By Tommy Ladson

As a senior in high school, I thought I owed it to myself to take a "sick" day from school and do a little fishing this week. It was the best decision I ever made!

I woke up early and got all of my fishing gear packed and ready to go. I met my girlfriend, Alli, at her house, and we were on our way. I decided to go to an old fishing hole my grandfather showed me on the Lehigh River when I was a little boy. After what seemed like a 10-mile walk, we finally got to the spot, which was under an old bridge. Once we got there we came across an old man fishing with his fly rod. He said he was trying to catch a huge fish out in the deep hole of the river, but he couldn't get him to bite. I looked out into a deep swirling hole and that is where I saw him: a huge rainbow trout. At first glance it looked like it had to be at least 30 inches long, but when it comes to fish I always exaggerate. Who doesn't?

The old man told me to have a crack at it, so I did. I rigged my go-to bait, a green Power Bait, and cast the line a little up river from the trout. The bright, green ball slowly disappeared under the water heading directly to the trout. I felt a quick tug and my heart stopped. I jerked my rod fiercely in anticipation, hoping that I had the trout on the end of my line. I started to shout, " I got him!"

But as fast as I could yell the words, the old man pointed out that the fish was swimming on the other side of the river. My heart dropped because I knew I didn't have the trout on my line, and I now thought I was just snagged on a rock.

I was just about to cut the line and start getting a new hook ready when Alli said, "Your line is running up the river."

I immediately lifted the tip of my rod straight up into the air and felt another giant tug. I was excited once again, and my heart started to race faster then it did the first time. I  loosened my drag and prepared for a big fight. I was using very light line so I didn't want to take a chance of the line breaking. I let the fish run with the line back and forth, over and over, until I finally tired him out. After a 15-minute fight, and a two-minute struggle to get him in the net, I finally got to lay eyes on my prize. I lifted my trout out of the net and stared with amazement.

In my hands I held the the biggest trout I had ever caught. It was an enormous rainbow trout that measured 21 3/4 inches and weighed 4 pounds. After looking over my trout for a few minutes I took some photos and went back to fishing. I didn't catch anymore trout that day, but I still feel like that was my luckiest day of fishing. On my first cast of the morning, I landed my biggest trout...ever!

Comments (16)

from Koldkut wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Congrats on the personal best.

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from SD_Whitetail_Hntr wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Now that's taking advantage of a day off of school! I usually just sat on the couch watching TV. Stories like this make me want to get into fly fishing so bad. Doesn't do much good around my neck of the woods though. We're in walleye, perch, pike country. I don't even know a single person with a fly rod. If all my dreams came true, I'd life in a cabin somewhere fairly secluded around some foothills in Montana or Colorado and I'd learn every detail of fly fishing, elk hunting, and more. But for now, elusive whitetail deer and trolling for eye's on the missouri river are going to have to do.

Thanks for the story kid!

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from ckRich wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Congrats Tommy!

SD: You can catch all sorts of fish with fly tackle, it just depends on what you're throwing and how you present it. I mostly catch bass, panfish and crappie in between my treks to the trout waters. And unless I'm mistaken I believe buckhunter fishes pike with fly tackle. Give it a try, its addictive!

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from Blue Ox wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Congrats on yr catch, Tommy!
Hell, even the truant officer couldn't
be mad at you for that one.

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from countitandone wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Tommy,nice slab and for $50, I won't tell your teachers!

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from MLH wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Playing hookey to go fishing, with your girlfriend, no less, AND catching the biggest trout of your life ... that's an experience to tell your future grandkids. Are you sure that old man with the fyrod wasn't an angel in disguise?

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from jtoc24 wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

good job! my personal best is a 18 inch rainbow. you win!

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from jbird wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Sweet! Great trout, beats school, huh?

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from fisherman wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Awesome!

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from muskiemaster wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

SD_Whitetail if I'm right your probably from South Dakota, at least you've got some streams out there and your closer to Montana than I am (Wisconsin) some day I'd like to get out that way again and try some Pheasant hunting out ther. Congrats on the trout, Two years and I'll try the same thing.

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from jamesti wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

most kids skip school to drink or smoke something. glad to have you here.

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from grant77 wrote 2 years 48 weeks ago

way to go!

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from Huntingwithdaughters wrote 2 years 43 weeks ago

Huck Finn lives! Well done. You are excused from school.

I have fished the Lehigh, a remarkable stream for its proximity to Allentown, PA. I did not have a fraction of your good fortune for all of my fancy gear.

Does your girlfriend fish I hope? Please try to catch one of those rainbows on a flyrod for even more excitement!

David Bershtein
www.fishingwithdaughters.com
fair Lawn, NJ

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from Bass2Buck wrote 2 years 35 weeks ago

I love that feeling you get when you just caught a monster. It fells kinda like buck fever but you dont shake as much.

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from Donkeylegjohnson wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

nice story, more than likely if your teachers had a heart they would let you off after seeing the picture.

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from drobe2 wrote 23 weeks 6 days ago

Thats pretty cool. I too just recently caught my first and biggest trout a 20 inch rainbow in a stocked stream in Kansas!

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from SD_Whitetail_Hntr wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Now that's taking advantage of a day off of school! I usually just sat on the couch watching TV. Stories like this make me want to get into fly fishing so bad. Doesn't do much good around my neck of the woods though. We're in walleye, perch, pike country. I don't even know a single person with a fly rod. If all my dreams came true, I'd life in a cabin somewhere fairly secluded around some foothills in Montana or Colorado and I'd learn every detail of fly fishing, elk hunting, and more. But for now, elusive whitetail deer and trolling for eye's on the missouri river are going to have to do.

Thanks for the story kid!

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MLH wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Playing hookey to go fishing, with your girlfriend, no less, AND catching the biggest trout of your life ... that's an experience to tell your future grandkids. Are you sure that old man with the fyrod wasn't an angel in disguise?

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from grant77 wrote 2 years 48 weeks ago

way to go!

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from Bass2Buck wrote 2 years 35 weeks ago

I love that feeling you get when you just caught a monster. It fells kinda like buck fever but you dont shake as much.

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from Koldkut wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Congrats on the personal best.

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from ckRich wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Congrats Tommy!

SD: You can catch all sorts of fish with fly tackle, it just depends on what you're throwing and how you present it. I mostly catch bass, panfish and crappie in between my treks to the trout waters. And unless I'm mistaken I believe buckhunter fishes pike with fly tackle. Give it a try, its addictive!

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from Blue Ox wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Congrats on yr catch, Tommy!
Hell, even the truant officer couldn't
be mad at you for that one.

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from countitandone wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Tommy,nice slab and for $50, I won't tell your teachers!

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from jtoc24 wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

good job! my personal best is a 18 inch rainbow. you win!

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from jbird wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Sweet! Great trout, beats school, huh?

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from fisherman wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

Awesome!

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from muskiemaster wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

SD_Whitetail if I'm right your probably from South Dakota, at least you've got some streams out there and your closer to Montana than I am (Wisconsin) some day I'd like to get out that way again and try some Pheasant hunting out ther. Congrats on the trout, Two years and I'll try the same thing.

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from jamesti wrote 3 years 5 weeks ago

most kids skip school to drink or smoke something. glad to have you here.

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from Huntingwithdaughters wrote 2 years 43 weeks ago

Huck Finn lives! Well done. You are excused from school.

I have fished the Lehigh, a remarkable stream for its proximity to Allentown, PA. I did not have a fraction of your good fortune for all of my fancy gear.

Does your girlfriend fish I hope? Please try to catch one of those rainbows on a flyrod for even more excitement!

David Bershtein
www.fishingwithdaughters.com
fair Lawn, NJ

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from Donkeylegjohnson wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

nice story, more than likely if your teachers had a heart they would let you off after seeing the picture.

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from drobe2 wrote 23 weeks 6 days ago

Thats pretty cool. I too just recently caught my first and biggest trout a 20 inch rainbow in a stocked stream in Kansas!

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All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.