Epic Battle with Biggest Trout of My Life on the Gallatin River in Montana

[@troutntrails]

Wow that's a huge fish for that river! Looked like a hard fight! My best days are when I hike a ways away from the road which most aren't willing to do. Put in that work and get that kind of reward. Good stuff!

[@southernhood5145]

thanks man. it was pretty crazy

[@edpersonius3530]

That is an epic fish, and I am so happy for you that you landed him, and that your son was there with you. At the risk of sounding critical, and for the sake of others who may be watching and learning, I suggest staying downstream of the fish always, which would require more vigorous walking downstream, and reeling while you walk, set your drag light enough for the fish to swim against it, but not so light he spools you, stop stripping line out when you're trying to land him (let your reel do that) keeping your rod tip up at all times, never point the tip down at the fish. A fish like that should be allowed to make several runs in between you reeling him in, but 15 minutes is way too long to play him. Way, way too long. He may have "revived" and swam off, but it's doubtful he survived. Again, congrats on a beautiful and huge fish!

[@southernhood5145]

thanks, great advice. being that I'm used to 12 inch rainbows, on small streams, that you pull in, in 30 seconds I didn't have much experience. I had 5x so I was really thinking he would break off with some of those runs. ended up only playing him for 8. just felt like 15 in my mind

[@southernhood5145]

after he jumped out of my hands, I did hold him in the current for a while till he felt strong and swam off.

[@bennyks]

Congrats on the fish! When you hook a big fish the last thing you want is for it to break off, I get why it took you a long time to land it. With experience and good tips like the comment above you’ll land them quicker and break off less. One tip I learned fishing for big trout in NZ I use today to walk back from the river if you can. This creates more leverage on your rod, putting the fight lower down in the stiffer sections. Also getting them into the shallows is key, you’re fighting current and fish if not. Good luck!

[@stevenm6301]

That was painful to watch.

[@JonAmundsen-c5h]

Says who? Don’t be so self righteous

[@JonAmundsen-c5h]

Your painful to listen to

[@stevenm6301]

@@JonAmundsen-c5h You're*

[@bdiff.overland7534]

I enjoyed this. Good for you. Living it.

[@southernhood5145]

thanks man. I tried to find music that matched how it felt

[@Joe_J-MT_Boy]

Holding the fish out of the water for the "Hero Pose" pretty much insures difficulty for the fish in attempting to recover. Their bodies are not meant to be out in the air where there's no support for their innards, so the pressure in that area is far larger than you would think. Also, fish have a sort of "slime" that coats their skin. Holding a fish in your hands for any length of time damages that protective coating. Know what your doing when it comes to catch-and-release.

[@paharding]

Congrats! That was awesome. Great fish and great video!

[@southernhood5145]

@@paharding thank

[@marktunstill9076]

That’s a very nice fish🎣

[@southernhood5145]

thanks

[@jonathanjohnson5105]

Awesome fish. And to have your son there with you makes it more special

[@southernhood5145]

thanks man. yeah that really made it special

[@jdfog2]

Awesome job! Congrats. We just got back from there Tuesday evening. Spent two weeks in SW Montana - what a place

[@southernhood5145]

thanks man. kinda hard to beat for sure. did you get any fishing in

[@jdfog2]

@@southernhood5145 yes. Fished with a guide a few days afyer we got there. Then fished several times after. I caught several but nothing over 15 inches or so

[@southernhood5145]

@jdfog2 all my other fish were probably less than 12. The shop said this fish was about as big as they get in that area

[@noelslater822]

Great fish! Congrats! Not gonna criticize as there's already plenty on here who have taken the opportunity to point out what you probably have already surmised in hind sight. I enjoyed your excitement! That's fun to watch anytime catches their PR.

[@duncanstewart5738]

Poor fish handling for a video moment

[@keybug3337]

Well done! So awesome to be out there with your son! Keep it up!

[@southernhood5145]

thanks, it was pretty special

[@alexmacdonald258]

That's huge! I've guided and caught lots of fish there, but nothing approaching that size!

[@southernhood5145]

yeah. that's what the shop said. everyone is giving me grief for taking so long to get him in but I had really light tippet because I was expecting 12 inch rainbows

[@Pwrcritter]

Size matters!

[@imaxfli]

Movie A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT fishing scenes were filmed on the Gallatin. I was there when they were filming.....

[@southernhood5145]

very cool

[@davidelfstrom9008]

Well done! Up there the water temps are much cooler so the fish recovery times are exceptional.

[@philipdennis-rh7uj]

One of the biggest mistakes anglers make is chasing. Hold your ground, trust your rod and knots. Notice how much harder it got when he reached the fast water

[@southernhood5145]

he was already in fast water behind a rock when I hooked him. I actually thought I was caught on the bottom because when I was pulling my line in, it felt like I was going to break my light tippet. then I realized it was a fish. he was in that fast current and I had to work him down to the slower water.

[@bigskyphotoart]

This is why all of our big fish die. You don't need it on film!!!!!!! 11 minutes is way too long for a delicate fish

[@JonAmundsen-c5h]

The man was obviously overjoyed with what he accomplished. Don’t take that away from him. The trout was very lively when he landed him. It will be fine.

[@JonAmundsen-c5h]

Delicate fish?? Your delicate

[@DonCliggett]

This fish didn’t get that big cause he’s delicate!

[@johnmahoney7876]

If you hold your pole closer to the real you can put more stress on the fish the way you're holding it you could easily break your Rod especially on a big fish amateur

[@primebeef3938]

Way too much time was spent on landing him. Bad form.

[@southernhood5145]

thanks for your comment and support

[@paulebennett9342]

Lol you need to get up here more bud. That's an average size fish.good job.

[@southernhood5145]

yea, I wish, I'm used to smaller stuff in the smokies

[@brianmoeller6839]

Keep your line tight and try to get down stream of him. Would have shortened the fight

[@LawrenceKentz]

One word: rookie!

[@treythompson2686]

i hope you kept and ate that fish, because you completely exhausted it in that fight. Sad to say there is no way it survived if you released it.

[@thomasficho8890]

You’re wet waiting so the water is obviously on the warm side, and you really stress that fish. Don’t fight him so long, land him quickly, take your picture and get him back to his habitat. That’s what I would recommend next time and hopefully there’s another one just as good waiting for you.

[@JonAmundsen-c5h]

Wrong

[@mitchellfink1151]

worst over played fish ever. You might as well have eaten it because no way it survived that mishandling. Nott trying to be a D, but learn the proper handling.

[@southernhood5145]

well I had 5x tippet, so I had to play him or he could have easily broken me off, second after he jumped out of my hands he swam off.

[@JonAmundsen-c5h]

You are a D

[@imaxfli]

Nice fish...not that big. It probably died after you released it.

[@southernhood5145]

it swam away strong

[@jonlebeau1963]

I bet that smile lasted a week!!!!

[@southernhood5145]

lol. it did. only caught a few more fish the rest of the week but was totally fine with it

[@jonlebeau1963]

@@southernhood5145 I lived in Big Sky for 2.5 years, I fished that river every chance i could. I would occasionally travel to Island Park Idaho to fish the Henrys Fork. Good Times.

[@southernhood5145]

@jonlebeau1963 you are a blessed man. I live in Mississippi and have been up there a few times but would love to spend more time

[@johnmahoney7876]

Should have had that fish in a long time ago

[@gilbertamthor5098]

Dude turn your rod tip towards the shore. That is an awesome fish

[@toucanvanbeak]

That fish should have came in within 1 minute 30 seconds. Clown.

[@southernhood5145]

@toucanvanbeak thanks for your support. don't forget to Subscribe and ring the bell for notifications