Trout Fishing Tournament, JOIN TEAM “HIS PLACE” 3/26/11 – COME FISH WITH US!

We’re gonna Dominate ‘Em…  We’re gonna Humiliate ‘Em…

WE’RE GONNA MAKE ‘EM CRY FOR THEIR MAMAS…

Can you Trout Fish with (and against) the Best Trout Guides on the White River?  JOIN US!

His Place Resort is doing something new!  JOIN TEAM HIS PLACE as we dominate the White River by fishing with us in one of our two divisions; HIS PLACE TROUT MASTERS or HIS PLACE PRO-STAFF!

It’s Team His Place Against EVERYBODY ELSE on the White River – Saturday, March 26, 2011.

The 2011 Annual Shawnee Boats, Inc. Trout Tournament, sponsored by the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce, takes place this year on the White River at the Cotter Access Ramp in the Big Spring Park.  Time:  7:00 AM — 2:00 PM.  We will compete as a team…  and we will be victorious!  Here’s the short story on the Loot!

• Special Boat Drawing (Only Tournament Entrants eligible)
  • Valued at $6900, win a New 2011 Shawnee Deluxe John Boat, Trailer & Seats,  (motor available at cost)  Donated by Shawnee Boats, Inc., Must be present to win
• Big Fish Pot — $2500 payout, based on 100 entries
  • All Prize Funds listed below are Pro-rated based on 100 entries
• 1st Place — $1000, 2nd Place — $800, 3rd Place — $600, 4th Place — $400, 5th Place — $300,
  6th thru 10th Place — $100 ea

The PRO-STAFF Division has 4 of the best White River Trout Fishing Guides alive booked for this tournament, and I’m fishin’ with one of ‘em.  That leaves 3 openings on the Pro-Staff team for our guests.

The TROUT MASTERS Division is made up of our guests who want fish with their favorite fishin’ buddies, and compete as part of TEAM HIS PLACE.  Members of the Trout Masters division can either fish out of their own personal john boats, or can rent one from us.

Become part of His Place Team TROUT MASTERS or Team PRO-STAFF and feel the VICTORY!

***INSTRUCTIONS FOR FISHING WITH TEAM HIS PLACE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE***

PRO-STAFF DIVISION, TEAM HIS PLACE

PRO-STAFF DIVISION, “DIVA CREW” — DALE a.k.a. “the RUNT” & the TROUT DIVA…  tough as they come, and ALL OVER those TROUT!  Runt’s partner on Team Pro-Staff is, of course, the TROUT DIVA.  Runt is ALWAYS the Trout Diva’s fishing partner.  Be afraid…  be very afraid of these members of Team His Place!  They know where those Big Boyz are hidin’ and THEY ARE IN IT TO WIN IT, folks!

PRO-STAFF DIVISION, “‘ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST’ CREW” — PRESLEY a.k.a. “HAPPY” & DR. FEELGOOD.  Do you know WHY this man is HAPPY???  Because the Big Brown Trout can’t resist him!  He knows the river like few others, and he’ll blow by you with a smile on his face and a bigger trout on his line!  And his partner?  Someone who knows all about Smiles!  Jonathan B., a.k.a “Dr. FeelGood” , a long-time resort guest and Big Trout Specialist, is a dentist from the Show-Me State…  Happy & Dr. FeelGood are gonna have every reason to be all smiles, as they watch competitor after competitor Bite the Dust!

PRO-STAFF DIVISION, “WHIPPIN’ CREW”  — BRAD a.k.a. “BABY-FACE” & MISSISSIPPI WHIPPIN’ BOY.  Don’t let that young face fool ya, folks…  Baby-Face has lived here all his life and is one of the best guides on the river.  In addition to those Big Brown Trout, he has a way with the Rainbows, too.  His partner, Gregg P., is a good friend of ours and a regular at the resort.  An excellent fisherman,  he is extremely competitive (about everything, huh, Rita?) and told me he’s gonna “show the competition what it’s like to take a Whippin’ from an ol’ Mississippi boy… “  This will be one tough crew!

PRO-STAFF DIVISION, “CASUALTY CREW”  — CURTIS a.k.a. THE ‘KILLA’ & THE CISCO KID. This Trout-Fishing Terror of the White is laid-back and cool, but one helluva serious guide.  Not only do White River Trout tremble when they hear his name, so do the other guides…  and his partner, Winston C., the Cisco Kid???  No, he ain’t gonna be fishin’ with Pancho, folks.  After all, when you’re dealin’ with a ‘Killa’, you gotta call a Superhero!  One thing for sure, this crew will leave plenty of casualties in their wake!   Welcome, “Casualty Crew”, to the Pro-Staff Division of Team His Place!

TROUT MASTERS DIVISION, TEAM HIS PLACE

TROUT MASTERS DIVISION — Top left, Matt R. & Rita P., a.k.a “Gilligan & Mrs. Howell” are the first entrants in the TROUT MASTERS DIVISION!  (Rita’s husband is fishing with “Baby Face” in the Pro-Staff Division.)  Gilligan and Mrs. Howell are going to “set out from this tropic port (or the Cotter Ramp) aboard their tiny ship!”  Welcome “Crew S.S. MINNOW” to the Trout Master Division of Team His Place!

TROUT MASTERS DIVISION — Top right, John M. & Aaron M., a.k.a “Big John & Anglin’ Aaron” are a Father/Son team from Iowa that you”ll want to watch…  The family are regulars at the resort, and the Trout’s ability to avoid their prey is totally Devastated when these two fish.  During a one week stay last summer, they boated over 30 legal browns (all successfully released).  Welcome “Crew Devastation” to the Trout Master Division of Team His Place!

Instructions to Compete in the His Place “PRO-STAFF” Division:

• Call me (Julie) directly, 866-435-6535
• I will pair you with one of our Pro-Staff Team Members featured above
• I will need to fill out your entry form in order to pair you with one of our Pro-Staff
• I will enter you in the tournament, and send you confirmation of your status
• To be on this team, you must agree to let me use your picture!  You must send a picture of yourself that I can post here, and be OK with your name & image being shown now and after the event, which will, of course, make you famous and bring you luck!
• Download the RULES and study them
• Cost for 1 person – $225, non-refundable at time of booking. This fee will cover:
  • Entry fee into the Tournament
  • Team entry fee for the Big Fish Pot
  • Entry into the Shawnee Boat Drawing
  • 1 meal ticket (served at the pavilion beginning at 2:00 PM, after the weigh-in)
• Let me know if you will need lodging, and we’ll help you with that, too
• There will be NO trout killed.  The official tournament rules allow a big fish to be taken, BUT TEAM HIS PLACE RULES DO NOT.  By fishing on the Pro-Staff team, you agree NOT to harvest – PERIOD!
• Winnings will be split down the middle.  It’s a team.  By participating on the Pro-Staff team, you agree that team winnings are just that – TEAM winnings.  You agree that anything won will be split 50/50 with your guide.  In the event of winning the Boat Drawing, one team member may buy the other out for $2000.  If neither or both want(s) to buy the other out, team members agree to sell boat locally, and split profits.  HPR will oversee sale of boat.

Instructions to Compete in the His Place “TROUT-MASTERS” Division:

• Call me (Julie) directly, 866-435-6535, to make sure there is still availability
• Let me know if you’re bringing your own boat, or want to rent one of ours
• Download this application, get it filled out immediately & signed by both you and your partner
• Fax it back to me at 870-435-6536.  There will be no time to mail it!
• I will accept CC payment over the phone, then get you enrolled immediately
• I will send you confirmation of your status
• Download the RULES and study them
• Download the FLYER if you want basic info
• To be on this team, you must agree to let me use your picture!  You must send a picture of yourself that I can post here, and be OK with your name & image being shown now and after the event, which will, of course, make you famous and bring you luck!
• There will be NO trout killed.  The official tournament rules allow a big fish to be taken, BUT TEAM HIS PLACE RULES DO NOT.  By fishing the TROUT MASTERS team, you agree NOT to harvest – PERIOD!

http://www.wired2fish.com/Engine-Products-Group-Files-Suit-on-EPA-Ethanol-15-Waiver-Ruling-WhatsUp4671.

Well, the Trout Diva got a real treat!  I was invited to go out with the fine folks from AGFC on an ElectroFishing Trip.  AGFC uses this method to sample fish from our trout waters to get vital management information…  So, I decided to make a video documentary.  I hope you find it interesting…

2 parts to the video…  enjoy!

Steve B. shows off his beautiful hookjaw (male) Brown Trout fishing near Cotter.  This Trout was released unharmed, of course…  Great job, Steve!  I told you I’d make you famous!  As you can see from the photo, this trout is ready to go back in the river, folks! 

I thought this was a great photo to give you a little fishing report.  The Brown’s have really been working on all 4 of my favorite colors of Rapala Countdowns – Gold/Black, Silver/Black, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout patterns in sizes 7 & 9. 

Also working well is the 3″ Smelt, which is an artificial, scented product.  It looks like a dead minnow, with a dark charcoal back and a light, almost white, underside.  Just hook those through the head and run them on a standard river rig.  Brown Trout think they are so yummy! 

White River Trout Fishing at it’s finest at His Place Resort in Cotter, AR – Trout Capital USA! 

See you on the River, folks! 

Brown Trout on the White River at His Place Resort

So, I let it run for a little bit, as I tried to fight it back toward the bank where I was standing. Then, all of a sudden, it was just like I hit a rock. You know what I’m talking about. That trout had gotten behind a rock, and there was absolutely nothing I could do.
I kept pressure on the line for about 10 minutes. Nothing…
Sometimes, as you probably already know, trout will go down and rub their mouth against something in an attempt to get the hook out; often this tactic is successful and they get away. But, not only did I NOT want to throw in the towel, but I did not want to lose that $10 lure, either!
So, I kicked the switch on my reel so I could Spool backwards & let out line. I climbed back up the bank, & into the yard by cabin 12 and just started pulling as hard as I could.
All of a sudden, I felt slack. I started to say bad words, because I thought I had broken it off! But, then, I felt that shake and it started running again!
I had that trout loose and I had not broke it off!!! about another five minutes, and I had her to the bank. I was actually a little bit afraid, because I had really played this fish hard, and after I got the lure out of her mouth, she was trying to float on her side – this is not a good sign!
So, in my brand-new pair of $120 tennis shoes, into the River I go to properly revive the fish. I got a couple of pictures with my Blackberry phone while doing so.  

Brown Trout on the White River at His Place Resort

 She was only about 22 inches, definitely a respectable fish, but certainly not a monster… but let me tell you what!  This trout had some serious fight in it! It took about 10-15 minutes of me trying to revive her, and then she tried to bite me.
Typically, when they feel good enough to thrash around and try to bite you – you can rest assured that they will be fine! LOL!
Anyway, have a good evening y’all! Trout Diva is now going to try and revive her tennis shoes…  

OK, OK…  I haven’t really lost it; not completely, anyway.  Although, over the last couple of weeks, I really thought some of y’all had!  I’m sorry, really I am…  There have been a couple of people tell me that they’ve caught this bright “golden” trout.  Honestly, I thought they were just having trouble identifying a cutthroat, or perhaps they’d happened upon one of the long-forgotten moonshine stills rumored to still be in operation in the nearby hills… 

But, you were right!  I was wrong…  There, I said it, OK???  Trout Diva was wrong!  Put it down in your diaries boys & girls, because you won’t hear those words coming from the Trout Diva too often! 

So, what IS going on with these weird, beautiful new trout in the White River???  Is it a freak of nature?  Have the mad scientists been tweaking the genome of trout for some wonderful, new fishing experience for you? 

Well, yes to both questions, really… 

AGFC, in order to make up for the shortfalls of hatchery production last year, have purchased and introduced Golden Rainbow Trout into the White River.  Jeff Williams, our Trout Biologist at AGFC, told me this at our last Outfitter’s meeting.  Here’s a photo of one caught a little bit upriver from me; photo courtesy of Phyllis at Wildcat Shoals.  Check it out! 

Golden Rainbow Trout on the White River, Cotter, AR

OK, so just exactly what are these trout and where did they come from?  Let me start by telling you what they are not… 

They are not Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita).  A Golden Rainbow Trout’s scientific designation is identical to that of the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) you’re all familiar with.  This is because they were created (or engineered, depending on your point of view) from a naturally occurring color variation of your “run-of-the-mill” Rainbow Trout. 

Yes, from what I could find out, all “West Virginia Golden Rainbow Trout” originated from “Eve”, a single female trout; a true genetic “Super Freak” of nature that occurred in 1954 in West Virginia, hence the name.  Pretty cool, huh? 

(Yes, Trout Diva is listening to old 70′s & 80′s funk this morning…  can you tell?  It’s good for you every once in awhile…  That Rick James song will now be playing in your head all day, too, as it will be in mine…  I had to turn it on to chase the Willy Wonka “Golden Ticket” song out of my head…) 

This is where the mad scientists jumped in…  They took one look at this captured female and thought, “Wow…  this is cool…  Let’s make some more!”  It took several generations of selective breeding to create the true, breeding Golden Rainbow Trout. 

So, you think you’ve seen these before?  You called them a Palomino Trout?  Nope…  They’re not Palomino Trout, either…  not exactly… 

The result of a “true” Golden Rainbow Trout crossed with a normal Rainbow Trout is today called a Palomino Trout, (still an Oncorhynchus mykiss) which is typically much lighter in color than a Golden Rainbow Trout. 

However, when you remember that all Golden Rainbow Trout came from our single, super-freaky female that was crossed with normal Rainbow Trout, (how we get Palominos today) the distinction does become fuzzier and less relevant the further back you trace their origin.  Gotta love those mad scientists!  You GO, you genome-tweakin’ maniacs, you!  Cool stuff! 

So, now to address a more practical matter; one might wonder how the game wardens view these trout when looking at harvest regulations, posession limits, etc.  They’re to be treated just like Rainbow Trout.  All the same regulations apply. 

However, they’re SO cool looking that the Trout Diva hopes you will not harvest them so others can get a chance to see one!  Just take a picture, give it a quick kiss, and put it back! 

They have enough going against them, anyway.  Think about it for a minute…  They are bright!  You can see them half-way across the river.  And so can the Great Blue Herons…  and the Bald Eagles…  and other Brown Trout.  Although there is no scientific evidence I can find to reference at this time; common sense would clearly indicate that the survivability of these trout would be substantially lower; they just do not “blend in” to their surroundings at all. 

But CAN they be successful?  Well, apparently they can; at least they have been in some other locations…  check out this “mature” Golden Rainbow Trout at 13 lb, 4 oz. 

Mature Golden Rainbow Trout

Now, THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!  At this point, of course, no one really knows if they have the potential to get this large in the White River…  But, hey…  We grow huge trout here, so maybe someday we’ll see something of this size.  Why not? 

Anyway, just wanted to share this information with you…  Just add this potential experience to the long list of reasons to come and visit us on the White River, in the Arkansas Ozarks. 

The Trout Diva awaits your arrival… 

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It’s only fitting that  my Dad would write about bridging that gap over 50 years ago, and finding common ground with others who truly love the White River, even if only for a day.  It’s just the kind of man he is. 

We could all learn something from him.

I’ll let him tell y’all about it in his own words…  enjoy!

COWBOY COLLIE

By Bob Watts 

Cowboy Collie, 1955, Cotter Big Spring Park

He was a big man, about 60, and always wore overalls and a wide brimmed straw hat.  Lived right there in Cotter along with his two fox hounds.  Apparently no wife.  Walked with a limp caused by supposedly trying to ride a buffalo in a small circus back in his younger days.  He fished the river about twice a week and had the reputation of catching more big trout than just about anyone else.

He kept about every trout he caught over about 2 lbs.  Some would probably have gone at least 5.  So what could one man do with all those trout?  Well, sad to say, he fed ‘em to his fox hounds.  Now that didn’t go over too well with a lot of the locals, especially the fishing guides, whose livelihood depended on tourists coming down there and all hoping to catch a big trout.  Cowboy simply said he didn’t like the taste of trout and was sorry they ever built the dam.

I first noticed Cowboy in a restaurant located on the ground floor of the Waverly Hotel in Cotter.  I usually had breakfast there about 6:30 a.m. and he would often be there having coffee.  We never spoke.  Believe one reason is that some of the locals figured that I might be a secret agent for the ATF.  (Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms Dept) Yes, there were still several illegal stills operating in the surrounding hills

One morning, all of a sudden, he finally spoke to me.   “Well, young man, have you been getting your share of the big ‘uns?”  I could hardly believe he spoke to me.  I replied something like “Well, I get a big one occasionally, but sure haven’t learned how to catch ‘em like you do”.  (right out of Dale Carnegie).  Apparently, I said the right thing. 

“Well, I’m going out in about 30 minutes, If you want to come along, meet me at Millers (the trout dock) in 30 minutes and don’t be late.”  Then, as he was walking out the door, he turned and said, “And don’t be bringing that switch you use.  I got all the tackle we’ll need.”

Holy smoke!  I just got invited to go fishing with the best big trout fisherman on the whole river.  And if that wasn’t good enough, I now had a new name for my very expensive fly rod – a switch…  Oh well.

When I got to the trout dock, Cowboy was already in his boat bailing it out.  Since the boat was kept in a covered dock, assumed it leaked.  My first impression of the boat was that it was probably built around the beginning of time.  There were some random splotches of a dull green color along the sides of the boat.  Probably some very old green paint that had not yet fallen off, or some mold.  I was leaning toward the mold, but before I could figure this one out, up the river we were going.

We stopped in some quiet water just off the main current.  Cowboy threw out the anchor which was made from a Folgers coffee can filled with cement with an eye protruding out of the cement.  Ohh-kay.  Next he handed a rod and reel which could have handled at least a hundred lb. fish.  Then, here came the bait.  It was a peeled crawdad tail.  Turned out that was the only bait he ever used!

Well, we hadn’t been there 5 minutes when here came a boat with 3 locals in it.  One of ‘em hollered out something like, “You want one this morning?”  Cowboy replied in the affirmative.  Well, one what?  Didn’t ask, as I had already learned that the less questions I asked down in that country the better.  Saw Cowboy look at his watch and then it was back to fishing. 

Now would like to tell all of you that we proceeded to catch a lot of big trout, but we didn’t.  Guess even Cowboy had some bad days.  After about 45 minutes, the largest trout we (actually Cowboy) caught was about 2 lbs.  During this time, I did notice Cowboy check the time on his wrist watch several times.  At one time, I thought I saw a Mickey Mouse imprint on his watch, but no.  Surely not.  He also started shading his eyes and looking upstream. 

All of a sudden, Cowboy said, “O.K.  Bring in your bait.  We’re moving.”  He then headed straight out to the main current and kept his outboard running at just the speed necessary to keep us from going either upstream or down.  Yes, he kept shading his eyes and looking upstream.  Then I saw something that was round and green floating down with the current.  Cowboy suddenly grabbed his oversize landing net and netted – are you ready for this – a small watermelon!

Apparently, the 3 locals knew of a watermelon patch up the river somewhere and picked out a few.  One was for Cowboy which they promptly threw in the river.  Hey, thanks guys.  The watermelon was delicious!

So here I was, in a boat that made ugly look good, with an old man who, after one glance, you just knew owned the boat, fishing with tackle that was an insult to all rainbow trout, using peeled crawdad tails which was, and still is, absolutely forbidden by all snobbish fly fisherman like myself, eating watermelon, and with my shirt stained all down the front with watermelon juice.  My napkin happened to be what I was wearing.  Come to think about it, my shirt wasn’t all that clean before the watermelon came along.

Anyhow, all I needed now was to have one of my fly fishing friends come by in a boat & see me.  I mean, how embarrassing would that be?  I would probably never hear the end of it.  Oh, well.  So kept right on fishing (if you can call it that) and almost before I knew it, it was a little after 12 & the water started rising.  Now Cowboy would not fish in high water, so off we took to go back to the dock. 

On the way, got to thinking.  I really had a great time that day.  Got invited to go fishing with a man who was close to being a legend in his own time.  The weather was great and the scenery was outstanding.  Got kicked off my fly fishing high horse and landed with only minor pain which soon went away.  Saw a brand new way to order watermelon.  Guess not too many people have ever seen anything like that.  And to top it all off, realized that the fact that we did not have a very good fishing day was really not all that important.

Oh well, as the old saying goes, live and learn…

You know, it really IS better to be lucky than it is to be good…  I say that because nothing short of being extremely lucky (except possibly Divine Intervention) could explain the story I’m about to tell ‘ya…

OK, so it’s my “quiet time” a few nights ago…  It’s been really busy, so when I can pull it off, even if it’s only for a half hour or so, I’ll just go down to the dock to relax and wet a line.  I’m a high-water fan myself, and in the evenings the water’s been up for the last few nights, so it was just how I like it…

Just to be comfortable, I sit in one of our rental boats, which I tied up so I’d just hang off the back of the dock.  It’s about 7:30 or so, and it’s gettin’ dark by9:00.  I decide to use a large lure, as I’m hopin’ to pick up something a little nicer.  I had a new Rapala Shad-Rap Deep Runner SR-7 in Crawdad color I wanted to try; so I tied it on and started throwin’ it out toward the bank.

Took a little bit to get used to it, because as the name of that lure implies, it tends to really run deep, and even sitting stationary in 7 generators I managed to get it into the coontail moss on the bottom of the river several times before I figured out how it wanted to run.

I’d been spottin’ a couple of larger Browns out from our Observation Deck, below the tube where AGFC stocks the trout. 

(That’s why the Browns hang out there to begin with, btw…  They hear the ole stockin’ truck rollin’ up and they just sit at the bottom of the tube, with their big mouths open, and just gobble up what comes out!)

So, I’d just been sittin’ there for about 20 minutes or so, and I’d only had 1 strike, and was actually fixin’ to call it a night.  But, you know how it is…  just ONE more cast…  was that a hit?  Could’ve been a hit, maybe… OK, maybe just one more cast…  wait, got into the moss…  that one doesn’t count!  OK, this is really going to be my FINAL cast.

And then, SLAM!  I had something on, and I knew it was a good one…  Then, it took off down river.  My drag was set pretty tight, and that fish was just yankin’ line off…  FLAMES and SMOKE were comin’ off my reel as this fish had decided it didn’t want anything to do with me!

I had to just let it run for awhile, because any attempt at reeling at this point was just spinnin’ it over the gears of the reel.  I let it swim a bit, then I tightened the drag a little more and started tryin’ to fight it.

I was havin’ a blast!  After awhile, I thought to myself, “Wow!  This trout is pullin’ so hard it feels like I’m bein’ dragged down river!” 

That’s when I noticed it…  The observation deck, which is a little bit down river of where I’m sittin’ tied up off the dock is now BESIDE me instead of down river of me…

Uh-oh… (That is the PG version of what was going through my mind at the moment…)

I turned around, and sure enough, I’d come untied…  Yup, that fish was pullin’ hard enough that the knot I’d used to tie myself off the back of the dock had come undone!

I quickly attempt to evaluate my situation… 

I have a big fish on.  Check…
This fish is fightin’, changin’ direction, strippin’ my line off my reel.  Check…
The fog is comin’ in really thick.  Check…
A heavy patch I can’t see into at all is less than 50 feet away.  Check…
It’s almost dark.  Check…
The motor is in the upright/locked position.  Check…
The fuel line is not connected.  Check…
No immediate assistance is available.   Check…
Is there any way I can blame this on my husband?  No.  %^$*&^!!!  Check…

My final assessment of my situation?  NOT GOOD!

So, what to do???  I really don’t want to lose this fish!!!  For a split second, I think if I drift close enough to the launch ramp I’ll abandon ship and worry about getting the boat later!  No, No, No…  not a rational thought.  Besides, I’d have to explain that brilliant piece of logic to Lord Vader after the fact…  Hmmm… Not a conversation I’m wanting to have with my husband!

OK, OK, I can do this…  I wait a bit longer until the fish momentarily quits running.  I put the rod under my left arm and try to get the motor down.  This is nearly impossible for me with one arm, those 4-strokes are kind of heavy, but I manage to do it. 

The sound of the motor clunking down makes the fish take off again, almost yankin’ the rod out from under my arm and out of the boat…  but, I got it.  I got it.  Man, I need about 3 more hands at this point…

OK, fuel line next…  I always have trouble getting these dang things connected even in broad daylight with 2 hands free, but I finally manage to get it.  OK, pump the fuel line…  got it.  Timing advance, out…  OK.  Prime the motor.  Yup, all good…

Now, fire it up.  Just as I tried to start the motor, the fish takes off again, and I almost lose the rod for about the third time, now…  OK, stop what you’re doing for a minute…  Fight the fish… 

OK, NOW start the motor.  Starts on 2nd pull.  OK, this is good. 

But, wait a minute…

Here’s where I start thinkin’ about the 3 Stooges… 

Yep, that’s right…  The 3 Stooges.  It’s pretty interesting where your mind goes in times of extreme trout fishing stress…  But, yeah…  I’m thinkin’ how ridiculous I must look at this point, and that I AM the 3 Stooges all wrapped up into ONE!  It would have been pretty dang funny on videotape, folks. 

Think about it for a minute…

I’m floating down river.  I’m also facing DOWN river.  Rod in left hand.  Motor tiller in right.  OK, this is not gonna work, Julie…  I need to be facing UP river so I can see where I’m going!  I need to get turned around, switch hands with the rod and tiller. 

Sounds simple, right?  Not so much!!!  Fish is freakin’ hearing the motor run, and is directly behind the boat at this point.  I about lose the rod again trying to get turned around, but finally manage to do it.

OK, this is better.  Facing the right way, rod in my right hand, operating the motor with left, starting to motor back to the dock.  But, every time I start pullin’ this fish back to the dock, he runs again…  Put the boat back in neutral and let him swim awhile…  OK, back into gear again…

This goes on for another 10 minutes or so, and I get back to the dock…  I re-tie the boat and try to bring the fish the rest of the way in.  I thought I had him a couple of times, but every time he sees the net, he spools back out. 

OK…  I think I have him this time…  I try (for about the 5th time) to get the net under him…  I almost have him and this crazy fish had ONE more trick left in him, and he did the “alligator death roll” on me, and spit that hook right out! 

That’s where the REAL luck (or maybe the REEL luck) kicked in.  That fish dropped right into the net, folks…  Right smack dab into the net…  Yup, I had him!  I couldn’t believe it!

Put him right in the livewell.  Watched him for a minute to make sure he was OK, and then went and got Steve.  This picture, unfortunately, is terrible, but you can still see this is a nice fish.  Between Steve’s green hat light, and the flourescent light on the dock, the camera just kind of freaked…

Trout Diva is Reel Lucky

It was probably only about 9 lb, not a monster, but a truly respectable fish. 

I’ve never had a trout give me a better fight than this guy!!!

And I’ve never felt so lucky to have landed one, either… 

Like I said, It REEL-Y IS Better to be Lucky Than It Is To Be Good!

Your White River Trout Diva

Well, until I’m done with them, anyway!

After all, catchin’ those big White River Trout just gives you an adrenaline rush that doesn’t mesh well with all that graciousness & humility nonsense…

Besides that, not much feels better than showin’ up those men-folk who know more about fishin’ than we do…  am I right?

Do you remember that old Bob Seger song?  The one called, “Her Strut”?  Yeh, you do…  You remember it — goes like this:

She’s totally committed…
to major independence…
But she’s a lady through and through…
She gives ‘em quite a battle!
All that they can handle…
She’ll bruise some, she’ll hurt some, too…
But, oh…  they love to watch her STRUT…
Oh…  they do respect her, but…
They love to watch her STRUT!
Oh…  they’ll kill to make the cut…
They LOVE to watch her STRUT!

Anyway, back to the story…

I just gotta tell ‘ya ’bout my Diva Joyce.  She’s one of those sweet, demure, good natured, and very humble ladies.

Yeh, Yeh…  I agree…  I needed to put an end to that ASAP!

Well, I did my best to corrupt her, a just little bit, while she was fishing with her husband, James.

Now, James is a great guy, to be sure — don’t get me wrong.  But, he deserved some ribbin’ after the major “Trout Fishin’ Smack-Down” Joyce put on him the other day…

Lemme tell ‘ya how it all happened…

First day out with one of our guides, she got this really nice Rainbow.  She came up and told me about it like it was no big deal — wanted me to come take a picture.  Actually, if memory serves, she said that, “the guide wanted to know if maybe I wanted to take a picture…”  Yeah, right…

Joyce w/ Rainbow Trout, His Place Resort

So, I went down to take a picture, not really expecting much, and about fell off the dock.  Folks, I’d have been shoutin’ from the rooftops with a Rainbow like this!  The picture really doesn’t do it justice.  And all I got out of Joyce was this sweet, disarming grin.

Well, I really teased her because she was SO humble about it.  She started talking about how it was “just good luck”, it was because of the “great guide” (which truly did have something to do with it), how her husband must have brought her luck, etc., and tried to totally downplay her Diva-ness…

I told her, “Hey, Joyce…  c’mon!”  THAT fish deserves a little STRUT, don’t you think?  Happy Fish Dance?  Something???  You need to be obnoxiously arrogant about it for at LEAST a week or two!”

She just kind of grinned at me, and went back to her cabin.  So, I razzed James a little bit as he walked back because I simply could not STAND the thought of him not appreciating just what a truly great Rainbow this was!  But he knew…  He absolutely knew…  Especially by the time I was done with him! 

So, anyway, they go out the next day, too…

They’re out with Big John again, and she comes walkin’ into the tackle shop ’round lunch time…  She has this great grin on her face…

She says, “Woops!  I did it again!  Got ‘yer camera, Julie???”

That’s when I saw it…  The STRUT…  You know the strut I’m talkin’ about.  That’s the moment I started thinkin’ ’bout that old Bob Seger song… I knew she had it goin’ ON down on the boat dock!

She was literally oozin’ tons of pure Trout Diva-ness…  Made me proud…  brought a tear to m’ eye…  So, I grab the camera and go down to the dock.

I was expecting to see something nice, but definitely not THIS nice — I got a picture of the best Rainbow I’ve seen in a long time…

Trout Diva Joyce... yep, it's bigger than the first one...

Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ ’bout!  Folks, you gotta understand…  This is the kind of Rainbow that you stop to thank Jesus personally, and if you listen carefully you can hear a choir of angels singing, “Hallelujah!”  OK, OK…  Well, it’s like that for me, anyway!

I don’t think Diva Joyce is gonna have any problems with that strut for awhile, folks…  Get a great fish like this once, maybe luck…  But, twice?  That’s pure Trout Diva-ness!

Strut on, sister Joyce!  Strut on, girl… 

And all the brethren said, “AMEN!”

Your White River Trout Diva