In July of 2022, I was fishing the Williamson River outside Klamath Falls, Oregon. Redband Rainbow Trout come out of Lake Klamath in the summer to seek refuge in the river. It was getting late in the day, and I was fishing streamers above a run of small rapids. I missed a strike, casted back into the same place… and just like that it was fish on! It had my drag screaming and spooled me down to the backing in seconds.
The fight was on! I worked the fish back upstream, only to have it rocket out again. I had no choice but to follow it until the water was too deep for my waders: the fish had battled its way into a deep hole, and now we were at a stalemate. It was a real stroke of luck when two other fishermen came by in a drift boat and invited me to climb in. As we floated over the hole, I remember thinking, “This has got to be a 30-inch plus fish”. After a few more minutes of fighting what felt like a true monster, we managed to net the fish and get it in the boat. Not a 30-incher, but it was a BIG fish: 23 inches of beautiful Redband Rainbow Trout. Unfortunately, it was a foul hooked in the tail—explains the truly epic battle to land him in the boat. If you’ve spent much time on the water, I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar… Gets the blood pumping for sure!
Story by Kevin Perkins
Rainbow Trout Release
To learn more about the Williamson River and other fly fishing hotspots in the region, check here: Fremont-Winema National Forest - Fishing (usda.gov).
Kevin’s story is the first in a monthly series of fly fishing stories from our customers we’ll be sharing. Our aim is to give a voice to all the passionate fly fishermen in the Montana Casting Co. community and share our love of the sport. Have a story of your own? Short, long, goofy, or epic, we’d love to hear it. Email us at gethookedup@gmail.com. If we choose your story to feature in the coming months, we’ll send you some sweet Montana Casting Co. swag as a thank you. Happy fishing!
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