Beginners luck?

I had 2 first-timer guide trips the last couple days, and both somehow managed to land larger browns. Beginners Luck? Maybe, but Im thinking my quick learning students had more of an influence then the luck. I see a good number of those fish hooked by clients every year, but with beginners its tough to have the necessary abilities to land bigger fish, especially with how smart the browns are around here. They see it all and know a lot of tricks to separate the connection between angler and fish. Luckily for me, both of my guys retained what I told them. They kept the rod up with a good amount of pressure, lead the fish by his head. They manuevered them away from rocks and snags pre-emptively before they could make a break for cover. They didnt try to check the fishes hard, early runs and instead fought with patience and control. They stayed parallel to the fish and brought them into slower, shallower water to facilitate netting the fish. To put it short, they acted like pros and made me proud out there.
well played gentleman, well played indeed.

Here's Mark with a beauty of a brown from the LT. Bear in mind hes 6'5" and 250 and Im just a little guy at a hair under 6'3". Awesome fish on 6x in about 8" of water.

And here's the young master Nick on the Truckee River with a gorgeous fish he caught high sticking in the fast water with a sculpin I had tied the night before.
PS On the flip side of the coin, on another day, one of my guys hooked 3 decent fish in a short period and they all shook loose, despite hooking quickly from a good angle and playing the fish properly. They just came unbuttoned. I wouldn't try to claim luck has no part in it, it always will, but making the best of every opportunity is something we should all strive for as anglers.

-Dan