It happened again. I was pulling plugs with a gentlemen I work with that has fished for all of 12 years. This was the first time that he had drifted with me. It had been a slow day with 2 take downs. It was nearing the end of the day when it happened. It was the usual tick of the rod tip with slack line in the tailout. I told him to check the rod. He realed in the slack and out of the corner of my eye it rolled (42" x 22.5). Once again I have boated a wall mounter for one of my partners and I get to look at my empty wall. Every time this happens I vow to fish by myself so I to get to fight the fish. But it is enjoyable to watch the joy on others faces when they get that once in a life fish. Everyone has told me that these are my fish. It came out of my boat, my rod, my plug, and I put it all together. If that was true I'd have an incredible trophy wall as would all the guides.

Maybe I'll get him next year.

Hey nice fish. I know the feeling I'll take friends on a float and they catch the majority of the fish, but at least someone in my boat is catching fish. I think I'm going to teach my budies how to row (pimpinshrimp). P.S. I hope that is a fiberglass wall mounter.

Give yourself all the credit, RAG-TIME. Any front seater can haul in a fish. It's the plug monkey in the back that does all the real work.

Well done!

I caught my first steely with a guide buddy.I never realy felt like I caught it just felt like the guide caught it and I reeled it in!The fish I caught the following season on a diferant river by myself,now that one felt good.

Hey baitchucker..... If I had to row the boat wouldn't see any fish! Maybe I'll have to row tommorow. Atleast i can feel the bite baby

P.S. we don't pull plugs

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION? HE IS A FIBERGLASS MOUNT. NATIVE WAS RELEASED UNHARMED FOR ANOTHER DAY. YES IT WOULD BE NICE TO FISH WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO COULD HANDLE THE STICKS. BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY MOST OF THE GUYS I FISH WITH ARE AT MOST A BEGINNER LEVEL. OH WELL. AS LONG AS I'M ON THE WATER THAT IS ALL IT TAKES.

There is no question in my mind who caught the fish. You did. But.... why disclose this to your partners?

The absolute greatest thrill and my primary driving force is to connect these special people (via pole, line and lure) to steelhead and salmon. I gladly supply the boat, gear, bait, energy and enthusiasm to provide this opportunity. In fact, I will go out of the way to imply that they actually played a great part in their success. It makes me feel good. Not once last weekend, did I have any regrets over my buddy's fortune in hooking and releasing the five fish we were able to bring to the boat.

Providing these opportunities create memories (and photo's too) that can be shared with friends and family for years and years. My partner and I still laugh about her falling in the river while trying to get out of the boat after catching her first steelhead. This was over fifteen years ago.

Frankly, for me, fishing solo has become old and lacks the neccessary gratification to justify the expense in money and most importantly, time.

I've been on many guided trips...in fact, the first king I ever caught was out of Campbell River. 46# king, and the guide AND the resort owners seemed to make a point of letting me know that I had very little to do with catching that fish. Kind of a bittersweet experience.

Good guides, IMHO, have the art of BS down pat. I know without a doubt that the guides really are the ones putting my bait in front of that fish's mouth...just don't tell me about it! :p

Hey at least your catching fish. I know in my boat, it's a team effort!

Roundball, I agree with you 110%, unless it's that SHUTUPandFISH guy in the front seat
One thing that really makes it special is when it is a young angler up front. I had a 12 year old with me this weekend, and he got two. The grin on that young man's face was worth $1,000. Only thing better was my daughter this fall with her silver salmon!

I have never disclosed this information to any of my fishing partners.

I agree that the greatest joy is to watch and share in the experience of others catching fish. Nothing makes me happier than to watch the look on my daughters faces, or the person I'm fishing with when they catch that fish. I personelly get more satisfaction out of the experence than out of the actual catch. Some people look at us and wonder what it is that drives us out time and time again no matter the conditions. I find it impossible to explain to those that can or will never feel that excitment or just that simple solitude that surrounds you on a river allowing you into a place that few will ever find within them selves.

The whole reason of this post is that when my partners come over they always point out that empty spot on my wall. I'm thinking of mounting my oars and pull holders up their for their next visit. What do you think?

Keep it freindly out there!!!!

Next time they point out the empty spot on your wall calmly explain to them that you were thinking about mounting their grinning heads up there so you can be reminded of how happy they looked when you put them into those big fish that they have on their wall, which they never would have gotten into without your expert help.

That should pretty well shut them up, especially if you can pull off the straight face while they try and break the tension with laughter afterwards. People take you seriously when they think that you are nucking futs and say stuff like that. Trust me on that one.