Tyrannosaurus Tigers-Part 2

Rico and Bow settled in after a remarkable day of fishing. The sun was settling in the trees, and the two made their way back to set up camp. As twilight set in, Bow noticed gentle dapping at the surface and the occasional swirl. Rico was still paddling back in his tube, and also noticed the commotion. He tied on a size 24 green midge pattern and began casting to the rises. He was first ignored, but tweaked his presentation until he started steadily pulling in youthful Cutts. Bow still had his Spider tied on, and focused on larger swirls. It was difficult to anticipate the direction, as the bulges and splashes were random. He cast to vegetation edges, bringing the fly back with slow twitches until he noticed a wake from behind the fly. He felt a hard jerk and set the hook, only to have it whip past his face. Collecting his mistake from the bushes, Bow tried again, desperately wanting to see how big these cruising fish were. He saw another swirl and cast a foot next to it. The wake turned in the flys direction, but again Bow put the Spider back in the bushes. Rico was doing well not laughing at Bow's behavior, pulling in even more Cutthroats. By the time Bow got his gear out, the sun was down and the activity had stalled. Admitting temporary defeat, Bow walked back and set up camp. The two relaxed in the usual fashion: seasoned rice cooking over a camp burner, sipping wine from the bottle, and enjoying the inevitable discussion of religion. With full bellies and a solid buzz, they retired to their sleeping bags for the night.

                                         

The next day came with frost on the tip of Bows nose. He arose to see the lake again bubbling with activity. Putting on his slippers, Bow grabbed his rod and crept to the waters edge. Minutes passed with only rings from smaller trout rising. Keeping a close eye to the weed edge, he noticed a bulge and cast beyond it. He brought the spider back with a few small strips until another bulge came, and Bow's line went taught. Instantly, the fish buried itself until Bow could only feel a faint tug under the amassed weight. Trusting the 0X fluorocarbon and hopping out to a few rocks, Bow managed to free the fish enough to turn its head into open water. Expecting an exhausted Tiger, the trout instead ripped line from the reel, fighting a few more minutes. Surprised by a solid fight, Bow wasn't sure what to expect. A colorful Cutt greeted him, flashing its bright red slits with each breath. Bow cleared some of the weeds and let the fish back to recover. A quick high five, and the two started up the fire for breakfast.

They relished the last of their bacon fried rice and prepared for a promising day. Rico hopped in his tube, and Bow down the bank. Fishing a few minutes, the two noticed a bit of murkiness in the water. With the absence of excellent morning fishing, Bow walked over to the outlet and saw a great deal of detritus built up, blocking much of the water. Bow began removing it, instantly noticing an increased flow. A few minutes passed and the flowing water began to clear, bringing with it rolling snails, wriggling chironomids, and a few fat scuds. Bow continued, pausing to loose the scuds into the water. As he grabbed a large, dripping heap, a wave of water splashed his face and the entirety of his vest. Falling back, Bow was in shock with what happened. He looked in front of the outlet grate: three wide Tigers and a Cutt were picking up food as it came, completely ignoring Bow. Occasionally one would turn and attack the other, creating bulges and splashes in the shallow water. With the amount of work Bow had put in stalking these fish, it took some time to get used to a herd of 22" trout two feet from him.

 

Resisting temptation, Bow slowly backed away, knowing the inevitable guilt would overwhelm him from high-sticking these trout. As he walked along, there was a distinct dark stretch in the bottom of the lake, appearing to be a creek channel. With the improved visibility, Bow also noticed a submerged log-roughly two and a half feet-resting on the side of the creek channel. Seeing it as good cover, Bow cast the spider and let it sink in front of the log. As it was stripped past, the log proceeded to turn and slowly fade into the dark of the channel. Bows heart stopped, the reality hitting of what that log actually was.


After fishing a few hours with no success, Bow headed over to the inlet to fish the same area the Tiger was caught yesterday. Fishing up and down the length of the bank several times, Bow got strikes, but couldn't seem to pick up any fish with his spider. He switched to a still-fished chironomid and midge emerger presentation. Scoping for rises, Bow tried to lead the fish about 10 feet. He picked up a few small Cutts, but nothing big arose. He put down a long cast, at this point aiming randomly. As the flies landed, a huge splash erupted and Bows line went tight. Surprised, but not caught off guard, Bow applied pressure and prepared for a long battle. Spitting line off the reel, the trout dove to deeper water. As each second passed, Bow became increasingly nervous: the big Tiger from yesterday bent a 2/0 hook to a 90 degree angle, and today he was pulling against size 14 and 20 light wire hooks. He let up on the drag, giving the trout another 20 foot run. Fortunately the fish tired soon after, giving Bow a chance to close the 60 foot gap. As it came in, he could clearly see the vibrant transition of green to orange: another gorgeous Tiger. Bow removed the flies and noticed the tippet connecting the two had snapped, leaving only the chironomid stuck to a small piece of skin on the outside of its jaw. He took a quick pic and released the Tiger, hands shaking from adrenaline.

At this point the sun shone well above the peaks, and the fishing slowed thereafter. Bow rendezvoused with Rico at the outlet cove, still tubing and with fair success. Rico missed one as he was talking to Bow, shooting the length of line behind him. As he prepared to cast, his rod bent and a trout jettisoned to the surface. Both laughing, they decided that was good fish to tie up the day. The two headed home feeling accomplishment, pride and knowing: if there is a meaning to life, that trip was it.