Rodeo Rick Finally Goes Fishing In Casper [PHOTOS]

Having been in Casper for awhile now, I finally took the time to bust out my fishing pole and hit the N. Platte River behind the My Country 95.5 studios. It's something I've been thinking about and talking about doing, but just never took the time to put my waders on and get done.

What a great evening! I grabbed my favorite fishing pole out of my truck and hit the river to fish the final hour of daylight. This meant I was only able to fish a small stretch of the river (about 250yds) but the fish we're active. I enjoy fly fishing and spin fishing equally, but with the winds blowing, I knew spin was where it was at.

I prefer using ultra-light tackle and over the years I've found a favorite a spinner that seems to work for most every fresh water fish I've ever chased. As I climbed down the embankment and started reading the river, I was looking for the pockets that would hold big fish.

It's been awhile since I'd been wade fishing and it took me a minute to get my balance as I entered the river. After only a handful of casts, I landed my first rainbow and knew my favorite lure was gonna workout just fine.

Fishing has always been a stress relief for me and I needed this opportunity to relax and get my mind off of the hustle and bustle of the daily grind.

I found a couple of deeper holes and worked them from about 30 yards away, keeping a low profile on the water and trying to stay in the shadows. Then BOOM! A big strike and the excitement of a fish that was pulling line off my reel. The N. Platte is still moving swiftly and in the main channel the large rainbow made a quick run taking line until I could tighten up my drag. After a 5 minute battle, that seemed like forever on my ultra-light tackle, I had landed an 18 inch rainbow that was fat and healthy.

The N. Platte River holds much bigger fish than I caught last night and now that I've gotten the fishing bug again, you can bet I'm gonna do my best to find them.

I practice CPR while fishing - Catch, Photograph and Release - and though I was fishing alone, I did work my way to shore and snapped a couple of photos with my phone's camera. It was an evening that was long over due and something that I will hurry to do again. (Yes, all 8 fish were released successfully back into the river.)

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