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Bull Trout Video Hi Speed Only

Recently I was up in Boise, Idaho on business. I travel to Boise about every six weeks but somehow I have never fished the Boise River. My old buddy and fishing partner Jami recently moved to Boise and convinced me to give it a shot. The Boise River flows right through the heart of the city. However, it has one of the most amazing green belts surrounding it. We got up early and scoped out the fishing spots. The river is surrounded with woods and parks and offers excellent access and pretty good fishing. But after a thorough inspection and talk about the exceptional opportunities offered in other places we decided to ditch the urban fishing and make the hour and a half drive to the South Fork of the Boise. Who wants to fish in the middle of a city green belt or not! So we snaked our way through the morning rush hour and hit the highway. Gas on. Ninety miles an hour and we were off. I had to make it back to Boise for a 5:00 appointment. I have fished the South Fork before without much success. It is considered a very good river. The Rainbows grow to over 24 inches and then there is the elusive Bull Trout. This species is very susceptible to environmental stresses. It is a cousin of the Brook Trout and needs cold clean water. These days it is limited to 2% of its original range in the United States. It is listed as threatened and endangered. The numbers of these fish are so

small that in Idaho it is illegal to even target to them! But on the trip the Bull Trout was really just a thought in the back of my mind. I was after big Rainbows. Jami and I set out on the upper stretches of the South Fork. This part of the river is characterized by very deep pools, large boulders and treacherous wading. The day started out cloudy so I tied on a size four Platte River Spider with a pinched barb. Strict regulations apply here-single barbless hooks only. I only made about five casts when hooked this giant Bull Trout. I landed him took a quick picture and let him go. What a fish. It was a good thing too it was the only trout we caught all day. It is amazing that sometimes one fish, awesome scenery and a good fishing buddy can make an otherwise slow fishing day a great experience.