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...I've never noticed this blue patch behind the eye before...
Been a busy couple months with my son's football schedule (and still in the playoffs), but finally snuck out Sunday evening in a steady rain, and every fish I caught the other night had this blue spot...looked it up and it seems to be considered an indicator of wild fish.
Went back and looked at all the pics I've taken of browns this spring and summer and all have the blue patch (although it's more pronounced in these); I just never noticed before...Sheesh.
The last pic shows how a great night of fishing became an unforgettable one...
![Underwater Marine biology Fish Fluid Terrestrial animal]()
![Vertebrate Salmon-like fish Organism Oncorhynchus Fisherman]()
![Water Salmon-like fish Organism Fish Oncorhynchus]()
![Salmon-like fish Oncorhynchus Fish Trout Coastal cutthroat trout]()
The "unforgettable" is this last fish below...While fishing a different section, I heard a splash that sounded like a Kia being dropped into the water from the clouds...then, I heard it again...It was right around sundown and rainy, but I walked over to where I heard the crash and pitched the #12 soft hackle into the corner with my 3 wt...Third cast caught one of the better fish of the evening, but I didn't think it was the one I heard earlier, so, one more cast...
The line jerked and there was just enough light for me to see him explode out of the water and wet my pants...He made a couple runs that screamed line off my reel and then settled onto the bottom just moving back and forth 5 yards in front of me, like a rock that could swim.
15 minutes later, soaked and with my arm actually tired, I was able to bring him into the net...Held him in there in the water till I could get my phone for a pic...My battery was dead...Tried turning it on and just got the dead battery image...So, I prayed: "Please God, just one picture...Please."
Phone flashed the Apple icon at me, screen came up, and I frantically turned the flash on my camera, aimed at where I thought the fish was on my arm and hit the button...Twice. This was the best of the two...He swam away and I went home.
![Plant Salmon-like fish Underwater Water Terrestrial plant]()
I know people have caught bigger, but to have landed this fish in the dim, in the rain, with flights of honking geese dropping on the water all around me, on 5x tippet and a T&T 3wt...I could have died happy right there
Been a busy couple months with my son's football schedule (and still in the playoffs), but finally snuck out Sunday evening in a steady rain, and every fish I caught the other night had this blue spot...looked it up and it seems to be considered an indicator of wild fish.
Went back and looked at all the pics I've taken of browns this spring and summer and all have the blue patch (although it's more pronounced in these); I just never noticed before...Sheesh.
The last pic shows how a great night of fishing became an unforgettable one...
The "unforgettable" is this last fish below...While fishing a different section, I heard a splash that sounded like a Kia being dropped into the water from the clouds...then, I heard it again...It was right around sundown and rainy, but I walked over to where I heard the crash and pitched the #12 soft hackle into the corner with my 3 wt...Third cast caught one of the better fish of the evening, but I didn't think it was the one I heard earlier, so, one more cast...
The line jerked and there was just enough light for me to see him explode out of the water and wet my pants...He made a couple runs that screamed line off my reel and then settled onto the bottom just moving back and forth 5 yards in front of me, like a rock that could swim.
15 minutes later, soaked and with my arm actually tired, I was able to bring him into the net...Held him in there in the water till I could get my phone for a pic...My battery was dead...Tried turning it on and just got the dead battery image...So, I prayed: "Please God, just one picture...Please."
Phone flashed the Apple icon at me, screen came up, and I frantically turned the flash on my camera, aimed at where I thought the fish was on my arm and hit the button...Twice. This was the best of the two...He swam away and I went home.
I know people have caught bigger, but to have landed this fish in the dim, in the rain, with flights of honking geese dropping on the water all around me, on 5x tippet and a T&T 3wt...I could have died happy right there
