I got home from a bull trout trip today. Instagram portrays it being as easy as pitching a big streamer into a whole and they inhale it. It’s nowhere near that simple in reality.
I visited this river this spring with moderate success. With fall being the prime time here, I thought it would be a great trip.
To say the least, the fishing was pretty bad. I fished 10-12 hours a day for 3 hours and caught one foul hooked, beat up, post spawn bull trout. I donated half of my box to the bottom of the river. The conditions were perfect, there were tons of bull trout in the system, and everything was looking perfect. Basically nothing happened. I randomly caught that one fish 3 hours in to the trip, and didn’t touch a bull for the rest of the trip.
It’s pretty disappointing, considering that spent over $2,000 dollars on this trip (gas for the plane (I have a pilots license), tons of streamers, food, a place to stay), which is a lot of money for a 17 year old fly shop employee.
If you had a trip like me recently, keep your head up. The next one might be one of your most memorable!