It seems this year has been the year of catching the big brookies. Bobby and a few others on the board have landed fish of a lifetime. I mentioned on my blog awhile back that my goal this season was to catch a brookie similar to one I caught back in 2010 (17"). I had no idea that I would exceed my expectations so quickly and have another one for the wall. I was contemplating about taking girth measurements and length to have a replica made and release the bruiser, but I decided to keep it.
Straight to the Point:
I had casted several times into the hole with no strikes or follows. On my third cast, I was reeling in and all of a sudden my reel stopped spinning and my hand literally slipped of the reel, followed by a huge pull on the line the other direction. I knew the moment the fish took off in the opposite direction of the bank I had hooked a quality fish. I immediately loosened my drag to exhaust the fish and to get the net off my back. All of sudden the fish exposed itself for the first time and leaped completely out of the water followed by another run. At this point my arms and legs were shaking so bad that I could barely hang onto my rod with a firm enough grip. I managed to gain control of the trout and was able to scoop up the fish from underneath. As I lifted the fish out from the water, I first saw its true size and I was literally in shock! I stood along the bank with the fish in the net thinking about what had just taken place and what I was going to do next.
19.25" with 11" girth
