly (don't remember this one) and we hit the bank one more time.

Now I don't know if it was the same fish or not, but this time BANG, fish on. Twenty minutes later I was on cloud nine and proud as a peacock. I think I was too proud, because my brother just younger then me netted the fish, weighed it, held it up, then ACCIDENTALLY dropped it into the water.

I NEVER TOOK HIM FISHING AGAIN THE REST OF THE YEAR.

Of course, I don't think I got much fishing in for the rest of that year. We got home a little late and cows don't like you to be late when they need to be milked. I remember Dad being his normal less then good mood about it when we got home.

[panfisher]

24" rainbow- naches river
25" cutthroat- natches river
23-31" lahotan cutthroat- lake lanore. the wife and i were living in ephrata in "85" we averaged 20+ fish every day we fished that summer.
16" brooktrout stimilt creek (wenatchee) big since they averaged 8-10"
20" brown from tiny stream that runs by Norris, Montana

[SPARKY101]

Not a big trout guy but this thing hit my crankbait squarebill this year...

[Gonefishing]

Nice sized trout in those photos. Considering that I've been trying to forget this story for the last 6 years or so those photos' haven't helped one bit.

Its May and can't decide if I want to go to Martha Lake (Alderwood) or to the Edmonds Pier. I decided to go to Martha, new line, new hooks, semi-new rod, and my tried and true home built rod holder. I casted out as far as my 3/4 ounce weight would go, placed the rod in the holder and waited. While I was waiting I started making a new leader and thinking I should either increase weight or try something different. Bad news is I wasn't right next to the rod when the tip dropped like a brick but the rod didn't really move in the holder (it was designed to handle fish up to 6 pounds but the darned thing was starting to tip). One guy next to my rod grabbed it but didn't reel in and whined about me having the reel set up as a right hand retrieve. I took the rod and line was still being pulled (line was 6 pound test) but I got control of the fish. Five minutes later I get the fish close to the dock and somebody with a long handled net is ready when the fish made one last twist of the head and it was free. I saw the fish at least but couldn't believe I or anybody else could catch a trout that size out of that lake ever.

The next day I went to the pier cause I was um disgusted with my bad landing luck the day before. An hour or so later I had an 18 pound salmon landed and I had kind of stopped thinking about the what if I had .... from the day before.

[A9]

lowvw and sparky101, those are some sweeeeeeeeeeet trout...Awesome pictures guys!

[BassinBomber]

While crankin for LMB @ a Private Lake last Summer I pulled this RBT in,..hit my crank like a Mack-Truck,..I thought 4 sure it was a LMB!

[panfisher]

fish'd the naches river yesterday with out a bite from the whitefish, but the last hole (pictured) gave me an exciting time. i was using a #14 black whitefish fly/maggot set up with 1/2 oz weight and running it on the bottom through the deep hole when it just stopped. figured it was hung up again and started pulling it, wouldn't move so of course i pulled harder and thats when it moved:-k . i set the hook which just made the fish move deeper hugging the bottom untill i slowly horsed it out of the hole:cheers: it was still on the other side but down from the hole going into shallower(but faster moving) water when i saw a huge flash of white, (could it be a white fish that big:-k ) walked further out still not sure what i had on then it started to head down to the fast rapids. reeling like mad i was able to turn it back and into the hole were it still stayed low ( i only had 8lb line) it headed down to the rapids again but i was able to hold it by walking and reeling at the same time as it wasn't going to budge and i knew my line was going to break if i didn't get it in the net, i sensed victory:cheers: when it seemed played out but now the current kept me from reeling it in](*,) so i ever so slowly got to where i was able to slip the net under it:cheers: (needed a bigger net) as i brought it to me it some how broke the netting (new net) and now i'm in the middle of the river pole in one hand, fish and line through the net in the other](*,) with the fish down further down in the fast water](*,) what to do#-o (had the camera around my neck and thought ( just another fish story if i don't at least get some sort of proof8-[ but i would have to get it closer so of couse i had to grab the line which of course is usually the worst thing to do and of course it happened. the line broke and the huge "bulltrout" did a slow about face and did a whitewater trip down to the next hole](*,) ((:salut:)) now my net opening measures from end to end long ways 16" and about 12"deep. the fish clearly had its head and tail sticking out 4-5 " as i started to lift it from the water. the flyfisher told me that he had gotten a 17lb bulltrout out of the same hole (don't think it was the same fish though:-k ) this is the same hole that one of my bigger trout came from last year.

the pictures show the hole, the rapids, and the hole in the net (was the fish caught since it didn't come out of the net? or is it chalked up as another big fish story:-k )