OK, any legal trout, any legal method, any state, so here goes.
This is not my biggest fish, but it was over 8 pounds. How do I know, well the "De-liar" brand spring scale would only go to 8 pounds and it bottomed it out. But, it was not how big the fish was, but the story behind it.
I spent my teen years in South-Central Idaho. Now those of you that know about fishing in Idaho normally think of the Panhandle area, and there are some great streams, great lakes, and big fish there. Many of you think of Eastern Idaho, and how could you not think of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, or the South Fork of the Snake, or Henry's Lake, or the world famous Silver Creek, or ...................... OK you get the point. But no one ever thinks of the high desert area near Twin Falls.
It just so happens that in the middle of that desert is the Snake River. Now the river itself is not very clear, or at least it was not when I grew up there. It is much better now that surface flow irrigation is going away, but then the river flowed mud from late spring to late fall. Still, the river cuts through one of the worlds biggest Aquifers and you have an area called the Thousand Springs area. These springs, or really mini rivers, bust right out of the canyon walls and drop into the Snake River. This is where the trout, mostly Rainbow, hide and live, and sometimes they get big, very big.
One spring I bought a new canoe and my two younger brothers wanted to go out fishing with me in it. So, with little time available to us as farm boys, we loaded up the canoe and headed to the Snake River. We knew of a spot where one of the big springs came out of the canyon walls, flowed through a State Fish Hatchery, into a natural pond, then into the River. We had heard that some of the big rainbows came up into the pond and spawned where small springs came in, so with it being march, we checked it out. Now, because this is spring water, it is super clear.
I was throwing a Mutaka, black and chartreuse as I recall, along the shore when one of my brothers hollered "look at that monster near the bank". So, I tossed that fly onto the edge of the bank, pulled it off, twitched it, and BANG, missed it. What the *&&*, how could that fish miss it, he hit it so hard. So, we rested the fish for about 10 minutes and came back. I tossed the fly and it landed about 6" from the shore, and again BANG, missed it again. Now I am pretty upset by now. We fish on down the bank and I miss a couple of small fish.
About now, my youngest brother, about 10 at the time, said I should change that cursed fly. So, I did, and in the process,
I discovered that the hook was broken off at the bend, no point, no curve, it was broken at the back of the shank. I don't know how, but apparently I had hit the canoe or a rock on a cast and had broken the fly hook.
About now I was so mad I could boil the water with my stare.:bom: We were running out of time, had cows to go home and milk, so I put on another fly (don't remember this one) and we hit the bank one more time.
Now I don't know if it was the same fish or not, but this time BANG, fish on. Twenty minutes later I was on cloud nine and proud as a peacock. I think I was too proud, because my brother just younger then me netted the fish, weighed it, held it up, then ACCIDENTALLY dropped it into the water.
I NEVER TOOK HIM FISHING AGAIN THE REST OF THE YEAR.
Of course, I don't think I got much fishing in for the rest of that year. We got home a little late and cows don't like you to be late when they need to be milked. I remember Dad being his normal less then good mood about it when we got home.
. i set the hook which just made the fish move deeper hugging the bottom untill i slowly horsed it out of the hole:cheers: it was still on the other side but down from the hole going into shallower(but faster moving) water when i saw a huge flash of white, (could it be a white fish that big:-k ) walked further out still not sure what i had on then it started to head down to the fast rapids.](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
reeling like mad i was able to turn it back 
and into the hole were it still stayed low ( i only had 8lb line) it headed down to the rapids again