A Young Angler's Luck

A co-worker of mine approached me about guiding her son for some fly fishing action this past summer. Unfortunately we weren't able to get out during the warmer months because of scheduling but we made up for it this past Friday for some brown trout action. 

I had been a bit concerned about the weather. We really needed some rain and it looked like we were going to get it. As long as it wasn't too much then we were in good shape. Sure enough, it was just the right amount and when I picked him up first thing in the morning my words were "Today is going to be prime time in downtown brown-town!". Those words were echoed all day. 

The photos speak for themselves so I will let them tell the story for a bit:

Needless to say, he did great! For a 15 year old guy who has only ever caught one brown of 12" before he handled the rod masterfully! He did everything right and got the job done perfectly! Every fish he hooked he landed. So the respective lengths are 20.5", 22", 23" and 20". He got spoiled!  And almost all fish that day were landed on the same fly- a fairly nondescript nymph with a pink bead. Yes, I will be tying a lot more of those flies...

So in full disclosure, both his mom and he encouraged me to do some fishing while out with him. They both said that it would help him learn what to do better. I kept it to a minimum but I could not resist a few casts myself and I was rewarded:

One of the prettiest browns I have ever landed!

Egg stealing rainbow comes to hand!

It was an amazing day for sure. I felt really fortunate to have guided such a fun, smart, and attentive learner on what really amounted to the perfect day to be on the river. So, if you think about it his average brown trout is currently 19.5"... not too shabby!  This guy is going to be one impressive angler when he gets older (and he ain't half bad now!).