January 28, 2025 First Fish of the Year, Off to a Good Start.
Project Healing Waters had an outing yesterday on a local tailwater river.
My day started off in 25 degrees and heavy frost. What in the world was I thinking, I’m too old for this? Dement Bridge is about 3 miles downstream from Normandy dam. Early Bird Jack was already in the water by the time I arrived. I finally got my gear on and started working the run below the bridge. Jack was fishing near me and wearing out the rainbows an olive micro–Slump Buster fly using a Euro Nymphing rig. I need to invest more time in that technique. Two flocks of Sandhill cranes flew over, cardinals, red-breasted woodpeckers, and a huge flock of robins entertained me as I warmed with the rising sun on my back. Eventually, I caught 2 rainbows then decided to move up to Normandy Dam where I joined the Project Healing Waters group. They were already spread out, so I decided to fish a deeper run under the bridge. It was a good call, as I picked up 4-5 more little stockers… then my strike indicator went seriously down, and the hook was set… on an absolute monster of a rainbow. I managed to get most of him in the net, even though he was too large for it. The net measures 23.5" and he was every bit of that. The barbless fly was embedded in the top of his mouth. After grabbing the fly with my hemostats, the net wobbled, he wobbled, I wobbled, he slipped out and off into the depths he went before I could get a photo. Beautiful vibrant colors and a big, hooked jaw. He ate a gold bead pheasant tail fly that I tied on a size 14 Czech nymph hook, peacock ice dub thorax with a mylar wing case. I guess you could call it a Czech nymph American style flash back pheasant tail. I used my Colton Slipstream XS 4 weight rod, a simple Orvis Battenkill II click and pawl reel, and mono leader with 4-pound (.007") Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon tippet. I’ve taken to carrying 3 sizes of Vanish in my trout kit, 2, 4 & 6#. Good knot seating, strength and economical. A beast of a fish. Other than the steelhead I’ve caught, he was my 2nd personal best trout. A BC bull trout still has the l#1 spot for length. 100-yard spools for $8-10, ordered from WallyMart, fit nicely in my vest pocket.
No pictures, but at least he is in my hard head drive!
It sounds loke arriving late paid off by pushing you to that hole.
I will hit that spot again!!
I really appreciate this recall of the first fish of 2025, Pipes. The lack of a photo part really interests me. I have relatively few photos of fish I have caught. I normally fish alone and am very cautious of risking my phone taking a dip (terrified of having to shell out the $ for a new one). Now with that being said, I recently listened to Kelly Galloup stating that he has a better memory of fish that he has no pictures of than those that he does have photos of.
After thinking about this a bit, it very well may be true for myself. When I remember fish that I have pictures of, I am only really recalling that photo. When I think of fish that I do not have photos of, I can recall the fight, the emotion, who I was with, and landing it at my feet or next to the boat. This is all anecdotal and just a long-winded way of me saying how happy I am that you have this great memory.
Thank you KJP. I agree with your comments about the photo less fish that are burned in your memory bank. Flashback to August 1978. The last opportunity to fish the Hooch in Atlanta before I moved. With only a few hours to fish, I followed my underwater path to a spot that always produced. I found my hiding rock, made a cast upstream with a caddis dry. A little rainbow of 9-10 inches came out and sucked it in. At the same time, but a foot away rose the biggest brown trout I had ever seen in all my days on the river. I moved the rainbow to my net in short order and as I rested the pool, I dried and dressed my fly. The cast was made, and he came out and sipped it in. I raised my rod and brought down my line hand and felt a tick of a tooth. I couldn’t believe it. A fresh fly was tied on and another cast was made after waiting for things to settle down. He rose and took the fly and I was fast on it. Head shakes like I had never experienced before. He came up and jumped, I bowed to the jump. Down to the bottom and bull dogging. Oh wait, he’s coming up again to jump and I was ready. So, I thought. He rolled on the leader and pulled the hook free. Yeh, that one is burned in the hard head drive. Tight lines, Brother.