I Went to the Woods: No need to go pro
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 6:06 am
The coolness with which I lunged for the fish, missed, gathered myself, swept the rod back, lunged again and netted the steelhead was inspiring. I was pleased with my patience and execution. I was as in control as a steelheader can be in those sometimes chaotic moments of landing a fish.
I backed away from the shelf, leaning over to keep the basket of the net submerged and the fish wet. I knelt, removed the hook and released the fish.
By my standards it was masterful. There is someone out there who would have landed all three fish I hooked and would have brought a few stubborn ones to hand that I couldn’t get to bite. But I didn’t country wise email marketing list worry about the expert angler out there. I worried about myself.
Up around the corner at another fishy spot, I laid out a perfect cast that landed my fly next to a log. The fish hit right as the fly began to swing then popped off after a short, hectic fight. I was connected long enough to see it was a solid, bright fish.
I didn’t know what I did wrong, but a master would. An expert would have finished the job and not been left with the lingering incompleteness of that story. Exactly how long was the fish? What shade was the blush? Was it chrome bright or had it developed a dimmer hue like a fish that had been in a system for a bit.
I returned home content and happy after hooking six and landing three steelhead. Batting .500 is unheard of, hitting 50% of three-pointers is legendary. But too much is put into the gap between where you are, and where you want to be, especially as an angler.
I backed away from the shelf, leaning over to keep the basket of the net submerged and the fish wet. I knelt, removed the hook and released the fish.
By my standards it was masterful. There is someone out there who would have landed all three fish I hooked and would have brought a few stubborn ones to hand that I couldn’t get to bite. But I didn’t country wise email marketing list worry about the expert angler out there. I worried about myself.
Up around the corner at another fishy spot, I laid out a perfect cast that landed my fly next to a log. The fish hit right as the fly began to swing then popped off after a short, hectic fight. I was connected long enough to see it was a solid, bright fish.
I didn’t know what I did wrong, but a master would. An expert would have finished the job and not been left with the lingering incompleteness of that story. Exactly how long was the fish? What shade was the blush? Was it chrome bright or had it developed a dimmer hue like a fish that had been in a system for a bit.
I returned home content and happy after hooking six and landing three steelhead. Batting .500 is unheard of, hitting 50% of three-pointers is legendary. But too much is put into the gap between where you are, and where you want to be, especially as an angler.