Heritage Trout # 6

Andy and I were one fish from finishing the California Heritage Trout Challenge. We decided we would head west again and try for the Coastal Cutthroat. We had some great advice, once again from our good friend Mike. We knew it would be a super tough bite but we were still very excited. Mike had suggested a side road directly off highway 1 that would enable us to drive right down to the water. Mike had caught his coastal cutthroat here and we felt it would be a good start. We pumped up our float tubes and put in. I noticed some duck hunters on the shore and started heading to deeper water, to stay out of there way. I hooked up instantly. I looked behind me to give Andy a little heads up that I had a fish already. He was too busy to notice because he was releasing one. We had both just caught a couple of small steelhead. Fun fish but we were after cutthroat.

We started heading towards the main creek inlet. We were getting bit the whole way, but not able to land anything. Andy headed towards the mouth of the creek. He was catching a few small steelhead. I stayed out on the main body. I was getting bites, but just could not close the deal. I was starting to get a little frustrated. Then Andy called me on the walky talky, “I got a cutthroat” he was yelling. I was very excited for him, but now the pressure was on me. Andy said there were more in the creek mouth and I needed to get over there.

Andy decided to stop fishing and move off the spot so I would have a chance. By this time I was almost back at where we started and it would take me an hour to get over to the inlet. I started trolling really fast trying to make up some time, while the same time hoping a fish would be willing to eat my wiggle tail. I hooked one pretty quick. This fish looked a little different so I checked under his gills and sure enough he had the red slashes that indicated a cutthroat. I took a few pictures and headed towards Andy. I was relieved and now I felt I could just relax and fish. I opened up my camera to look at the picture I just took. I was not happy with the photo and figured I would get over to the inlet and get a better photo of a cutthroat. When I arrived at the inlet fish were rising like crazy. I caught small steelie after steelie. Man I need a cutthroat. I fished for an hour or so, but just kept catching steelies. By now it was starting to get late and we had a six hour drive to get home. Andy called me on the radio, his waders were leaking it was starting to rain and we had to split. The picture I had, would have to do. All the way home I kept looking at the picture, hoping it would look better on the computer screen than on the small camera screen.

When I got home the first thing I did was open my computer and load the picture. It looked much better than I expected and we were good to go.

The California Heritage Trout challenge is complete.

We took three months, drove over five thousand miles and fished lakes, ponds, swamps and lagoons.

It was an amazing adventure. Andy and I fished places we would of never seen or even thought of going. It also brought us back together as fishing buds. I will remember this adventure for the rest of my life.

Comments

[Andrew Bowman]

Hey goofball we drove over 6000 miles>>>>> and I too am happy to have been a part of this adventure. I am so glad we are fishing together again :)