Team Tuesday - Gus Clarke & Chris Dore's Late Season Trout Hunt

“If you plan a backcountry fishing trip it pays not to leave your rod at home...” Chris Dore (aka, me)

Gus and I had this overnighter in the planning for quite some time, and despite both of us packing at the last minute we had all the essentials covered. Good steak, J.D. rain gear and fishing gear. What else would we need, right?

We set off from the truck in the early hours hiking upstream in search of fresh, lake run fish. After an hour or so hike we dropped packs to set up shop. Now as a professional guide my trip planning needs to be meticulous: all equipment double checked, forecasts studied and everything just so. However, I do tend to relax on my personal time / personal trips and so was possibly justly rewarded with that heart stopping moment when you unscrew your rod tube to find it empty...bugger.

Never fear! Gus had his trusty 6wt Scott Radian and though the fishing was tough, we worked hard to set the steel into some absolutely cracking fish. Due to the powerhouse nature of fresh runners and their tendency to hang out very close to cover, not a lot came to hand however as the images show, you only need one or two of these fish to make for an epic adventure.