February 1999 — Wilmot Creek, Ontario, Canada.
The water was high and muddy that day, the kind of color that makes you question everything. Slayer had a yarn fly drifting beneath a float, working the pool carefully, knowing that even in tough water, something special can happen.
When the float went down, the whole pool seemed to lift.
His buddy looked over and said, “That’s not a trout — that’s a salmon.” There was no way, they thought, that a rainbow could hit that hard.
But it was.
The fight wasn’t quick. It was strong, stubborn, and heavy — the kind of fish that makes you second guess what’s actually on the other end of the line.
Slayer stayed steady, fought it himself, and eventually brought it to hand.
A 36 inch steelhead — one of the biggest rainbow trout he had ever caught.
The photo says it all.
Cold air. Dirty water. A moment that still feels just as heavy decades later.
The fish was released. And the memory never left.
Angler: Slayer
Species: Steelhead (Rainbow Trout)
Length: 36 inches
Location: Wilmot Creek (Tributary of Lake Ontario), Ontario, Canada Date: February 1999
Method: Yarn Fly under Float
Outcome: Released