The Day Before Thanksgiving

[Randall]

Fished the spring and the river the day before and after Thanksgiving with great results. The river was high and muddy so I had to go big. Ended up catching about 2 dozen over the full day, with one being what I usually think of as big, just over 20 inches and about 4 pounds. On the downside, it was a stocker that had been in the hatchery for a while and seemed like it was on the downhill slide, especially given the fact that after a 30-45 second fight it took me about 15 minutes to revive it to the extent that I thought it had a chance at survival. Never saw it swim off, but it held its place in the current for several minutes before I left. The camera died when I was trying to get a picture.

The day after was unreal and may have been the best day of fishing I've had on that river. Again, there was a downside. I talked to a guy floating who said that he traps on the river and that the otter population has absolutely exploded.