This is the second to last drawing that will be part of my Fly Fishing series.

Pictured below is one of the most intense moments of fly fishing. Hooking the trout is one thing, but bringing it in is another. The trout will fight; some being more aggressive than others. Swimming up and down stream, trying to free itself, it will test the fisherman’s skills and patience.

You must work the line and ensure that there is no slack or else you will lose the fish. Slowly pulling the line in, the fish is in your sights. Leaning down, you work the rod and aim the net towards the incoming trout. We will bring in the trout very slowly and being extremely patient. Some like to reel it in quickly, but we prefer to take our to time to hopefully prevent it coming off.

In many occasions, we would get excited about hooking the trout and often in the excitement would lose the fish. A trout will sometimes make one final attempt in a burst of energy to escape right before the net, which can lead it to coming unhooked… and one angry fisherman. Once in the net and out of the water, the trout is secure.

I decided to use a more red background to show the intensity of what is felt during the moment; excitement, focus, and sometimes anger if the trout is lost. I wanted to capture the motion of my brother crouching and reaching the net out in anticipation. Again, I left out the background completely, but I did include the trout. Although very minimal, I “painted” splashes of water and the suggestion of a fish, not detailing it.

The next and final piece will be my brother holding the catch. I plan on using the same style, but I may experiment with the background color to signify happiness and success.