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Hi folks,
Just thought I'd post about a little mentioned area again. Went fishing on the Weber again yesterday afternoon and had another great time. I must be learning the river because I seldom go with out having good fishing. Of particular note, besides the normal white fish and trout, I tied into two "big guys". Both were in the 20 something categories but both were unfortunately lost before I could accurately measure and release. The biggest was just about at the point of landing when he took off thru my golden's legs, snagged the upper dropper in his hair and broke off. He had a very large hooked nose head and sure looked like a big brown! What was unusual is that this big guy jumped 8 times going up and down river. I've never seen a brown jump like that, maybe 1-2 times and more often not at all [crazy]!??? The other simply thru the fly on about the third jump.
[  ]Leaky
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[cool]Ya gotta teach Bud how to handle the net.
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Hey leaky,
Sounds like you have got the weber down pat. I have caught some monster browns out of that river. What area do you like to fish?
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chef,
I fish a lot of areas on the Web, between Echo and Rockport, above where Lost Creek come in, above petterson, above Morgan. I probably enjoy between the reservoirs the most, although Petterson is closer.
Leaky
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Hey Tube,
You're so wrong--------- well maybe you're right, LOL. I've spent a few yrs. teaching Bud to leave the fish alone until I hve landed them, maybe I should back up and let him help me!!!!! That was a big fish! I'm not wure if he could have helped unless he just got out of the river! One thing, unless someone else goes in there and catches him, he'll be there next time. I know exactly where he's at. And if I have any sense, if I catch him again, I'll let him go to try again!!!!![crazy]
Leaky
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[cool]Yes, Leaky, my friend. I have always believed that a good memory of a great fish...whether lost, or released on purpose...is much better than having one in the freezer to show off until the fins are all broken and the flesh freezer burned beyond palatability. And those little added alements, of a special furry companion, getting caught up in the moment...how could you ever put a price on that?
The fish will always be there waiting for a rematch...even if only in your memories. Those fish live forever, and it is almost disappointing sometimes to actually whip them into submission.
I used to have a spot on the lower Provo, just on the outskirts of Orem, that held a special brown. It wasn't huge. It was probably about the size of the one you lost. But, it was a cagy fish, and it had rejected the best of my flies and lures over the whole summer.
Then, one early autumn morning, I suffered one of my greatest disappointments in life. I sneaked up to the hideout of that lovely fish, only to find another fisherman there...with my fish pinned to a stringer at the bottom of the pool.
I watched in dismay as the "angler" lobbed a big chunk of cheese out in the water and let it float down through the hole time after time. When he noticed me watching he merely commented "Well, I guess that's the only one in here today." I had to fight with myself to keep from releasing "my" fish from that guy's stringer. I hope he enjoyed eating it more than I had pursuing it. I doubt it.
If nothing else, maybe you can coach Bud on how to use a camera. I suspect he sees a lot of fishing scenes the rest of us would very much like to see too.
What are your plans for the summer? Are you going to go play with the smallies up on the Snake this year?
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i love your writing man . . .
would you have felt different if the guy caught 'your' fish on a perfectly placed, superbly tied, rare nymph hatch that was going on?
just wondering . .
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[cool]Thanks for the compliment. The answer is lost in time, but I suspect that I would have felt a little better knowing that my special fish had been bested by a worthy opponent.
Do not misunderstand. I have succumbed to the effectiveness of "Velveeta hackle" myself. I ain't no purist. And, I have invited more than a few fish home to meet my kitchen. But dang it, you just don't destroy an impressionable young man's ideals and dreams with a wad of cheese. Ain't no glory in it. And, I was young and impressionable once upon a time.
The good news is that i have a few "hero" stories, over the years, when I was the guy who fooled the wily old fish of local legends...with a feathery offering of my own design and creation. I once looked up from releasing such a fish to see an old gentleman watching me, with big tears running down his face. That's the kind of memories I would rather keep in my special vault.
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Hey guys enough!
Tube - I'm really feeling foolish. You actually had tears in this old man's eyes, really!!! You are right on! I wish I had your way with words. Where does it come from? I hope it's recognized and rewarded![cool]
Sothern, LOL - In short - No! Tube's right. You're right on by your inference that I'm not one for purist fishing, fly tying, etc. But I'm sure you gather, I'm just for enjoying the moment. Keep in touch, I enjoy your responses!!!!![ ][ ]
Leaky
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I spend most of my free time fishing and I went last week with a couple of friends and their kids. I hooked fish after fish and every time they would almost cry because I let them all go. I'm not sure if it the size of the fish or just that I let them go.
Hopefully they learn something from it. I know my bait dunking friends have.
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Nice posts guys!
I need to add here that whenever I take my boys fishing (they are ages 6 and 3), they just know that releasing them is the right thing to do. I'll never forget the fun we had last summer: my oldest would be looking at all the rocks and searching for fossils; meanwhile I'm hooking a little LMB with a reliable rapala. I would hand him the pole and he would reel it in guessing if it was a lunker. (They were only about 4-6" long, but fun). It was a memorable moment when we released the fish and watched them swim away. "He'll grow up to be a lunker and we'll catch him again!", are our famous words. Nothing like showing our little fishermen how it's meant to be!
Ahh the fishing memories we make!
Thanks guys for all the posts. This is the coolest fishing website!
Derek
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why is fish such a sacred cow??? I don't bring a lot of fish home just because I don't like the taste of it (except a few species and I think rainbows are trash fish) but I have no qualms if I bring a couple home for my wife or if I am fishing with my Pa or Father-In-Law who love to eat fish so they bring a mess home. I pay my fare share of taxes to support fish hatcheries. I know the daughter of the person in charge of the Mammoth Fish Hatchery and she always says the expect people to take fish home thats why they have those programs. If you don't want to keep fish more power to ya, but where do you get off telling me if keep a fish I did bad? I have just as much right keeping fish as you do letting them go. I have another question if you hunt do you tell your kids that we only shoot over the back and not kill the animals because that is "The right thing to do" I guess it gets old always hearing catch and release when I have a givin right to harvest fish! Just one more question where do ya draw the line on this puriest thing?
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[size 2]Good old SDH we rarely agree but that's America. I think the sacred cow thing is like the sacred doe theory but different. I preper to catch and release fish because I think trout taste like crap so I don't keep any. I do eat some fish but they are eat lake side or at camp so I don't actually take any home. I'm not implementing that everybody release every fish just that if you don't plan on eating the fish then release them to get bigger for another day. I kept lots of fish when I was a kid and I eat every one but the main reason I kept them was to show my dad what I caught. Everybody here know that trout can't sustain the harvest limits that are available now and that's the reason for stocking. I do a lot of hiking and stream fishing that doesn't ever see many people so I generally let every fish go. If I do eat a fish from on of these lakes I'll keep the 8-10 inch pan sized fish and let the bigger ones go. It keeps the lake stocked and the big fish get bigger because of it. It's pretty dang frustrating when you see people wasting fish or any of our natural resources. I'm not saying everybody does but the few that do are making it bad for everybody.[/size]
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Well said hedgesd. To SUDH, I don't know where anyone has said anything about not harvesting fish in this thread. It's all about the WASTING of a resource. If someone wants to fish a body of water and keep a limit every day of the year, I have no problem with that. However, if they are just taking the fish home to sit in the freezer for a year and then be thrown away, what's the point? If you are not going to eat a fish or give it to someone who will, why not release it to be caught another day?
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hedges that post wasn't directed at you but if you felt the pangs of truth so be it BTW don't profess to know something you don't. If you don’t profess to release then explain this quote ”Hopefully they learn something from it. I know my bait dunking friends have.” Sounds like your telling people who like to use bait (oh my gosh who would do such a thing) that they should be fishing a different way and to release their fish. ????
Wow ruger you must pick and choose what you tend to read maybe you better scroll back up and read some previous post and maybe take a hard took at rapala's while your doing it. And if a person choose to freezer burn it thats their choice if you know of people who is wasting fish turn them in instead of whining about it. Whats next making people who buy a fishing license sign a waiver they will eat their fish within 2 weeks. Heck maybe we should start having ppl draw for fish permits since we can't keep up with whats harvested so we can stop all our hatcheries. Sheeze don't insult my intelligence[cool]
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SDH, I guess I need to clarify a few things to you:
I don't care if people keep what they catch. But I do care when people harvest more than what they're allowed. And I never implied that taking fish home is a bad thing. I'm sorry if you felt singled out. I know that these fish hatchery programs are designed to keep up with the fishing pressure, that's great- that's what they're there for.
And since you brought it up, I'll let you know that I don't hunt. It's great that some people hunt to feed their families, but I do think it's wrong that the majority of hunters out there (and no, I'm not singling you out), kill animals for the sport of it. And yes, that's a different topic all together.
What I'm teaching my boys, is to respect nature and wildlife. Hey I'm all for having a fish cookout when I'm out camping. Otherwise we release everything we catch. But I've seen too many people take home their catch and then let it sit in the freezer and it gets thrown out. I've seen too many people take home a 10 gallon bucket chalk full of fish when the fish limit was six only.
SDH I don't care that you or anyone else in here harvests fish. All the power to you, and I hope you take your limit every time. All I was stating in here was how we should respect nature and everything that the good Lord put on our planet. That's what I teach my kids anyway...
Again, I'm sorry you felt threatened.
Derek
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Woooo guy's
Dont let me be the voice of reson but what is this little verbal fight all about? If you keep fish then you keep fish if you dont you dont, that is that you cant change someone. Now I feel that if you keep a fish that is so big you have to keep it, get it mounted, or eat it. If you do not want to eat the fish release it. Whether you keep or release or are a purist or not you are still an angler and that is where we share our thoughts. SUDH I do not think any one here ment to offend you in any way shape or form but if they did get over it, you are an adult. and for every one else it is  that a 15 yr old boy has to come in and stop your arguing about purists, and keeping or releasing fish.
That is all I have to say and I am now going to step off my soapbox.
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I think the whole point of the thread was missed. It wasnt about purism or catch and release it was about memories of a situation. The situation happened to be a circumstance of someone enjoying a area for quite some time, area being a fish, and then that was gone. It shows that our actions have a direct affect somewhere on somebody somehow no matter what. I dont believe anyone said dont keep fish. I also agree with alot of what has been said. I do not like to see someone keep a 20 + inch brown just so they can show it off and mount it or just so their neighbors will believe them. If they are eating it for food that is fine. To me intentions are everything. Is either right or wrong, doesnt matter just my opinion, but if its within the regs sure they are lawful.
Also there is little fish hatchery support for the body of water they are talking about. The fish are all naturally recurring, the brown trout plants there were stopped many years ago. The rainbows are stocked in this river and a handful of cutts here and there. and some easter egg fish called albinos. the browns are naturally reproducing, so ill say it to anyone there if you dont eat it why keep it? the result will be a river of one less spawner meaning many less fish to come. they damage the river with water flows the duck hunters trample beds in the fall and winter, and the ranchers dig out all habitat on their land since fish are secondary in that situation. if we want to keep the river decent the only alternative is to be knowledgable fisherman. practicing selective harvest as predators tag says. it means if there is alot of fish in that stretch with a multitude of smaller fish then it has healthy populations. if you are catching an occasional 20 incher the populations are back to natural conditions and therefore can not handle heavy harvesting.
i go off on this subject because this is my very favortie place to fish and i have watched so many things happen over the years so it concerns me so i speak my voice to hopefully some avail on the subject. good stories though guys and let keep our river productive by being smart.
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SUDH, No one is insulting your intelligence! And I think it is clearly evident who is doing the whining[  ]
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albinos = easter egg hahahaha
rotflmao
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