A Tale of Two Fishermen

 

Stu Tripney, a top New Zealand fishing guide, fly tier, and Master FFF fly casting instructor, had been after this fish for several seasons. Persistence paid off, and he finally had his 'Precious' - a cunning slab of old gold that has no doubt entranced many an angler. 

 

Stu commissioned me to paint his 'Precious', and while I was looking for beautiful Brown Trout photos on the web one day, I saw the same fish, in someone else's hands! I discovered that Ross Purnell, Editor of Fly Fisherman magazine, had caught the same fish several weeks after Stu! Ross wrote up his story in Fly Fisherman, with the wonderfully appropriate title, "Lord of the Rings."

 

Stu only had a few photos of the fish, so I contacted Ross to see if he had any extra images that would help me paint it. Ross loved how this fish had become a connection between the three of us, and he kindly sent me some great extra images, and a video of his capture.

 

Catch and Release at its best!