Sportsman

The other day, while photographing the falls near my home (see previous blogs), I took a few random and not-s0-artistic views of guys fishing. Not being a sports photographer, I didn't even try to catch the coho salmon trying to leap the falls. I did, however, grab a shot of one of the fly casters trying to hook one of these fish. The fellow above hooked into something that bent his rod at what appeared to be a painful angle, and I was amazed when it didn't break. It took him nearly 20 minutes to land one of the hugest coho salmons I have ever seen. Holding it by the gills, he was unable to hold it fully out of the water (and, naturally, I never got a picture of it. But trust me. Hey, this is a fish story after all).

Standing downstream, I watched while he first admired the fish, then gently placed it in the water and held it until he was sure the animal was okay. Then, he let it go.

Paddle safe...
DS