Landed a dandy today.

[WinterrunRon]

Met up with this dandy fella this morning on the American. Not the chrome fish I was hoping for but handsome non the less. Very solid, very stout, very heavy! And now back where he belongs.

I fought his pal as well but he/she came unbuttoned. Water was down 4 inches this morning, temp is about 49.

Ron

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k63/WinterrunRon/IMG_0648.jpg

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That's a special photo with feelings Ron.

We had pretty good fishing back in the '60s and '70s but then the '80s really sucked and I thought it was the end of the river as we knew it.

Thank God it is still fishing well with great fish like yours here returning from the ocean.

[sculpin]

Ron
That's a really nice photo and fish. It's hard for me to imagine 49 degree water low enough to fish with flies in right now . And the photo looks like there is a little sun out to brighten the day . Keep up the good work the reports from down there help with the shack nasties up here .

Mark

[WinterrunRon]

Here's the morning, Mark. Warm days bring morning fog but it burns off rather quickly. It was much thicker in the morning, but thick fog isn't much of a picture! My favorite weather to fish in is foggy. It just intensifies the mysterious, stealthy feeling I get when I'm "hunting" steelhead.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k63/WinterrunRon/IMG_0625.jpg

Here's the evening. Sorry, hope this doesn't bum you out.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k63/WinterrunRon/IMG_0622.jpg

I don't fish all day, usuallly just mornings and evenings, sometimes both in a day if I can.

I'm really bummed for you Oregon/Washington boys right now. Your waters are so awesome, it's a shame they not in shape to fly fish. Keep your chin up.

Thanks, Bill.

There like children to me... all special in their own unique way. Wouldn't you agree?

Ron

Ron

[Hairstacker]

Nice fish Ron, congratulations!! I REALLY like the photo of it. 8) 8) 8)

[burl51]

Ron
What a great shot. That fish is to cool.
Could ya let us in on your secret swingin or indicator
and what bugs do ya fish?

Tight lines Burl

[jbird]

Ron
That really looks like a monster buck! It kinda looks like a hatchery fish, but its hard to tell from the angle.

If you like fog, live in our area for a couple years and we'll change that for ya. :D We get socked in for days and even weeks on end, and it stays in the 30's....yuck!


Jay

[Keith Kaneko]

Hi Ron,

Absolutely beautiful shot of your morning trophy... and it looks like you got'em on your spey rod. Good on Ya! Nice to see that some are enticing fish in sub-50 degree water.

FISH ON Ron!

-KK

[WinterrunRon]

Thanks, Mike.

burl51- I have no secret methods or bugs. Here's a picture
of the egg-sucking leach that he fell for this day. I hooked
two (lost one) in three hours on this pattern.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k63/WinterrunRon/IMG_0651.jpg

Jay- He was hatchery reared. I find that sometimes the
bigger, older fish grow it back a little bit if it's not taken off completely. Hard to tell in the pic.

KK- Thanks. Spey rod it was.

[jbird]

Ron the shape of the dorsal fin is as much a give away as the adipose. If it wasnt for the stunted dorsal fin, I wouldnt have even looked at the adipose, I would have assumed it was wild just cause its so big and girthy! What a wonderful fish.

Jay

[aaron]

Way to go Ron! Glad your spey rod is back in action.

[WinterrunRon]

Jay,

Indeed a wonderful fish, thanks. But tell me more about the stunted dorsal fin as it relates to wild/hathery status. I've never looked to the dorsal to determine wild/hatchery origin. DFG here only clips the adipose as far as I'm aware.

Ron

[jbird]

Ron

I dont know the exact cause of it and its not on every hatchery fish. It si Very common tho. They are sometimes frayed like tristan said, but more often they are kind of laid over. Kinda like they grew up in a tube just big enough to fit inside of. Their other fins can be stunted too, but the dorsal is usualy the give away. One of the gorgeous characteristics of a wild fish is how their fins all stand up and are large and sail like.
A good number of the trout that are stocked in our lakes here in s. oregon dont have a fin clip, but they are all easy to identify cause their fins are small and stunted.
That fish you got there is one to be proud of for sure! I'm glad your carrying a camera and sharing them with us. I saw your most recent fish too. Dang Dude!! You are really havin some fun lately......jealous :? :D

Jay