A note from Garrison Doctor:
“The structure of this lake is truly unique, there are islands, creek channels, rocky banks, weed beds, and some strange holes… I walked slowly on a grass island in the lake, feeling the ground beneath my feet moving like a giant, rigid water bed. It is a strange feeling to walk through high grass on dry ground and know that you are not on solid ground at all!
Interspersed around and on this island are some deep sinkholes. Some of them are only three feet across, but they go down very deep and somehow connect underneath back out to the open water of the lake. As we approached one such hole, my friend Pancho of @chiletroutpatagonia cautioned me to slow down and tread softly.
I stayed back so I could not see down into the hole, but he snuck up so he could barely see down into the depths. I carefully dropped a small, heavy, jigged streamer into the hole and it did not take long before Pancho yelled “SET!” I was suddenly playing tug-of-war with a big, old, brown trout. I knew if I let the fish get down too deep and turn out into the lake, I would never see it again, so I applied all of the pressure I thought my tippet and hook could handle.
Luckily everything held and we were able to net the fish. It was a fish to remember, not necessarily for its stature, but because of the place! Over a lunch beer and some steaks we dubbed it “the troll in the hole…”
Reel of the Week from Garrison Doctor, find him on Instagram at @garrisondoctor and @repyourwater. Be sure to check out RepYourWater online by clicking here.
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