TR - Memory of my first sal****er fish

A couple of hundred years ago, my career brought me to the San Diego area.
Anxious to sample the local fly fishing, I took out my 10 foot Livingston
boat powered by my trusty 6hp Evinrude out into the kelp beds. The day was
beautiful, as many are in this area, with the ocean looking more like a lake
than a sea.



I took my 6wt rod with floating line and tied on a bluegill popper bug of my
origin (balsa wood and Maribou feathers, uglier than ****, but it always did
well with bluegill). I was flailing the water near the line where kelp met
the open water and I got a hit. The fish took me instantly to my backing
and I was sure I had a monster fish on. I cranked down my "so-called" drag,
was attempting to palm my way to a stop, but nothing was slowing it up.
Just as I banged up my knuckles on the reel handle, I got on top of the
wrestling match. I worked this fish for another 20 minutes and I was
convinced I had on a 20 pounder for sure.



I finally get a look at my quarry and I was blown away. A three to maybe 4
½ pound bonito was wreaking havoc with my fishing skills. That day, I
caught or maybe more accurately hooked, bonito, calico bass, mackerel, and
one very skinny but ferocious looking barracuda. I used up dozens of flies
(most anything big and furry was working) on these toothy guys that can snap
dry fly hooks with no problem. I had a great time and I have always been
impressed with the power of sal****er fish as compared to freshwater fish
(with maybe the exception of the bluegill -- (Frank Church's monster gill
prompted this memory for some reason).



Wouldn't a genetically enhanced 15-pound bluegill be great fun?



Chris