Haunted By Lost Fish

I fished with Tony Gugino today and had to work real hard for every fish we landed.  At the end of the day, we ended up going 4 for 10.  As Tony pointed out, this is a pretty good batting average in baseball.  However, it always troubles me when I lose a fish.  I guess it is the unknown that gets to me.  What is the coloration on  the fish?  How big is the fish?  Is it a male or female?  Even a small fish can feel quite heavy depending on the take, but a few of the fish I lost today felt like heavy fish. 

Don't get me wrong, as the photos will indicate, we caught some beautiful fish today.  But, there was one fish in particular that caused a brief mental shut down for me after it popped the hook.  The wind was giving us fits getting a good drift.  So, on one of the best drifts, the float went down, I set the hook and the fish rolled at the surface a couple of times.  I was fishing with a center pin float set up.  Those who are familiar with that particular type of outfit will know that there is no drag on the reel.  The drag system is quite simple.....put more or less pressure on the reel with your finger. 

Because of the low water conditions, we were using 5lb. test fluorocarbon leader material in order to not spook the fish.  After hooking the fish and the brief fight, the reel got stuck on my wet finger as the fish was making a run.  You can equate this with having the drag way to tight on a spinning reel and as you could probably predict, the 5lb. fluoro snapped with the added strain.  Doh!

I can still remember any number of fish that I have hooked and lost.  One particularly depressing example is a massive brown trout Tony and I were sight fishing for in the fall of 2010.  I hooked and lost this fish twice before he took off downstream.  I saw a picture of the fish when a client of Tony's caught it several days later....an 18lb. monster brown.  Fishing for this type of hard charging anadramous fish, you will not land each and every one you hook.  Luckily today, we landed some very nice fish.  This eases the sting of the lost beauties quite a bit.  Once I figure out now to land every fish I hook, I will let you know.  Until then, the hanuting will continue. 

Tight lines, ya'll.  Here is the obligatory fish porn. 

Edward Abbey on the Simpler Side of Life

I am in the process of wrapping up Desert Solitaire, a great book by Edward Abbey.  One particular passage caught my attention.  In it, Abbey is describing a float trip on which he and his friend Ralph Newcomb explore the Colorado River and its canyons during the final stages of construction of the Glen Canyon dam.  On their voyage, they were able to see all that was within Glen Canyon that has since been inundated by what is now Lake Powell. 

"Why, we ask ourselves, floating onward in effortless peace deeper into Eden, why not go on like this forever?  True, there are no women here (a blessing in disguise?), no concert halls, no books, bars, galleries, theaters or playing fields, no cathedrals of learning or high towers of finance, no wars, elections, traffic jams or other amusements, none of the multinefarious delights of what Ralph calls syphilization.  But on the other hand most anything else a man could desire is here in abundance: catfish in the mainstream and venison in the side canyons, cottonwoods for shade and shelter, juniper for fuel, mossy springs (not always accessible) for thirst, and the ever-changing splendor of sky, cliffs, mesas and river for the needs of the spirit."

Sounds quite Utopian doesn't it?  I've often wondered how it would be to live solely within the means of the land and the river.  It seems so appealing and at the same time nearly impossible to imagine a life without traffic, Starbucks, BlackBerrys, electric bills and everything else that accompanies our modern way of life.  It tends to put things into perspective and hopefully generates some sort of understanding of what is really important. 

The simple life isn't so bad after all.

Here Goes Nothing

Well, I've finally done it.  I've always been a bit resistant to "fall in line" and do as others do.  So, naturally, I have been skeptical of this blogging phenomenon.  But, as it turns out these things become popular for a reason and soon I found myself regularly reading various blogs and forums around the internet.  After sitting on the fence for a while, I decided to start my own blog.  I've been writing fishing reports and posting photos on GoFISHn for about a year now.  Why not branch out to a new venue to share some of my fishing stories, photos and videos? 

There isn't too much to say just yet.  Keep checking back to see what is new and exciting in the world of fishing and the great outdoors.  Tight Lines!