Disclaimer: this is a going to be a long post. This big fella swiped at my streamer on my first cast under a dead bush. I saw a flash of butter, then he disappeared without taking the fly. I got excited and threw another cast about a foot farther upstream to make sure he had time to grab it and he slammed it! After a good fight on my epic 686 I led him into the shallows, set my rod on the bank and pulled out my phone to snap a picture of him. I lifted him up before I took the fly out and he flopped, shot between my legs and snapped my line with the big dungeon still in his mouth. I felt sick to my stomach that I might have just killed this gorgeous fish because I wanted a picture. Heartbroken, I tied on another fly but could hardly bring myself to cast. I prayed that I might somehow see or catch him again to get the fly out before he died. I walked less than twenty feet downstream and he was laying on his side in a sunken pile of branches! I carefully reached down with my whole arm in the water and grabbed him by the tail. I hurried to the bank and was able up free the hook from his throat. Then I prayed again that he would be OK and after about three minutes he sped off back to his lair. It felt so good to help this gorgeous fish! I started back upstream to my car and decided to cast in one more spot. Second cast I hooked into my first cutthroat in Wyoming and on a streamer I am testing! A night to remember for sure. Thank God for answering prayers and creating such incredible animals. I'm constantly humbled by an animal with a brain the size of a pea. #flyfishing #epicflyrod #catchandrelease #flytying #articulationnation