O.K.,O.K. Everyone keeps asking about the big cuttie, or cut bow or what ever it is. So here's the deal. I was out for a hike with my roomate and his girlfriend to Far Lake. I wasn't planning on fishing much if at all, but of course i had some fishing stuff with me. It's a place with allot of water and allot of water takes allot of time to cover and we had other adventure on our minds. We were way out on a far shore and from the trail i noticed a couple fisherman near where a seasonal feeder flowed in. It was odd to see other anglers out there so i stopped for a closer look. It was a guy and a girl with spinning rods. I watched from in the bushes as she pulled a decent trout from the deep dark water. They flopped it on the rocks he whacked the shit out of it. I was bummed i had to witness that, but i took a mental note that there must be some trout in that area. Later in the day, we passed that spot again. The other fisherman were gone. I figured it had already got whacked, but what the heck, i have a few minutes and i'll throw a few cast.
As i neared the water i was looking, looking, looking like I always do. In a crack between some big boulders i spotted a face looking up at me. It was a trout face. Clearly a rainbow. We made eye contact. I threw my streamer at it. A few small bubbles came up as it laughed at me and disappeared into the deep. I yelled up at my buddy, "Hey, there's a trout in here. I'm going to fish for a few." Since the trout had already laughed at my favorite streamer, i decided to probe the deep with some nymphs. After about fifteen minutes of slow fishing in deep water with a size 12 stonefly nymph, my line stopped. First i thought i snagged the bottom again. Then came the huge thud and i could feel i was into something with some weight behind it. It started making massive body bends that translated into huge pulsating thumps down my rod. i reefed back and we danced. He went this way and that and stayed deep. There was some, for sure loose the fish, snags near by that i tried with all my rods might to steer him away from.
After several minutes of this, he rose from the depths. I saw his color and shape and started to shake. I knew it was a cuttie and the fish of a lifetime. I could also see my little nymph barley sticking out of the tip of his upper snout.
He looked at me and i looked at him. He ran out away but near the surface of the water. I thought this is it, he's not stopping and i'm going to loose him. Then all of a sudden he stopped and turned around. He started heading right at me. I was perched knee deep on just a small foothold that was the only place in the boulders i could stand and cast a fly and possibly land a fish without dragging it over rocks and jacking it all up. I didn't have a net, but at this moment i wished i had. I stripped in line as fast as i could and he just kept coming. Right at me. He came in like a torpedo. Trying to take out my knees. The first week spot he could see from the water. I juked as best i could and lifted a leg. He went through my legs and banked off the rock. I lifted my leg over the line and my rod and barely managed to keep my balance on one leg without going in. He ran out again and made an attempt at a jump. His massive flanks barely clearing the water as he pulled a 180. He came in again fast and this time with his mouth open. I could see the glean of his razor teeth. In a split second i switched the rod from my right hand to my left. I leaned sideways and just as he came in for my leg i tried to punch in in the side of the face. My fist grazed off his this boney head but managed to knock him off course enough to deflect his attack.
In a second he was back off the rocks and turned for another assault. He shot in fast and I tried to give him a left foot kick because my right foot was on the best foothold. He swirled around me trying to wrap my legs like how Luke took out the At At's in The Empire Strikes back. I pulled a Karate Kid and switched feet with a quick jump. I raised my left leg high. Distracted, he glanced at it for a split second. It was all i needed to swan kick his ass in the side. He turned up on his side and in fish talked yelled "Uncle". I tried to make a quick grab at his tail. I couldn't get my had around it with any kind of grip. I didn't want to grab his gill, so i went for the jaw. I grabbed his lower right jaw bone hard with my thumb in his mouth and four fingers dug into the lowers of his outside mouth. Chomp once, Chomp twice. He cut a tick tack toe board into my hand. I let go and he thrashed like mad. I thought he was gone but my rod came tight. Somehow he was still on my line. We were both winded, but i knew i had to whip him in round two.
I wanted to climb the top rope at that point and DDT his ass. Instead i just played him out. Give and take, give and take. In the end, it was my high priced graphite that whipped his ass. He once again played dead and rolled to the top. He opened his massive jaw and i took it as a sign he was giving up. i mistook the white of his massive mouth for a white flag. i took the bait and once again went in for the grab. As soon as i had a tight grip on his massive jaw, he came back to life and began to thrash. It was like a gator had gotten ahold of my arm. He almost ripped it out of the socket with his gnarly body bends. I knew this might be the biggest trout i ever get to touch. Death grip set in. With my rod barley dangling i grabbed the rock with my other hand to hold on. All my roomate could do was stand helplessly on top of the rock as i held on for my life. Then a miracle, the trout stopped shacking. I yelled quick, quick, get the shot. My buddy held his arms down the face of the rock. I grabbed the fish with one arm completely around it like you would hold a small dog or a 4H pig. I couldn't lift it out of the water. I repositioned and bent my knees into it this time. I hoisted him from the water and smiled like i just won the lottery. Rubini got the shot right before the giant creature bent and i dropped it. My line was tight and the hook popped out when it hit the water. I made another slash for it's tail but couldn't grip his mass with one hand. He splashed and disappeared into the depths again. I just sat there shaking until....Drip, Drip, Drip, the blood from my hand stained the water. Who ever said Lahontans don't fight is tripping. It was one of the best and one of the most frightening moment of my life.
I put my rod down and said "that's it. i quite. " "Rubini, i'm done. Tell everyone i quite fishing. That was the trout of a lifetime." He said "That was gnarly but, yeah right. That's like when Snoop Dog put out a press release telling everyone he stopped smoking weed." " You'll probably be fishing again in a few minutes. In the mean time, let me get a couple cast up in there."
At 8, Ryan's got the grip and grin down. 
