Back from the trip...
Prior to leaving for my last trip, a buddy whom I was fishing with stopped off at a local big box type store to pick up some flies. He had fished this same stretch of water the week prior and he knew a specific fly the fish were keying on...
We hit the river, rigged our rods and set off for a day long float. The dry fly action started slow, but once it began, we hit multiple fish on his selected fly pattern. It was similar to a small Parachute style Dave's Hopper. Easy to see in the fast current.
Fishing in fast moving water from a raft or drift boat has its own set of challengers. One, the fast current makes getting a fish in more difficult. So with that being known, I upped my tippet size to accommodate a fast landing. Added tippet strength increases the force one can put on a fish during the fight. At one point, I had a great Rainbow one the line. He made a couple of jumps to show off his size and colors. I got him to the raft quickly, but could not get the fish into the net as quickly as I would have liked. The fish made another run. I tried to turn him, put more pressure on the rod and the hook pulled free... The hook actually bent almost straight. This was the first big fish I lost this day.
We continued fishing, landed many bows between 14"-18". Nothing huge, but all respectable fish. Deeper into the canyon, I hooked into another good fish. I knew this one was big right from the take. The type of fish that you can feel the weight through the line. My fishing buddy was on the sticks and he was trying his best to slow the raft, but his efforts were never realized. The raft continued making it way down river at a very fast pace. The fish was holding tight, I remembered the last fish I lost and did not apply the too much pressure, but my line was singing off the reel. I needed to add more pressure if I was to net this fish. Ting..... the ling goes loose. the fish straightened the hook... AGAIN...
At this time, I changed over streamers with thick heavy shanks... Caught more fish and never did loose another one the rest of the day.