My systematic approach to scanning the water had given way to watching a herd of antelope about a mile in the distance. And why wouldn’t they seek out some clear, cold water?” I asked. Yes, there may be a few left, but the curtain has almost fallen.”. When the cable became taut, I’d put the tractor in gear and throttle it up. He lived in Billings Heights and wasn’t overly friendly until I mentioned Starnham, his father, and the “fish.” He agreed to meet me at a City Brew coffee shop in west Billings and he came in carrying a large file folder. After an errant back cast snagged some sagebrush, I finally angled a proper cast toward the head of the pool. “So what did these giant trout eat, how’d you catch fish of that size?” I asked. She probably asked me what happened, but I don’t remember what I told her. In shock I stumbled backward, almost tripping on a shrub and setting the hook in an involuntary sort of strip strike. He then began tail walking across the surface, drenching Tom with muddy water and heading directly toward me. This fish was almost 150cm long and 83cm wide. One of them would keep you in fish steaks a whole year.”. A black void appeared under my fly and then a wheelbarrow-sized whirlpool as the fly disappeared in a foaming vortex. This means that the current world record holder for the biggest trout fish ever caught remains the same. I’ve been reluctant to do so because I am a fly fishing guide, and people think that fly fishing guides are prone to exaggeration. This would have been in the early 50’s,” he went on, gazing at the photo and a shaky hand took a pinch of Copenhagen and put it in his lower lip. We exchanged pleasantries, and I took out the old post card. The fish continued upstream at a brisk pace, creating a large wave that lapped against the clay banks. The card was on a dusty post-card rack that received little attention and it was stuck to the back of a “Little Big Horn Battlefield” card. “That’s something.”. I guess I’d been looking at a patient in the hospital bed next to me. “Why’d you run for cover,” I asked, trying to visualize the sequence of events. Iceland, the land of fire and ice situated just below the Arctic Circle and above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. He shrugged his shoulders. Then it happened. It feeds on prairie dogs, but not just any prairie dogs—the ones in this part of eastern Montana. I felt the fish’s weight on my chest, and I reached out to bearhug the beast in an attempt to subdue him. The time has come to tell the story. Of course, they ran clear down the Mississippi and into the ocean too. The Big Trout is a 10-metre-high fibreglass model in Adaminaby, New South Wales, Australia, a popular fishing spot for trout. I’m being forthright with you because it doesn’t make any difference at this point. Somehow Richard learned of the fish up here, probably from a former ranch hand who couldn’t keep a secret, and Rich shows up here to learn what he can. “Of course, you know it’s a long shot, but it will be late May and historically that’s when they were in the stream in the greatest numbers.”, On May 30th, Tom and I sat on a high hill about a quarter mile north of Beauvais Creek. Teen Angler Sets Record for Reeling in a Rare Fish, How the B.A.S.S Federation Club Improved My Fishing Game. Tom filled in some of the details about what had happened: “I guess we could say ‘technically’ that you landed the fish—probably the first one on a fly rod. If he likes you, he’ll have plenty to say about that picture.” He gave me directions and the phone number of the ranch headquarters. Had his reasons for wanting things this way. Tom reached into the file folder he had brought and showed me multiple pictures of the giant trout, closeups of their jaws and teeth, plus information relating to scale samples, fish size, stomach contents, and all sorts of biological data. She brought out a photo album that contained pictures of various giant trout. The stream was so small the fish didn’t have the room to tire himself out, unless he went on a mile-long run upstream or down. The fish remained motionless and I took the time to catch my breath. I probably don’t have to tell you that fish of this size make quite a disturbance when they feed. At least most of the giants. Caught by Sydney Cellan, in the flaming gorge reservoir, the fish would have been one of the biggest ever caught and kept had it not been released back into the lake. Well, compact in the context of a 350 pound fish. Hell, I don’t know the mind of a dumbass prairie dog, but it was a mistake at times because the trout were waiting for them. All of a sudden, the line went slack as the fish headed downstream toward me. This fish was massive. As long as the size was close to a prairie dog, and we moved it just right, the fish would hit it.” Will commenced telling me about the various giant trout he landed, or “towed in” via tractor. The problem was he was a bit ‘green’ when he came ashore and after beating the shit out of you, he flopped back into the creek. The trout weighed 53 pounds and although it was smaller than the potential world record breaker caught on Great Bear lake, it looked bigger. We saw nothing that day and late in the morning of day two, my resolve began to wane a bit. It’s home to active volcanoes, spouting geysers, thermal springs, thunderous waterfalls, vast inland glaciers and one of the cleanest environments you can experience. Then I snatched the card back and looked closer. When he settled down, I’d head back to the tractor, snub up the cable, and drag him to the barn for butchering. Tom’s appearance had changed markedly and not for the better. By Hale Harris April 1, 2020 . You’ve seen a decent sized trout flopping in a boat—they can make quite a disturbance, knocking over fishing poles and bottles of beer. “Would you be willing to go with me to the Creek in a couple of weeks in the off chance we could find, or even catch one of the last of the species?”, “I don’t think the folks at the Cresent J would mind,” he said. I reeled for all I was worth and took several steps backward. How can I help you?”, “Well, as you might suspect, as a life-long fly fisherman, to learn of the existence of an anadromous trout on this side of the continental divide, especially one this amazingly large is utterly fascinating. A person is usually gazing up at the trout with a look of amazement, and the caption reads something like, “They grow them big out west.” Created with technology long before Photoshop, the amateurish attempt at deception brings a smile. 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