As a young and impressionable lad, Chris Mayes always dreamed of fishing for black salmon in the famous tributaries of the Great Lakes. Often, he would lie awake at night, picturing himself, wedged into a lineup of 150 camo-clad guys standing shoulder to shoulder in a creek as wide as a bike path, sight casting to rotting kings on redds.
Sadly, Mayes never was able to make his dream trip to the upper Midwest…aka: Smokerville, the Holy Grail of Soretails…but he came close on Oct. 19. While not the famed streams of Ground Zero for Cheese Heads, he found bliss on Northern California’s Trinity River, where this Great Lakes style “chromer” actually latched onto a No. 4 Mepps Aglia spinner.
We’ll let Chris take us home on this one…
“Why was I smiling,” he asks. “Because when I landed the fish, I knew I had a contender for SMOKER OF THE YEAR!“
Oh yes you do, Chris! And since we’ve opened this can of worms, it’s time for some tough love here, people. You guys are seriously slacking when it comes to sending in your Smoker of the Year entries! I know, I know…it’s been a lousy year for salmon fishing in a lot of spots. But get creative! I know there are some darkies being caught out there somewhere. Send ‘em in!! DETAILS
