Vivid Memory

[Driftless]

I remember this day well.  The trout were eager and the foreground of this photo brings back a vivid crazy memory.

After this grip and grin we continued to fish.

You see the current lane on the right?

The two guys I was with were taking turns casting and it was the guy in the above photo casting again.

There was a deep drop pocket on the far right on the upper edge of the current lane.  He cast a little too close to the bank and got a snag on the edge.

I walked up on the snag and tried to get if off from shore.  No getting it unhooked so I got in the water.  I reached down to get the bugger unhooked and the water erupted near the snagged bugger.

In about 16 inches of crystal clear water blasted a huge trout out of a slight undercut in the bank.  It ran into my hands I had in the water unhooking the bugger.  I was bent forward and got a 2 feet in front of my nose view.  It then swished its mighty tail "slow motion" it seemed surreal and slammed into my right ankle.  It was stunned for a half a second between my legs and then took off downstream. The tail was as big as my hand and the spots were dark colored and shone through the clear water like they were etched in the bronze colored monster.

The other guy followed the 30 plus inch brown downstream.  Its back was nearly out of the water and the wake it kicked was enormous.

I fished that stretch another 25 times that year without contact with the ankle slammer.

[LindellProStaf]

What a beautiful picture.  You need that framed and on the wall.  BIG too.  Man I can't wait till spring.