Tiger Trout

By Amos Sharp If you missed part one of this article please click HERE Joy Gonzalez @joya_gonzalez (Photo credit: Giezi Gonzalez) Every fishing trip is an adventure with unique fish and a fish story. So, here's a picture of my latest jaunt, catching a beautiful cutty. I love landing cutthroat trout, although I usually prefer river fishing to lake fishing, and drifting down a river is a real treat. A few years back, I floated the Missouri, in Montana, which included forging big rapids, in pitch darkness. I didn't catch one fish, but that Fourth of July weekend, I felt wild and free. I was born free and fishing makes me remember. It's saved my life. Heidi Lewis @heidiaqua (Photo credit: Heather Hodson) When asked to pick my favorite fish to catch I could only think of how to answer the question of 'who is your favorite child'?! They are all my favorites. What kind of mother would I be to answer that differently? Trout are like my first born. They taught me so much. But then there's my second and third, bass and carp. Those taught me so much too but in such different ways. I love to catch them all. Similar to kids, they are all really different and special. For me, it's mostly about how I'm catching fish not what kind of fish they are. Nothing thrills me more than having a fish hit my streamer with such meaning and force. The sudden thug jolting through my line to my butt section then through my being is beyond compare. Or seeing that fish attempt to eat a dry or streamer in clear water. My heart beats faster, my hands tremble, my adrenaline is kicked into 6th gear with the turbo engaged. I'm feeling this sensation as I type this, it's so vivid.Hanna Huhtala @myflyfishingdiary (Photo credit: Viljami Huhtala) I love to fish many different species of fish, but when asking one favorite species to catch, it will be brown trout. The beauty of that fish caught my attention at the first place, and made me start fly fishing. They are not only beautiful but also unique with all the different colors and variations from very dark brown to brightest yellow and even red, not to mention those awesome silver searun brown trouts. I have come to learn their skin is soft, and the power of a big brown trout really surprised me. I maybe started fishing to find those beautiful little creatures, but I continued fishing to find that adrenaline the bigger trout can provide with the great bite and the fight. For me brown trout fishing includes many different styles and aspects. I like to fish the summery rivers with streamers, and whenever there's a chance for dry fly fishing I'll take it, since it's one of the best things a fly fisher can ever do. The highlight of my year is brown trout fishing in Lapland's wilderness areas where the fish have probably never seen fly fishers before. During the spring and autumn I absolutely love to wade the cold waters in the coasts of the Baltic sea, seeking the searun brown trouts. I think it's the most challenging yet rewarding way to fish the brown trouts. Erica Beesley @erica_outdoors It's hard to pick a favorite fish to catch. Each type of fish have a certain uniqueness about them, but if I had to choose it would probably be the tiger trout. Tiger trout are somewhat uncommon. It's not everyday that you get a chance to target one. Their markings are so distinct and beautiful. They are often found in high mountain lakes and streams which provide an exquisite backdrop to a day of fishing. They are also very aggressive and put up a great fight. They have a certain exceptional quality that makes them my favorite fish to catch. Natalie Bennion @a_ladys_angle (Photo credit: Natalie Bennion) It is difficult to pick just one favorite trout to chase. I adore the elusive brooke trout, my heart skips a beat every time the rainbow jumps out of the river when caught on my line, and I am still chasing that cutthroat. If I had to pick just one favorite trout it would be the Brown. I know I have a brown trout on the end of my line before it surfaces. Because unlike the rainbow, as soon as that hook is set it buries itself deep into the river planning its escape. Brown trout give me my best fight. They are feisty, have attitude and they are smart. They make me work harder than any other trout for that quick tug. Browns can either make my day or spoil it by their quick resistance. The coloring of young browns will never become an old site to see with their vibrant, dark red spots layered with a subtle and translucent aqua, and their bright yellow bellies. Sometimes, if your lucky, you'll catch a young one who will show off her soft blue par marks. It amazes me how these young, beautiful trout turn into buck wild monsters with age. As they grow I love how their under jaw pops forward like a bulldog. No doubt they grow the matching attitude to go with it! When I catch a brown trout, I'll be smiling for days.Christina Akins@whiskeysally I have lived in Arizona my entire life and I would have to say that my favorite fish to catch is any native fish species. As part of my job as a wildlife biologist for the state of Arizona, I am grateful to have had many opportunities to implement recovery and conservation actions for native fish, including those threatened or endangered like the humpback chub or desert pupfish. In most cases, we using techniques like electroshocking, snorkeling and seining to catch fishes to document diversity and abundance in beautiful, remote bedrock canyons with narrow walls and deep plunge pools.The fish in my picture is of a Sonora sucker (Catostomus insignis), captured in the Salt River drainage of Arizona; one of the many native fishes of Arizona. In closing, I can't help but express my love for the fly fishing community. Fly fishing isn't solely about the variety of fish we all strive to catch, it's about the variety of people it brings together through that common passion and bond we all feel. As the world of fly fishing continues to grow and transcend boundaries that once were, I am excited to see where this journey takes me, as well as all of you. -Amos

Tiger Trout

Fly Fishing: What We Love Part 2

Fly Fishing: What We Love Part 1