Most of us initially joined Trout Unlimited due to our love of trout fishing and later realized the importance of conservation efforts to sustain the future of our cold-water fisheries. We continue to fish for many reasons and sometimes fishing can even become an obsession. Sara and I have been striving to complete the Utah Cutthroat Slam for the past year; so, I thought I would share our most recent experience with you.
Sara caught three of the four subspecies of cutthroat trout required to complete the Slam last summer and only needed to catch one Yellowstone Cutthroat. Yes, native Yellowstone Cutthroat really exist in the Raft River Mountain Range in Northern Utah and are slightly more elusive than Bigfoot and live in creeks the size of drainage ditches. On the first day the water temperature was 47 degrees and flowing high. She got three strikes in about 5 hours of fishing and managed to hook one that went into a root ball. I was able to touch the fish, but unable to free it from the roots. I finally decided it was time to go for broke and tried to net the entire root ball which was an epic failure. Needless to say, it was a quiet 90-mile ride back to Brigham City which is the closest town with a restaurant and hotel.
After a week in Yellowstone National Park, we returned to the Raft River Mountains hoping for warmer and lower water to improve fishing conditions. Heavy rains overnight actually made the water higher and colder (44 degrees). After two hours, Sara got a strike and “landed” the trout. I suggested she just sling the trout into the bushes and I would go find it if it came off. As luck would have it, the fish came unhooked and landed on the bank less than a foot from the creek. I did my best mountain lion imitation and pounced on top of the 4-inch trout. Note: None of the above methods are approved by Trout Unlimited. I did manage to revive the fish, but am certain it needs a few weeks of therapy before returning to normal. It’s memories like these that keep us fishing.
The June Chapter meeting will feature the presentation of the Eddy George Award. The Eddy George Award is presented to the person with the greatest number of volunteer hours in support of the Fisheries Department on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Bob Bishop, President
