Mountain Fork trout...

Wednesday evening's first fish was a spirited thirteen inch butter colored brown trout. By sundown I had seven more trout half of them browns...a great start to the Mountain Fork trip.

After a slow start this fat rainbow kicked off the bite Thursday morning. From there it got better, sort of. I lost three large trout in about thirty minutes.  One I'm sure would have been my all time personal best rainbow but after three beautiful leaps and long runs back and across the large, deep and rocky pool she called home she unbuttoned with a last minute power lunge to free herself from the waiting net. Too much trout for an old man and a size 20 hook.

My guide for the day tried to capture one of those gorgeous jumps on my camera but ended up with only the huge splash she made when she fell back into the river. That scene will fill my thoughts and dreams for some time to come.  I would have released her anyway but it would have been nice to say I caught her. I used my magic to seduce her to take the fur and feather lashed to a tiny hook, she used hers to show me she was no push-over and didn't like being fooled one bit.