Editor’s note: Every quarter, shortly after the delivery of the print version of TROUT Magazine, the photographer who crafted the cover photo will share the story of how that photo came to be.
Some days are harder than others and this day had been particularly hard. The wind had pushed us to exhaustion. So by this time we were only looking for that one fish.
This specific run requires a downstream wind so when the opportunity presented itself we pursued the challenge. I stepped back and lifted the lens. My favorite lens for reaching out and staying out of the way is my 70-200. Logun had made a perfect drift and as the fly started to swing the line went tight. The large rainbow immediately went airborne.
Mike made the hustle down stream with rod and net in hand. I was firing frames as fast as my camera would go. As the moment came to a head Mike put the cork of his fly rod in his mouth to get both hands on the net. I knew this was the shot. I stabilized my arm dropped my f-stop to 3.2 and fired.
Mike lifted the net and the day was made! These moments keep me in love with this sport and drive me to work my hardest to capture them.
Matt Guymon
@freestoneriverphotography