The First Cast

You know it will be a good day when you catch a 17 inch brown on the first cast. I had just pulled off Judd Lane at the bridge crossing the Weber River. No other cars were in sight. Since the sun was shining bright I placed the windshield covers on the dashboard and under the visors. I had two different caddis emerger flies already tied on and I looped my leader through a small, yellow Thingamabobber about four feet above the first fly.

Hopping over the guide rails of the bridge I climbed down to the river. I pulled a few feet of line off the reel and lightly cast it quartering upstream into the riffles right before the water ran into a deeper pool. The small, yellow strike indicator immediately darted under the water. I was hardly ready to handle the strike of a large brown. I was still working out line and getting into position to seriously fish this riffle. I wish I could say, “ya, this always happens on my first cast.” The trout quickly swam into the deeper water and bull-dogged me there for a few seconds. I got him to swim back upstream a bit where I could make him fight the current. After a moment he turned and swam back downstream. I used his momentum to pull him toward the shore and up on the grass. I snapped a couple of pictures and put him back in a deeper portion of the water near the shore where he hesitated until he realized he was free, then with one quick flip of the tail was out of sight.

My next cast was in the deeper water. This time I had my line worked out and I was standing in a better position to fish this stretch. Now that I had a little more line worked out I shot the next cast higher into the riffles slightly upstream from that first cast. Keeping my eye on the indicator and sensing a good drift, I kept the line ever so lightly tight as to not impede the drag free drift but still be tight enough that if I got a strike I would be right on top of it. Sure enough, the indicator hesitated and I lifted the rod - another brown. This one jumped and I could tell it was slightly larger than the previous one. This one also headed for the deep water on the other side of the river. It stayed deep near a couple of large boulders and I kept it just across from me. When it would start heading downstream I worked it back upstream. I tried the same trick that I pulled on the previous fish, pulling it toward the shore just as it turned and darted downstream. This time however, it got down stream a little too far and I put too much pressure on it. The line pulled out. I should have followed him downstream, played him a little longer and netted him in the slower water. I just didn’t want to try and deal with fighting him underneath the bridge where I wouldn’t be free to raise the rod. Oh well, fun fish. It was then that I realized that I had left the net in the car anyway.

Ok, off to the next good looking stretch. The next stretch actually ended up being below a string of boulders strewn across the river. These boulders created a series of riffles and alternating deep water and shallow water. I systematically worked these riffles all the way across to the other side. Then I cast right next to the bank, near a bush that overhung right above the last boulder. This riffle was a little deeper and not as fast. After a drag free drift of a couple feet I saw a flash in the water and I pulled on the line as I raised the rod. A large brown immediately leaped from the water. This was a nice fish. It stayed in the deeper water and tried to get right under the larger boulder.

Fearing there may be a build up of debris in which the line could get caught, I kept the fish from getting too close. I waded my way closer to the fish and as I got close enough to net it I grabbed the net from off my vest. I was glad I had gone back to the car to retrieve it. As the fish saw me with the net, it swam back upstream into the deep water near the boulder. Then as I got it to turn back toward me it was able to avoid the net somehow and take out more line going downstream. Luckily the stream quickly became shallow and I was able to follow it downstream a short distance. I then managed to lift its head above the water and slide it into the net. Holding the fish in the net, I quickly waded over to the other side of the river so I would have a spot to set it down, take the hook out of its mouth and click a few photos. It measured 19 and a half inches long. It had beautiful red circles with halos and a buttery color to its belly.