Tight Lines: Running with the Bulls

For those of you who have struggled to hook and land a really big bull trout (I am one of you), you might want to not read any further.

Okay, I warned you. Here's my tale:

One of the coolest things about the Metolius River is that huge, predatory fish - bull trout - lurk in many parts of the river.

If you see a log or two sticking out of the water, there's a good chance that a bull trout is lurking under the wood and waiting for a smaller trout or whitefish to make a mistake. Bull trout often chase hooked rainbow trout and whitefish.

Bull trout, which are actually a char (a close relative to the trout), get really big. The state record bull trout is 23 pounds, and it was caught in Lake Billy Chinook, which means that bull was born in the cold, clean waters of the Metolius River.

Anyway, if you're walking along the river, there's a good shot that a big bull trout is nearby - maybe even under your feet, if you're standing on an undercut bank. Some of these fish are far bigger than 23 pounds.

Because I spend a lot of time on the Metolius pestering the trout, I often see bulls in the water. Sometimes I catch and release one.

Running with the bulls

But it's my fate as a fly angler to see others hook and land the big bulls. This past Saturday, I arrived on the Metolius as that wet cold front was rolling in. I figured the cloud cover would get the Green Drake mayfly hatch going.

Well, the Green Drakes took the afternoon off, but the Pale Morning Dun mayflies were hatching in batches that looked like tiny yellow sailboats. Trout were happily sipping them down. Fishing - and catching - was great.

I came around a corner, and saw a younger guy hooked up to a big, big fish. Another angler was in the water trying to net the fish, which was having none of it. The younger angler was pretty calm during the splashy ruckus, but the bull trout eventually ended up in the net.

Photo by Chester Allen

Big bull trout lurk in the Metolius River.

The young angler, Conor McKechney, kept the bull trout in the water (which is what you're supposed to do). He then let it go without any drama at all - after posing for a couple of photos.

"Well, I lost another bull a few minutes ago," Conor casually remarked. "They're fun fish."

We started talking, and it turns out that Conor has been fly fishing for less than two years. That stunning fact almost made my head explode. Many Metolius anglers spend years learning the river - and building their fly-fishing skills - before they land a big bull.

After my skull survived the shock of all this, evil jealousy filled my soul. My biggest bull trout was probably four pounds. It's true that I rarely target bull trout - I am addicted to casting a dry fly or emerger to rising trout - but I do break out the big rod and huge streamers every now and then.

Casting a six-inch-long streamer - or longer - is the best way to hook a big bull, at least according to accepted fishing wisdom. Conor, like many other younger fly anglers, catches his bull trout on small nymphs fished under a strike indicator (aka bobber).

How can a newbie fly angler do so well with bulls?

Well, the short answer is this: deep-drifting a fly that looks like the nymphal forms of mayflies, caddis, and stoneflies puts the fly right in front of the trout. And trout spend most of their time eating those nymphs - not the adult winged insects on the surface. Deep nymphing is a real shortcut to hooking and landing big trout.

I guess I could start nymphing more, but I really prefer casting a floating fly and seeing the trout eat it off the surface. Plenty of nice trout feed on top, and I'm delighted to catch and release them. But the big bulls stay close to the bottom, and, judging by their size, they must eat almost constantly.

Salt in the wound

I sent Conor a few shots of him and his big bull on Sunday morning. His reply just about sent me around the bend: "Thanks again for the photos, I nabbed a second one about 45 minutes after that. Such a fun day. Check it out...."

And there was a photo of Conor with another very nice bull trout.