Pink Fat Alberts don't turn over easily on 15' 4X Leaders...


I know you recognize the blast from the past at the top of my post.  Yes, it is indeed Fat Albert.  What does Fat Albert have to do with fly fishing?  Here goes...
Last weekend on the Spring, White, and Norfork Rivers was indeed hopper time.  The hopper bite was on and I landed a few eager fish on a #6 gaudy pink pattern known as a Fat Albert.  "Pink is the hot color, mate," Steve Dally said as I stared bug-eyed and slack-jawed over the hopper bin at Steve's shop in Cotter, AR.  As usual, Steve turned out to be a prophet. 

Pink Fat Albert
When Laurie and I arrived at Rim Shoals, the temperature was 107.  Needless to say, we donned the Simms wading sandals and enjoyed the cooling sensation of wet wading. 
We explored different areas and got some nice takes on our Fat Alberts, but as we moved on the other side of a downriver island, we discovered a nice seam that moved into a deep trench absolutely loaded with fish.  We snipped off the hoppers, tied on a beadhead sowbug, crimped a BB shot about 6" above and set our indicators DEEP.  Even in the heat, the action was fast and furious for a while.  The video above shows the comical things that can happen when attempting to land a fish.  Number one, I accidently bought 15' 4X Rio leaders from Steve instead of my usual 9 footers.  This was a huge problem in that everytime I tried to land a fish, my leader-flyline connection loop would hang in my guide tip.  Okay! Okay!  I know.  Don't be an idiot.  Just clip off the leader and put on a new one.  Easier said than done when you're pounding fish and don't want to stop.  Number Two:  The fish on the video swam between Laurie's legs and actually swam into the net on the way out.  Bottom line:  No matter how many trout you've landed, every fish is an adventure...
I'm so grateful to have a fantastic fishing partner like my wife.  She's a great fisherman and a great soul-mate.  Our relationship was formed on trout rivers and we have so many wonderful memories everytime we get back to our home waters in Arkansas.  Thanks, Laurie!  That being said, I believe the only reason she volunteered to net my fish was to get on the video!
Other things of note on this trip.  I got to meet two of my heros and legendary guides on the White:  John Berry and Davy Wotten--all on the same day. Also, I got to actually land fish while filming with my new GoPro Hero2 with the chestie.  It is really an awesome setup that I'm getting more comfortable with everytime I use it.  To say this trip was epic, well, that would be an understatement...

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