Yesterday’s outing with the Mutant (380 cm length 4:6) started out with a 2 mile hike in to hit the water at 12:00 PM. 15 minutes later I launched a 4" Redside Shiner like the one shown here from a couple of months ago (the pic of the yesterday’s fish was blurred & over exposed).
It’s a pretty species of fish, but I was after native Costal Cutthroat; possibly the Sea Run variant in coming into their natal stream to hang with the residents for a short time. 15 minutes later a Cutt (likely a rezzie) took my fly.
In another 15 minutes this guy mistakenly thought my Takayama style Pheasant Tail would help him reach kahuna status and coughed up a Snow Berry, along with a partially digested (deer?) fly and Shiner in the net.
Another 15 minutes (there’s a pattern here) and a ways upstream this this guy; a possible Sea Run, was hooked upstream in an eddy behind a boulder and log in a run but immediately shot down into a small pool below me. At the start I was not in control
but was able to steer it away from the rock wall and submerged branch opposite me (river left) and was somehow able to keep it away from the undercut bank and submerged brush on the river right side of the pool I was standing above. He finally started to tire and I felt confident enough to bring him close to the net but he wasn’t done and wanted to go for another couple of laps. I think I found my limit for the Mutant at my skill level. He also coughed up a Snowberry in the net. Gives me an idea for a new fly 
.
The next section was a wide deep weedy pool section with a lot of fry and small shiners so I moved through. One hour later that included a lunch break I was back on my 15 minute schedule to get 3 more Cutts from 9" to 11" before my 1.5 mile hike out to the car.