Another potential option, if possible: rotating pics.


[I certainly need to change them more than once per decade! Tom]

I count 23 forum members who have submitted about 60 photos. If you want in, now is the time! The photos so far are really good, so bring your best.

If you posted photos, please choose your favorite of your photos, keeping in mind I will crop and/or rotate to get a horizontal framing. Then email me the original image file (or as close as you can get) so I have the most pixels to work with. Send the file to my forum name at the forum domain name. Or send me a PM and we'll work out the details that way. The Email button won't allow you to send images through the forum system.

I will PhotoShop the photos and put them in three run-off polls (we only get 10 options per poll). The polls will stay open for two weeks. Then the top two photos from each poll will go to the finals.

Our contestants:

• Black Hackle - 5
• boarmountain - 1
• Bob G - 1
• bulldog1935 - 5
• clarkman23 - 6
• El Duderino - 4
• fishhuntmike - 2
• Holdover - 3
• jaltoff - 1
• jeffsod - 1
• kimosabe - 2
• majicwrench - 1
• novisor12 - 1
• ottobahn - 3 actively fishing, the other rods were ready, but not actually fishing
• Panfish74 - 2
• Rodney Bo - 1
• Sandman - 4
• spielerman - 1
• tabornatives - 1
• WestTex - 8
• whrlpool - 3
• wjude - 3
• Yeti - 1

Tom

Many good photos to choose from...seems like a topic of "Best bend in rod photos" would be fun too...

Sandman

I rarely kill trout. But here in Colorado where the limit is 4 trout, the Fish and Game folks encourage people to keep up to 10 Brookies under 8" due to overpopulation and the resulting stunted growth of all trout. Every now and then, I keep a few Brookies under 8". Here was a streamside lunch on one of those occasions. As a group we care about the fish, are humane when releasing or taking them, and properly taken photos are something positive to share with friends.



This is the picture I sent to Tom. This cutthroat was released without leaving the water, after the nice photo.

getting bent,



I'm glad to see several not-trout in the thread, at least we're not speciest ;-)





A cutt with glass,

I'll throw one in. Does a home built Barclay count?

These don't stand a chance against the competition but worth a share I think.

In shallow water..



A vintage peach line attached to the same rod as the first photo. I swear!

They’re ALL great… you guys are killin’ me.

Tom - I humbly withdraw my entry, and I submit a strong vote for Hardys’ entry.
Thank You, Bob

Thanks a lot guys.
Officially that photo is really something else to me.
I bought that 7'2" 4wt Fibalite Perfection mint with plastic still on the cork. I had it imported from England for way more than it was worth while on vacation.

This is a Southeastern PA native measuring 15.5" inches officially caught on the rod.
The fish is migratory from a larger watershed as I caught it in a 5' wide trickle in early fall. The buck no doubt moved in from the summer to escape heat and was waiting to breed before returning.
Fish was not on a red but was under a small undercut and took an skittered Brown Elk Hair Caddis as it flew out from it.

Pretty rare fish for PA on a pretty rare rod.
Easily my favorite fish ever.
Rod was worth every penny, if ya believe in mojo .

(The fish is laying in water gently flowing over leaves at the tail end of a small pool in the shallows.)

What is happening with the new photo selection for top of the page?

I didn't really "submit" my picture for consideration as a new forum photo, at the time I was just enjoying the positive spin being put on what started as a downer thread. What a turn around. Thank you all.