Becoming Member of 20-20 Club Can Be Challenge

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Becoming Member of 20-20 Club Can Be Challenge

Yesterday I was fishing with my wife and fishing buddy, Lori. The going had been a bit slow, and I decided to try a Dan's turkey quill emerger. This has been one of my go-to flies for more than a decade. Dan recently began tying them in smaller sizes, and he had given me a half-dozen in size 22. I took my 7 1/2-foot, 4X leader and tied on 5 feet of 6X tippet.

I tied on the fly and cast at a 45-degree angle from straight downstream. I stripped the line as soon as it hit the water to sink the fly into the film. I let it swing in the current until it was straight below me. Then I cast again. I made no effort to mend the line, figuring the additional pressure from the drag on the line would help me set the hook.

I started working my way downstream. Three casts to the right, three casts to the left, and then I took one step. I picked up a 13-inch Brookie and stopped for a while to admire it. It was brilliantly colored and full finned. It looked like a wild trout.

I continued downstream, and then it happened. I felt a strong tug on the line, and I instinctively set the hook. I saw a big splash and quickly identified it as a large cutthroat. He took off quickly, putting me in the backing with one run. I stood my ground. The rod was bent nearly double, but miraculously the soft tip protected the small tippet and the tiny hook held. I was able to slowly work him in. He took several more runs but finally ran out of gas. I coaxed him into quiet water and slipped him into my net.

I called Lori over and asked her to take a photo. It was a beautifully colored male. He was fat and sassy and measured a righteous 22 inches. I gave Lori the camera, and we quickly discussed the best way to photograph him. I gently lifted him from the net and posed. While Lori was focusing the camera, he flounced out of my hands and took off, taking Dan's turkey quill emerger with him. At first, I was heartbroken. But upon a bit of reflection, I realized how lucky I was to catch such a great fish on light tackle.

I had caught a 22-inch fish on a size 22 hook. I had heard of the 20-20 club. This is where you catch a 20-inch or larger fish on a size 20 or smaller hook. I have done this before, as has my brother Dan and my wife Lori. I find it to be a rewarding challenge. If you are going to attempt this yourself, there are a few things to keep in mind.

The first thing is small hooks require small tippets. The weakest link in your tackle is not the small tippet but the knots in the tippet. Carefully form your knots and lubricate them with water before pulling them tight. Test them to ensure that they will hold. This would be a good time to use fluorocarbon, which is a bit stronger and more abrasion-resistant.

Second, sharpen your hooks. Even small hooks need to be sharp to penetrate deep. There is not much metal in a size 20 hook, and you are going to need all of the help you can get to land a big fish on it. On my smaller flies, I try to tie them on wide gap hooks. A wider gap hook is going to result in a better hook-up.

Third, use a softer rod. A stiff rod will not protect the smaller tippets required for this challenge. Save the meat sticks for fishing woollies and other streamers. I like a rod that has a full flex. You can easily test your rod to see if it is soft enough. Rig up a leader on your rod with a 6X tippet. Tie the tippet to a fixed object. Pull the rod back and put tension on the tippet. Does the rod easily bend or does it break the tippet before flexing? This is also a great way to learn how much pressure you can put on a tippet before it breaks.

Finally, carry a big net. In my 15 years of guiding, I have observed that a large number of fish are lost within 10 feet of the angler when he is attempting to land it. A small net is useless on a big fish and unnecessary on a small one. I carry the biggest net I can find and have found that it allows me to land a higher percentage of trophy trout and to do it quickly.
Beaching fish is an iffy proposition. If done carelessly, it can injure the fish. They can be easily lost in the process, particularly if you are using small tippets.

Keep this in mind, and let me know when you join the 20-20 club.

John Berry, of BERRY BROTHERS GUIDE SERVICE in Cotter Arkansas, has 25 years of experience fishing local rivers including the White, Norfork and Little Red. Contact him at Fly Fishing for Trout On The White and Norfork River in Arkansas Ozarks or 870-435-2169

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