Rekindle Your Love Of Fishing

This Christmas season my heart is full of thanks to all of you who have willingly shared your photos, stories, and experiences; have asked questions, and have willingly and eagerly read this column each week for the past 18 years.  I am deeply moved each time you stop me in the tackle store, at church, on the golf course or at the grocery store, and comment on an article or a photo, or simply thank me for writing. It is with this sense of thanksgiving that I tell you about one such reader, Kirk Rasmussen.

Kirk and I golf The Reserve At East Bay with about 20 others known as the “Over-The-Hill-Gang” or “The Hillers” for short.  Months ago, Kirk began asking me questions about fishing, and eventually shared his own fishing adventures. He told me about fishing the diversion waters, irrigation ditches that distributed water to farmers along the Provo River, the huge brown trout he caught, and other adventures that took place decades ago.

An Old Interest Rekindled

As life caught up with Kirk, he eventually gave up fishing in favor of other pursuits, but fairly recently decided to give it another try.  Our conversations over the summer became less about golf and more about fishing.  He was truly starting over so we talked about tackle boxes, terminal tackle, what kinds of fish he wanted to catch, and which rods and reels to purchase.

It always excites me to see people renew their interest in a pastime that for one reason of the other has been dormant for many years.  I knew that the next step for us was to get Kirk in my boat so we could fish together.  Throughout the fall, I asked him to come to Strawberry with me but injuries and schedules got in the way until Tuesday of last week, when (in a fluke of weather, Kirk, John Morrill (another Hiller) and I left 20-degree smog in Provo and found ourselves basking in 48-degree shirtsleeve weather on Strawberry.

Catching Big Fish!

I showed them my “hard bodied jerkbaits” and made sure both of them had one tied on and we began to fish coves and points in the calm, springtime-like conditions. I introduced them to watching their lures (using polarized sunglasses) in the water for the “followers” showing themselves as the lures came back towards the boaDon Allphint. Both John and Kirk where astounded at the size of the fish that surrounded our lures from time to time, regardless of whether they struck.

Though the “bite” was slower than usual, several beautiful cutthroats found their way to our lures and eventually into our boat.  At one point I told the guys we could change up, move across the reservoir and try for some rainbows, but both insisted we keep trying to catch huge cutthroats.

We finally stopped on a long bank that ended in a large cove and began working the bank with our jerkbaits.  Kirk, by then very familiar with setting the hook after a strike, said, “I think this is a big fish,” as his rod bent double and the drag on his reel sounded.

To the Victor . . .

After a good battle we netted a 25.5-inch 6-plus-pound cutthroat that eclipsed his largest previous catch (the brown trout from the Provo River) by a couple of pounds.  But, the day wasn’t over.  Within a few minutes a 26-inch 7-plus-pound giant also made its way into our boat.

We had a super day on the water and I am thankful to Kirk and to John for coming with me and cementing Kirk’s newly rediscovered excitement about fishing.  Kirk now has a tackle box full of lures, rods, reels, and (actually) the time to enjoy them.

If any of you want to revisit your enjoyment of fishing, don’t hesitate to allow me to help.  There is nothing I would enjoy more than seeing each of you either in person or in a photo with a huge fish and a smile on your face.   Merry Christmas!

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