Nature Pictures from Trout Streams, Page 5

Here's another beautiful trout, a 17.5 inch stream resident rainbow. He took a grouse & brown soft hackle during a Hendrickson spinner fall over a riffle--probably as a drowned spinner, but maybe as one of the caddis pupae that I suspect were hatching earlier in the day. This fish was in amazing condition, and it leapt clear of the water at least three times.

This beautiful 20 inch brown put up one heck of a drag-screaming fight. This was one of almost a dozen big trout that hit my flies this evening... and the only one I successfully hooked and landed. That was partly my fault, though. I cannot complain about the action!

Here's a pretty sunset over a warmwater lake in the northwoods. It may not be trout water, but I couldn't leave it off the site.

This 11 pound male king salmon was the only one in his pod willing to hit a fly, apparently. Well, I'm not complaining--what a fight! He's not big for a King, but it was a fun catch anyway.

This is my biggest and certainly best stream-resident rainbow to date, a wild 19-incher pulled from a Class III-IV rapids. It's also the first fish ever to take me into my backing.

I'm breaking my rule about naming locations for this picture, since the context adds much to its meaning. This great blue heron is standing on a slab of river-worn concrete silhouetted against the NY Quickway bridge over the Beaverkill River at Cairn's Pool. Several human fishermen pursue trout from one shore while an avian fisherman pursues them from the other.