First Sea Trout of the 2018 season

We had a pretty bad winter and spring (for us) and I can think that has made our run of these migratory fish very late arriving.
I caught this one just as it got dark, it took a 1'' aluminum stoats tail tube fly and it fought like a demon.



Hopefully a few more arrive soon.

Cheers

Richard

27'' equates to just under 8lb! What a beast!
Stripped line so quick it cut my finger.
20 minutes to land and then another 20 mons to get it to recover and released back to the river.
My best ever.
Cheers
Richard

Holy cow, Richard, that sea run is a toad! Congratulations on a beauty. She looks to be in great shape. You better get that picture posted on your web page. I thought most of your larger fish were caught later in the year. If that is so, this season could turn out some fish of epic proportions.

Thanks mate, she might have been a little longer, in my haste to get it back in the river we just marked it's length on the net, but if I had measured the actual length I think it might have been 28'' as it was a really thick fish, the 'spring' run fish are usually larger, just as the Salmon are, then we get a run of smaller Sea Trout, and smaller Salmon called Grilse, years ago we would get a late autumn run of big fish but less so these days.
I caught it opposite where you fell into the hole!
She didn't realise she had been hooked initially, and then all hell broke loose, the first run went under the tree roots, luckily she came back out, but wow what a second run, fly line ripped out through the rings, cut my finger on the backing, all I could do was just hold on, then she turned and came back just as quick, I really struggled to keep the tension on, a few more aerial jumps and then it was her will against mine, all the time I could feel the nylon scraping the rocks, but I won in the end, and she lives to fight another day.
Cheers
Richard

Sawtooth said:

Holy cow, Richard, that sea run is a toad! Congratulations on a beauty. She looks to be in great shape. You better get that picture posted on your web page. I thought most of your larger fish were caught later in the year. If that is so, this season could turn out some fish of epic proportions.

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That is a fish worth losing sleep over, for sure. Congratulations

looks like big time fun!