All Time Big One - Yeeeee Hawrrrrrr!

Giles: I am ready to catch a big one.
Dalt: But I thought that one you just caught was a big one?
Giles: Yeah, but I am talking about an All Time Big One.

And so the stage was set.  We were on a favorite stretch where no doubt the big boys lurk.  The flow was perfect, the sunlight glinting perfectly on the water.  And Chris' statement got me thinking, "Why not catch the All Timer?"

I certainly wasn't thinking for long.  Not more than two minutes passed and I had a fish on.  I knew it was hefty immediately, and when I saw my line sink deep into the river and run upstream, thoughts of having a personal All Timer were flying through my mind.  I had to collect myself, but any fisherman who has been snapped off by a huge fish knows just how difficult it can be to reign in the adrenaline.  I knew this fight was fixin to be a real hootenanny!

I yelled downstream to Chris, and no doubt he saw my 'deer in the headlights' expression as held on for the ride.  The fish rose up close to the surface in a smooth emerald pool, deliberating his next move to get the hook out of his lip.  Another dive, and up again.  This time he surfaced and we saw his long back with the dorsal and tail fins sticking straight out of the water.  I freaked.  This daddy was BIG!  And undoubtedly my biggest ever!

I continued playing the fish downstream.  Thankfully Chris jumped in with his net and we worked on him slowly.  We both had seen him, we both knew how big he was, and we both certainly knew we couldn't loose him.  Big Chris (usually a proponent of 'taking it to 'em') urged patience because "it would be worth it".  Certainly it was!

After a ten minute fight, I pulled him toward the bank.  Chris netted him and we both let out primal screams of disbelief.  So delicate was the hook set that once the line tension was off, the hook released without touching the fish.  I felt so lucky that he didn't let go earlier!

We snapped some photos and I laid the fish next to my rod to mark the length.  With a scratch I engraved the length into my Sage rod, knowing it would be the benchmark for other trout to measure up to.  I hardly fished afterward, numbed by the whole experience.  A few more whoops and hollers and our day ended, confirming that there are big fish in our own backyard that is Utah.

The fish is 21".  I love the pictures of Chris and I holding fish because we are both sizeable dudes (we are both over 6' tall, and our rugby frames are not slender).  We both also have somewhat large digits, and have been called 'banana hands' on various occasions.  So our fishing shots are somewhat like a seven foot tall skier dropping a 20' cliff: it may not look as big as it really is.  Ha.

And Chris' prior fish (not to shabby indeed):

And finally: (Insert your own primal scream here).