Howdy

[DocEsox]

Hello to all of you subjected to the far south......

Brian ....... Eagle River, Alaska [][]
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[wiperhunter2]

Welcome to the site Brian, here is a link to our Alaska board:
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/gforum.cgi?forum=9"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/gforum.cgi?forum=9[/url]
We also have a fly fishing board if your interested.
WH2
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[macfly55]

hiya Doc.. welcome to the site... looks to me like you are finding you way around the site well but if you have any questions that we can help with please dont hesitate to ask..

btw.. nice looking fish in your profile pic.. if you dont mind me asking where, when and how (big ) and what is the story behind it??

MacFly [cool]
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[DocEsox]

MacFly....since you asked......that was a gorgeous, fresh king salmon caught 2 years ago. I was shore fishing for rainbows at the mouth of the Kashwitna River at the Susitna River (huge, old nasty colored river) with a large olive, wooly headed sculpin. Was using my favorite 5 wt flyrod with 10 lbs fluoro tippet. Although this is at a state campground there was not another soul in sight....just me and the Alaskan WhiteCrested Fishpeckers (called bald eagles elsewhere []). Landed one small rainbow about 15 inches and a few casts later I hooked into what I thought was a great bow. Well about halfway through my backing I knew this is no rainbow but had to be an early chinook. Couldn't chase her down river cause there was no where to go......also didn't think I had a chance in heck of getting her so that made me relax. After 30 or so minutes I was able to slowly start working her upstream through a couple of downed logs and then caught my first glimpse of her in shallow water about 10 yards downstream.....that's when the adrenaline kicked in as it was the first time landing her actually seemed like a possibility. Another 10 minutes and her back was breaking water in the shallows...I walked back not wanting to reel her in too tight and as she layed sideways in a few inches of water, I dropped my rod (gently) and sprinted down to tail her on shore. What a toad....light rod and line....she was 43" and I like to say about 40 lbs (she hit 38 lbs on the scales).

Sidebar here, I had shoulder surgery 3 months before this and wasn't supposed to be working it out all that hard. After this fight I couldn't cast a flyrod for nearly 6 weeks....but the pain was worth it.

Anyway....it was one of my pride and joy catches.

Brian
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[macfly55]

your profile pic did not do you or that fish justice.. thanks for the attached full sized one... and have to say AWESOME! that is some catch for sure...

Id be like you and say hell with the surgery especially once I caught sight of her breaking water with her back.... []

I would suggest you post this same story on the ff'ing board as a means of introducing yourself.. that would be one heck of a way to say hi ya'll.. LOL

MacFly [cool]
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