Many people on theis board have some pretty cool avatars. Some of them mean something, others are just some great pictures, while some have stories behind them. I'd like to know what the stories behind some of the avatars are.

My avatar is of a 12" Westslope Cutthroat I caught in Glacier NP. It took me a half hour to catch this one fish. I kept watching him rise to some unseen hatch in the same spot every few minutes. No matter what I threw at him, he would not take it. Finnally I was able to get him on a size 22 Cream Spinner (a dead mayfly) pattern.

FJ,

Never had an avitar image before..just tried to upload one. Probably will need some serious "touch-up" ....

Let's see what happens..


MB

My first 20 lb. hatch summer on the cowlitz June 6, 1999. Still the prettiest hatchery fish I have ever seen...and I look at it daily!!!

Mine is just a pretty buck I got on a real long float on a real cold day with low conditions, only one other fish hooked. Was fishing with my cousin and a friend who took us down River Side and Bear creek in pretty low flows. Bumpy ride but I wanted my cousin to see the Upper Duc from a boat for the 1st time. Catchin wasnt good that day but it was expected with the conditions.

Well, most of you know the story behind my King caught the summer of 2003 at Westport. But for a few of the newbies, here goes. The thing about this fish is that weeks before I caught this fish, a past PSA president, Jerry Peterson, had caught a 58 plus at Westport, and this was after I had boated a 45 and 47 and called him over on the VHF. You know, PSA bragging rights. Well to make a long story short, after a close call with a shark circling the boat with the fish in sight, we netted this montster......60 pounds 5 ounces. Will most likely be the biggest King of my life, but the bragging rights that go along with it.
You know the saying......Priceless!

Steve

The 4 fish in my avatar were caught by resort guests on my and the 2 other guides boats, it was June 30, 00, normally prime king season. Well the previous 2 or 3 days had been somewhat slow for kings so most of our fleet 17 out of 22 boats went to a hot silver bite which was an hour run south of the resort, myself and the 4 other boats went an hour north of the resort to a known king spot and it was on fire, besides these 4 (L to R 50.5, 51.5 55 and 50) kings shown, all 5 boats limited and alot of the other fish were in the 40lbs. range, thats my story and I'm sticking to it!

This is a picture of a girl I met at the Testicle Festival in Montana.

18 and 20.5 # cohos. And the first two casts of the day on the Queets. What a day to remember.

COHO

Mine's a little domestic I know, but this one reminds me of the time my kids were nice enough to let me come along fishing with them when Mom sent them off to fill the freezer at CQ one summer. Good times!
My daughter set this one up, bless her little heart.
My son was always telling me to be patient 'cause there were plenty of fish and sooner or later I'd catch some too. He still schools me, but now my daughter sends her husband and her son along to do the same.
I included the caption to remind myself that one very fine day I might be able to catch fish like them and maybe, God willing, come to bear even the slightest resemblence to my father.

PS. I know I gotta let this go someday, but to the person that "borrowed" the pictured hand-wrapped Loomis graphite and my lovely Winona (it purred like a swiss watch) off the Lyre a few years back (OK maybe, 20) would you please consider returning it to it's long lost home, no questions asked?

just a cool pic I took this summer on a 90 degree day on the upper Vedder.

My first Steelhead caught Christmas morning 2 years ago

An upcoming STS feature about this fish is due out this spring, but here's a little preview.

STORY: My all-time biggest Kenai king in thirty seasons of salmon fishing. It fell for a backbounced Flash/Spin Cheater and cured roe rigged as described in the "hook bite" thread. It measured 53 inches from snout to mid fork, and 31.75 inches around immediately in front of the dorsal, estimated live weight of 72 pounds. Caught and released on July 21, 2003. (The lo-mag avatar doesn't do the size of this fish any justice... click on my username for a larger view and see just how close to the driftboat that tail actually reaches... still makes me shake!)

MEANING: It's time to realize just how special the planet's largest chinook strain really is. For three decades, we have selectively targeted the Kenai's biggest kings. The fishery has created very un-natural selection pressures on the run whereby large size has become detrimental to a fish's ability to escape the fishery and pass on its genetic fitness. In about four chinook life cycles, we have begun to undo what Mother Nature took centuries to accomplish.

Anyone in this area who can afford to visit the Kenai doesn't "need the meat"..... if that's really why you go to Alaska, then bring home sockeye and/or pinks which return by the million. There's really no need for the trophy hunter to kill one of these hawgs either. With museum quality fiberglass replicas readily available, you can have a special memory on your wall that will outlast any skin mount.... and more importantly, have the satisfaction that you helped to preserve the unique genetics of an angling treasure!

Hoh canyon with the boy along, lots fo fun camping on the OLYPEN and some fish to keep things interesting. Take a kid fishing!

Right on, Fish Doc.
If putting a kid on a native in the Hoh canyon doesn't crack a few smiles and bring back a few memories I don't know what would or why bother. Heaven on earth if you ask me. Who says you can't take it with you. Stuff like that, they can't ever take away.

Eric and Jerry, I can't wait to hear about yours.

A favorite, occassionally fished piece of summer steelhead water. The photo sums up what I look for in a perfect summer steelhead fishing trip:

- Overcast and balmy

- low,clear water at perfect flow.

- Great eggs (in my gear bag)

- fresh fish present (trust me.....they were there

- And, most importantly, no people!!!!

Solitude rocks!

My avatar changes frequently.

The latest one is just me and nice late November nook.

Not too happy with it, so I'll be changing it again once I snap another good photo of something worth looking at.

Hey Bob - is there a size limit for avatars? If not, I think there should be, as some of the avatars are getting pretty darn big. You know there's a problem when someone's avatar takes up half of my monitor!

I'd be happy with a 200x200 pixel image. That's plenty big enough...if not too big already.

Just a thought.

Mine is just a shot of my dog Nick, sleeping with his head on my pillow.

Part of me always wants to be the class clown, so while you all have pictures of yourselves, I would have a shot of Nick and give you a humorous sig to laugh over.

Besides, either I forget the camera, or don't take the picture when I catch a nice one. They are all in my mind, and a few on film.

Rob

Just a picture of me circa 1982. I had just started getting into fly fishing and managed to catch a couple of sea run cutthroat on a fly I tied myself...

Believe it or not the original photo is actually in black and white. My buddy Robert was taking a photography class in school at the time...

The hat, vest, flyrod and reel all belonged to my dad (I still store them at my house). I hope to pass them down to my son someday, along with a love for fishing.

full photo:

Ahhh, another day on the Sky. Boat is one I built from Ken Hankinson plans. A winter project to keep me out of trouble in 1999.

I sell 'em and smoke 'em.

John