The Skinny

[tycaster]

Days had been piling upon days, filled with events and responsibilities and myriad other insidious things conspiring to keep me off the water. Until the other afternoon when, arriving home from doing some necessaries that I now don't remember at all, I found my wife and a friend just getting ready to settle in and watch a chick flick. Perfect. I'm going fishing.

Reaching the stream at around 4:00, I fished for a couple hours, until it started to get dark. The occasional pretty little brown came to hand.


And I came across a pair of does who had come down to get a drink.


Then, just before packing it in, I found one of the old denizens I knew were there.


It had been a while. And, while I wouldn't call him large, he was long. About 13-14 inches. A monster for this creek. Most of the bigger fish I've caught here, though they are by no means fat, are at least healthy and fight with vigor, but every now and then, they come out skinny like this and fight weakly, usually when they're stuck in little spots in which the outflow is clogged by debris. This guy was in this deep, slack little sliver of a side pool with a trickle of inflow, hunkered way back in the corner under the accumulated leaves. It sucks, because I almost always wish I hadn't caught them. Almost. And I feel a little guilty after I do. I'm beginning to consider moving them to better pools nearby, when I get them, but I'm not sure. I think maybe the lack of current and competition in the spots where they end up work to offset the shortage of food available, so they settle into a condition in which they can barely subsist, and I'm not sure they would survive if suddenly thrust into an environment with more current and competition, especially so shortly after having spent most of their energy fighting a fisherman. I don't know. For now, I just resolve not to target them again until levels come up.

Sometimes I laugh at myself for obsessing so much over this little stream in these little mountains. But I don't get to visit bigger waters very often(boo-hoo) and, all things considered, it is a gem. So I gladly obess away. Besides, every fisherman needs a river or stream which he knows. And I can't think of many better daydreams to have than those of moving water and trout.

[Eric]

Let's see, chick flick or a chance to Looks like you made a great decision.
Eric

[darrin terry]

Nice brown. Imagine what he'd look like with a better food supply. He'd fill out to match that head some. Good choice.

[Sasha]

Sweet report, any amount of time on the water beats watching a chick flick

[flybob]

Hey Ty, sometimes they are fat and sometimes they are skinny!
We don't get to pick and choose which ones take.
But the fact that you show concerns, and make the decision to give it a rest until the flows pick up agian, already puts you into a different catagory than the average fisher!
The choice is always ours and ours alone, I often feel really bad when a fish breaks me off and I know the hook is still firmly planted in his jaw! I have always been told the hook will eventually make it's way out, but it does not make me feel any better.

Anyways, nice browns!
Bob

[Papasequoia]

Until the other afternoon when, arriving home from doing some necessaries that I now don't remember at all, I found my wife and a friend just getting ready to settle in and watch a chick flick. Perfect. I'm going fishing.

I am shocked, shocked I say, to find someone who would rather go fishing than spend time with their wife! What's next? Wait, I can guess, you'll probably start skipping anniversaries so you can go off on some smelly, old fishing trip. Disgusting behavior. My kinda guy!

Nice fish!

[RSetina]

No chick flicks here. That's why I got my wife into fly fishing.

[Papasequoia]

No chick flicks here. That's why I got my wife into fly fishing.

The smartest guy of all of us. Have fun this weekend!

[Flyjunkie]

I Will Never See a Chick Flick... I'd rather get a Root canal done...

Sweet Looking Browns You got into there.....

[Benny]

It's great to hear you were able to get out and wet a line from what sounds like a busy schedule. Anytime on the water is a good time, I would have bailed on the chick flick as soon as I found out about it

Thanks for sharing your time on the water

[rayfound]

So the question Ty asked me about the long skinny fish in question, which he alluded to here:

Would it have good or right to have moved the fish into another pool with a more robust food supply? would that have been "playing God" too much? Or should we let whatever happens, happens?

[Sasha]

So the question Ty asked me about the long skinny fish in question, which he alluded to here:

Would it have good or right to have moved the fish into another pool with a more robust food supply? would that have been "playing God" too much? Or should we let whatever happens, happens?

I say option three: Kill the non-native fish immediately...................OK I am just kidding.


Personally I don't move fish to different pools but I would not look down on someone who did.

[darrin terry]

Fish move around on their own all the time. Just because you see the same fish in the same hole seven trips in a row, don't think they won't move if they want/need/can. On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, that next hole has an undercut bank or ledge, or a big boulder with a cavity beneath it. IN that space is another big fish. Maybe one you never knew was there. You release the stunted, but promising fish there only to have that creeks unknown Samson come out and nail your prize. Ooops. Of course, now you know where the real monster lives. So there's that.

Personally, while I have hooked fish in one hole and brought them to hand in a second or even a third hole, I don't move them on my own. I release them where I catch them. I say you do what you think is best. You can't always worry about unintended consequences. Catch the fish. Release the fish. Do your best to revive them in between. Enjoy the experience and don't forget to smile and laugh. Especially if others are watching. A little maniacal laughter does one good.

[rayfound]

Fish move around on their own all the time. Just because you see the same fish in the same hole seven trips in a row, don't think they won't move if they want/need/can. On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, that next hole has an undercut bank or ledge, or a big boulder with a cavity beneath it. IN that space is another big fish. Maybe one you never knew was there. You release the stunted, but promising fish there only to have that creeks unknown Samson come out and nail your prize. Ooops. Of course, now you know where the real monster lives. So there's that.

Personally, while I have hooked fish in one hole and brought them to hand in a second or even a third hole, I don't move them on my own. I release them where I catch them. I say you do what you think is best. You can't always worry about unintended consequences. Catch the fish. Release the fish. Do your best to revive them in between. Enjoy the experience and don't forget to smile and laugh. Especially if others are watching. A little maniacal laughter does one good.

I'm Pretty much with you Darrin, I don't really think it matters. If the fish want to move, they'll move. Here was my response to Ty's question, which I wanted some others' input on:

"Nice job on the big guy - moving him might have been ok, but it's not like he can't swim wherever he wants. It could have been a post spawn fish, hence skinny and tired. Either way, I doubt you did him any harm."

It reminds me of fishing French Creek this summer, when the biggest fish of the day (the creek is loaded with smallish goldens, but the current is pretty darn fast and there isn't many big fish in the stretches I fished) came out of a really deep, but VERY small hole, and seemed skinny and tired.

[darrin terry]

Yeah, that's a nice size fish on most small creeks. He does look a bit ragged though. I think he looks like he is getting up there in age too. Though that is likely just me thinking this fish looks like he's ready to shuffle off. Could as easily be sick or something. Definitely a mature male though, look at that lower jaw. When exactly did you catch this guy? Early summer would mean he could have been experiencing some post spawn skinnies.

That's assuming that goldens spawn in the spring like the rest of the rainbow family they belong to.

I don't know about Ty's borwn being post spawn, after all browns spawn in the fall and we are only now entering the period when they move off to find the kind of river bottom they like for their redds. If this was late Nov. or in Dec. I might agree on that possibility. I could be wrong though. Maybe on that particular water the conditions are right a little earlier.