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Eric Paulson with a burly 30 inch buck. Photo: "Qway" Hoffer

Let’s face it, catching a 30 inch brown is not an easy task.   It takes time, money, dedication, preparation, skills (both on the river and at the vise), years of experience, luck, and perhaps above all, the mindset of a champion – one which is unwilling to give up.  An angler might have to fish hard for more than 50 hours to find the kind of fish he or she is looking for.  During that time period one might catch a few smaller fish, maybe even a couple fish over 20”, maybe a cold, maybe some static from their loved ones, (after all those leaves have been sitting there for a while), maybe they even get skunked day after day, after day...  Coming up empty handed at then end of a hard day’s fishing is disappointing for anyone with high expectations, but if you don’t think you’re going to catch a monster, then you’re probably not going to.  It’s a challenge to stay confident and to overcome the adversities out there on the water.   It’s hard to keep it up such a quest – major props to anyone who can conquer their and frustrations and stick with it.  The reward?  A tug that will far surpass any drug or chemically enhanced state of euphoria; a pure and natural high that lasts weeks, or even months when looking back on the accomplishment.  Will it happen to you?  It most certainly could, it all depends on what you choose to do with your time, money, and dedication.  And of course the more you fish, the luckier you are…