Fly Fishing Trophy Contest Voting Page
We have been blown away by the great submissions in our Fly Fishing Trophy Room Contest! We should have expected the Gallatin Valley to have some great catches! But who has the best catch? We need your help and votes! View the submissions and make your vote below.
The winner will receive a prize package from Bob Ward’s valued at more than $500!
Redington Torrent – 9′ #5
Redington Rise – 5/6 mantis or dark charcoal
Rio Gold – WF5 fly line
Voting ends at midnight on April 29th
Vote at the bottom of this post
This is my son Alec Claypool catching his first fish with a fly rod on the Ruby River just below the dam. This fish was 14 inches and weighed just over 1 pound. I was so proud of him and the fact he landed it all by himself. "That's-a-my-boy!"
Spring Brown, caught on the Lower Madison the last week of March. Photo: Jordan Corcoran
31" 15 pound Brown Trout caught on April 10th 2013 in the Missouri River, Montana. This Hog Brown was caught on a size 2 black egg sucking leach streamer pattern!!
With other anglers all around and a glaring sun, I approached the run of destiny free from the instruction of my fishing partner. A few casts in, I thought I had snagged myself up on a rock, with a harmonic motion I raised the rod only to find a massive Rainbow that immediately thrust itself up out of the water. As it was only my third fish ever on the fly rod, I screamed as my fishing buddy ran to the scene. It made two hard runs before I was able to get it close! Not knowing yet how to properly land such a fish, caught up in the excitement of the moment and oblivious to my fishing partners instruction and look of sheer horror, I dropped my rod with the fish at my feet and grabbed my leader. Fortunately, I was able to grapple the fish to the shore with my bare hands and land it to shallower water. We all had to hop in the ol blue KIA and bomb through the canyon, just escaping being tardy for work. I may have left the most elusive fish in the river that day, but the exuberant smile never left my face... in anticipation for the next cast.
22 inch brown caught on the Yellowstone on a 9ft 6wt St. Croix imperial rod with a Loop Reel stripping a streamer caught march 31st 2013. He was released and we did not have a sale to weigh him so the weight is unknown.
Had to catch it twice to get this PHOTO!!!
I caught this 32" Brown Trout on the Gallatin River right here in Gallatin County. I was fly fishing with a 6 weight and caught it on a natural colored zonker. When I landed it, I was floored to see what a great, old creature this was. I fumbled for a phone or camera in my waders, but realized that they were in the truck. I put the fish back and watched him swim away and kicked myself for not having proof of this amazing trout. I was consumed by the experience(my wife would say obsessed). I was determined to go back out to the same spot and catch the fish again. I knew it was a long shot, but i literally couldn't sleep, just thinking about it. So on my third trip back, armed with a friend(witness) and a camera, I caught the great beast again! All 32" of this huge fish!!
He swam away a happy old man.
First fish ever I caught on the Galltin River
One heck of a fighter---Ran my line out into the backing twice and took 20 minutes to land this 20" brown trout from Ennis Lake on a peacock bugger. You may see him again, he caught his breath and took off like a bullet.
Bitterroot cutbow on a boogie man.
This monster 41" buck steelhead weighed 22 lbs, and was caught in Idaho on the clearwater river. Although it was quite a battle,and he barely fit in the net, I landed him with a 10 foot, 7 weight, TFO flyrod, using an egg yarn fly.
First time fishing this year..caught this one on the gallatin on April 7th
This is my first Steelhead that I caught on a fly rod in Idaho this past March. The rush that comes with landing a 34 inch sea run fish on a fly that I tied myself is indescribable! I just started to learn how to fly fish this past year. After several days with no success and a few lost fish I finally landed this one! I am now hooked on fly fishing and big fish.
Huey loves fishing with his Moma Morgan!
This Bow was pulled out of Hauser Resevoir with an olive conehead wooly bugger!
My sons second trip out and he caught this beautiful rainbow trout.
10+ lb Fort Peck walleye. I wasn't fly fishing but, hey, this is still the best picture ever! I was a happy girl! Pick me!!!
Ava is 4 and this is her big catch on April 7th on the Gallatin...her pole almost snapped!
Getting my dirt mc'girt on arrrrrrrr!
Muskie I caught on a yellow bucktail streamer in MN, on a broken TFO rod with 12lb test, one of the most exciting moments of my life! at least I had a steel leader. My buddy (in the picture) had to grab the fish after it broke through the net and pin it against the boat then "clean" it into the boat just to get a picture with it after a 10 minute battle! This is why I myself did not get a picture with it. Thank you Brandon! What a day!
My husband and I went to Harrison Lake this April to celebrate my 41st Birthday- and this was the gift I received. A 20 inch Brown, casting a brown bead head woolly bugger to shore, stripping it in. It was gorgeous sunshine, and no wind (rare) which made watching him attack in the clear water even that much more special! Went back 4hours later and caught another 18 incher. Happy Birthday indeed!
Gangster fisherman
Lake trout caught on Flathead lake on 10/3/12. My biggest catch ever (21" was biggest caught the day before!) at 37" caught using steel line 150 feet down with a red and white flatfish lure.
This photo was taken last summer in Sitka, AK on my family fishing trip. This was the biggest halibut I caught all trip. Just to put this fish to scale, I'm 5'9". I definitely out-fished the boys on this one!!
Big Horn Beauty all landed on a 5 Weight Rod
On September 19th 2012 in Pulaski, NY I landed what may soon be considered a new World Record Coho Salmon. The fish was 42.75 inches long,24 inches in girth and weighted 34.0 pounds on an official IGFA scale. The fish was caught on an 8 Wt. 10 Ft. Fly rod with 15 Lb tippet and a size 6 Black Raider streamer. The fish took approximately 20 minutes to land with the assistance of my guide Jay Peck from Spencerport NY. After fly fishing for 44 years, it was and will probably be - my fish of a lifetime. The odds of hooking, fighting and landing this fish were so low that I estimate that if I hooked this fish 10 times, I probably would have landed it only once!
10:30 am Fly rod racked and tagged out for the day
26 inch brown
A good day on the Madison
The voting closes on April 29th at midnight