[Chief Joseph]

I know you guys and gals must have some great fish stories, real , imagined or maybe just slightly exaggerated? If you do, please share them here. I will start. Recently fishing a high mountain lake in Wa state my friend and I were catching rainbows and cutts on nearly every cast. They do plant the lake and the fish aren't really big, but are active and plentiful. They averaged 8"-10" sometimes a bit larger or smaller. They were hitting dry flies, wet flies, and really liked a copper and red rooster tail. I found a couple of offerings they didn't like. I caught my limit in an hour or so, they are currently in the lil smoker. I am using mesquite chips (they were out of applewood) and made up a brine of bourbon, molasses, soy, vanilla, and a few other things. You can actually drive to the lake, although it's about 45 miles from the nearest town. Don't ask me where it is...I might take you there if I like you, but I will not divulge the location. This story is mostly true..

[Chief Joseph]

You guys are either boring or don't fish, lol. Where I grew up in North Dakota there was a meatpacking plant just east of town, they would dump the animal waste directly into the Missouri river. That became a favorite fishing spot for huge Northern Pike, they would linger just off shore to feast on the beef, pork, etc. They have huge mouths and teeth. We had to use steel leaders when fishing for them.

[MtnGoat]

that's a pretty big fish for inland waters! wow. I hear lakers and even brookies can get pretty huge too. Never caught a laker, but I hear there were some planted in Isabel. Biggest brookie I've ever caught was about 12"

[Chief Joseph]

The Northern Pike caught there were actually about that size only way fatter. They put up a great fight but weren't the best table fare...my Grandfather refused to eat them, he liked Walleye and Catfish. I live half the year near Priest Lake in Idaho and they have huge lake trout and some nice kokanee, I probably should look into buying a boat. Then there is the license issue. Since I am a Wa resident, I would have to purchase a 3 day pass to fish here. Why is ones drivers license valid in any other state but not ones fishing license? Just found this link, $98 for an Idaho non-resident license.. https://idfg.idaho.gov/licenses/fees-nonresident a lot better than $25 for a 3 day pass.

[Schenk]

I fish quite a bit, for trout specifically, and I really like to catch fish out of "unlikely" water. One of the most unlikely spots (from appearances) was out of the middle of a meadow in the Beartooths. I was crossing a meadow and it was so beautiful that I plopped my butt down in the middle of the meadow to lay on my back on the the flowered carpet and stare at the billowing clouds. I hear a gurgling sound right next to my head and there, in the middle of a field of grass and flowers, was a small hole with what appeared to be running water flowing inside it. Out of curiosity, and a desire to maybe find something nobody else has noticed, I took out my fly rod and dangled a small fly over the hole. In a flash a small Brookie popped up and took my fly! I was catching fish out of a hole about 1' in diameter, in the middle of a field. The nearest open water, a stream, was easily 100 yards away and actually downhill from the meadow, with slopes above on 3 sides. Apparently this meadow formed over a talus field and water continued to run beneath it, through the rocks beneath the meadow, and that is where the fish took up residence...right under that little hole in the grass in the middle of the meadow. I have also tickled trout...For real...not kidding...it can be done but only when certain conditions exist (small stream, concentrated holding spots for the trout, etc). However, they don't laugh or giggle when you tickle them. They do sizzle nicely in a fry pan though.

[Sir Homey]

Was fishing a chain of alpine lakes here in WA not long ago. The 2 major lakes are separated by a waterfall. The lower lake has species of trout that the upper lake does not. The intel on the lakes was that the falls is significant and a barrier to upstream fish migration. Well there I am tubing in the upper lake and get a nice hit on a slow-retrieved streamer. Reel it in and damn if it isn't a trout species from the lower lake. It's the only one I've ever caught in years of fishing the upper lake. In my mind I just imagine that one die hard fish, sitting in the stream looking up at the falls and thinking... "I can make it, I know I can! See you guys later!" These things fascinate me. Nature always finds a way.

[Chief Joseph]

[Bernardo]

Maybe a bird moved the fish to the upper lake? Or maybe an egg gets moved in a carcass? Most likely a human did it.

[Bedivere]

[DIYSteve]

[Riverside Laker]

I wish the osprey would plant candy bars on summits.

[Bernardo]

Ha, good point Belvedere! There has to be more good fish stories out there. I once saw a fish far up a stream that I didn't know had any fish. It's stuck in my mind for over 40 years! One of my youthful memories from an off trail adventure when I was a kid. No wonder why I keep going into the wilderness.

[Jordan]

I've been out to the Snohomish river fishing for salmon about 5 times this year. The third time I was out I hooked into a big boy. I was working him in for a good 30-40 minutes. I would get some line and he would take it back and so on. Finally got him up to the bank and it was a huge king. My arms were as tired as they have ever been. Barely had enough strength to lift him from the water, but I did and realized it was a small shark. WTF, right? I did not know we had sharks in our waters that could swim up river. Trying to get the hook from its mouth he bit down and cut to the bone on my palm. Almost took my hand off. I decided to cast back out and see if I could catch another. Was this a fluke or should I warn the others? Needless to say I still swim in the rivers of Washington.

[treeswarper]

I think I hooked a salmon on the Alsea River, just up from the bay. I was in my kayak and drifting upriver with the tide. I felt a grab on the hook and the boat turned around and I started going downriver, against the tide. I steered with my feet on rudder paddles, but then whatever was on my line got away. My plan was to go with the fish pulling until I could steer the kayak to a sand bar, and then land the fish, but that didn't happen. I almost got kabonked by a large salmon at the outlet of the Siltcoos River. They look quite large when they are about to come down on the front of the kayak. It managed to miss me, barely. I have a witness for that one.

[uww]