December 2023 - 25

Linder said. " It's a lot like coaching where each
day is different. The river changes. One day fish
may be feeding on something, and the next day
it might be different. It's like a competition
between you and the fish. "
Smiley added the things that motivate Linder
as a basketball coach are similar when it comes
to fly-fishing.
" I think he really enjoys the aspect of figuring
it out, learning and getting better, " he
said. " For him it's about finding success, which
he always seems to do when you look at his
career and all the way back to his playing days.
Fishing is the same thing. He's become a really
good angler from a guy who really didn't start
until he was in college. He's always learning
and growing and success is something that
drives him, whether it's athletics, fishing, job
or family. "
At the end of the fishing outing, Linder
looked at his surroundings - the picturesque
ranch, its well-maintained green areas and some
of the spots on the river that resulted in fish and
said: " Another great day on the river. "
SKUNKED
For anglers, getting skunked is a bad thing.
However, Smiley told a story about a fishing
outing earlier this year that may have been a
sign that better days are ahead for his friend.
Smiley talked Linder into joining him in
May for a day of lake trout fishing on Flaming
Gorge Reservoir.
" We left the house around 4:30-5 in the
morning and we got two blocks down the street
and this skunk ran across the road in front of
us, " Smiley recalled. " I hadn't seen skunks in
this area before. I was like, 'I don't know what
this means. Is it like a black cat running in
front of you?' Jeff said with the year he had it
might be the worst omen, ever. "
Instead, Smiley said Linder caught a 30-pluspound
lake trout on one of his first drops of
the line before full sunrise.
" We went on to catch a bunch of big fish,
and he probably caught two or three of the
biggest lake trout of his life, " Smiley said.
Linder looked into the skunk encounter and
reported back to Smiley that in a lot of cultures
around the world the skunk is a sign of good
luck and prosperity.
" We're hoping the skunk that ran across the
road the day we got to go fishing together was
a turning point for him, " Smiley said.
- Robert Gagliardi is the associate editor of Wyoming
Wildlife.
Linder holds a massive lake trout he caught earlier this year at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Linder)
Wyoming Wildlife | 25
Linder with a big rainbow trout he caught and landed on the Little Laramie River. (Photo by Robert Gagliardi/WGFD)

December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023

December 2023 - 1
December 2023 - 2
December 2023 - 3
December 2023 - 4
December 2023 - 5
December 2023 - 6
December 2023 - 7
December 2023 - 8
December 2023 - 9
December 2023 - 10
December 2023 - 11
December 2023 - 12
December 2023 - 13
December 2023 - 14
December 2023 - 15
December 2023 - 16
December 2023 - 17
December 2023 - 18
December 2023 - 19
December 2023 - 20
December 2023 - 21
December 2023 - 22
December 2023 - 23
December 2023 - 24
December 2023 - 25
December 2023 - 26
December 2023 - 27
December 2023 - 28
December 2023 - 29
December 2023 - 30
December 2023 - 31
December 2023 - 32
December 2023 - 33
December 2023 - 34
December 2023 - 35
December 2023 - 36
December 2023 - 37
December 2023 - 38
December 2023 - 39
December 2023 - 40
December 2023 - 41
December 2023 - 42
December 2023 - 43
December 2023 - 44
December 2023 - 45
December 2023 - 46
December 2023 - 47
December 2023 - 48
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