First fish of 2021

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BigTJ
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First fish of 2021

#1

Post by BigTJ »

Ski season is over, the boards are waxed and ready for next year. Back in the shop and yesterday got on the river for the second time this year - my lone February outing was a frozen shutout. First fish of the season - let’s see yours!

John


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barebo
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Re: First fish of 2021

#2

Post by barebo »

Nice Rainbow - great way to kick in the season! No pics for me but I did have one break me off a few days ago - happens. That was after I landed a huge Sucker on my newly built Stone blank FE Thomas "Light Special"!

Oxbow
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Re: First fish of 2021

#3

Post by Oxbow »

That's a darn nice first fish, or at any time of the year. Beautiful colors. No fishing yet for me - snowing here today.

Dukejb
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Re: First fish of 2021

#4

Post by Dukejb »

This is my second fish of the year but hopefully it will do. I would have needed a microscope to take a picture of the first.

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3creeks
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Re: First fish of 2021

#5

Post by 3creeks »

Beauty, John!

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EastslopesTH
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Re: First fish of 2021

#6

Post by EastslopesTH »

Nice fish John, I'm envious! Still ski season for another month where I live. Looking forward to the lake's thawing and the river-ice disappearing.
Happy fishing.
Ron

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BigTJ
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Re: First fish of 2021

#7

Post by BigTJ »

DukeJB that’s a gorgeous brookie- do I see a Homer Jennings there in the background - nice rod!

Thanks for the comments on the rainbow.

Keep the pics and comments coming.

John

barebo
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Re: First fish of 2021

#8

Post by barebo »

There is nothing so beautiful as a Brook Trout in freshwater. Nice pics and sweet rod!

billems
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Re: First fish of 2021

#9

Post by billems »

Your first fish is equal in size to the largest rainbow I've ever caught. I'm a Midwesterner. Had some large browns, though.

fefferje
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Re: First fish of 2021

#10

Post by fefferje »

Duke JB, thanks for posting your brookie and stream scene. I hope your fish got released ok. He looks stressed in the photo. Your rod and reel look tiny in the perspective of the photo. Is it a rod made by Jennings? What size and line weight?? Is the reel a Hardy Flyweight?? The season up here in northeastern Vermont opens on April 10th. I’m looking forward to getting out on the water. Thanks everyone for your posts. Jed
Fefferfly

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BigTJ
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Re: First fish of 2021

#11

Post by BigTJ »

billems wrote:
04/02/21 18:23
Your first fish is equal in size to the largest rainbow I've ever caught. I'm a Midwesterner. Had some large browns, though.
I’m a bit spoiled - no matter the size it’s all about the excitement of being back on the river again and the promise of a new season.

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adkfan
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Re: First fish of 2021

#12

Post by adkfan »

ImageFirst non steelhead of the year...

wiesent
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Re: First fish of 2021

#13

Post by wiesent »

This is one of my first fish in 2021 that I took a picture of. Caught about 3 weeks ago with a dry fly in Bavaria/Germany.

Not too big, but I think a beautiful brown trout.
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jan96
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Re: First fish of 2021

#14

Post by jan96 »

My first fish of the new season. "Salmo marmoratus" from the Idrijca river, Slovenia. :)
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BigTJ
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Re: First fish of 2021

#15

Post by BigTJ »

Love those marble trout thanks so much for the picture!

Nice brownie Adkfan. Love how pale those early season fish can be, in contrast to Wiesent’s fish which look like trout from a spring creek.

John

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TimM
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Re: First fish of 2021

#16

Post by TimM »

Today was nice and I was sick of work so I decided to test out a new GoPro camera and do some 'fishing' at a park on the south side of town. It wasn't 'real' fishing because the river I walked to runs through a few old mill ponds and several 1800's & 1900's industrial sites. There has been some cleanup but there is a superfund site immediately upriver and looking in the water at the park you'll see several discarded tires, rusted out barrels, concrete chunks and tons of sediment. The only fish I've ever seen in the water are carp. To top it off there is a vent pipe for the sewage system that broadcasts the smell of fresh feces marinating in rancid feces 24/7. (You wouldn't think a vent blowing that much air could stink in such a concentrated manner.)

Still, there are some deeper shaded runs that look ideal for a fat smallmouth and there was a fresh (feces smell blowing) breeze so why not. As I got to the water I immediately saw a 10" largemouth bass ... rolling downstream dead in the current. First non-carp, things are looking up!

I fished several runs without catching or visibly moving a fish. Before heading back to my home office I hit one last promising run and caught this guy. I can barely believe it and I was there.

ImageRRBT

My friends were quick to see the humor in catching a brown trout near the sewage plant. In fairness there's a coldwater creek that feeds in 1/4 mile upstream and I'm sure this guy was just taking advantage of cool spring water to forage in the big river.

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Caneghost
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Re: First fish of 2021

#17

Post by Caneghost »

Actually the second fish but the first one to eat a dry fly, this brownie was a gift from the Delaware on a 46 degree rainy afternoon. Birds were flying and darting above the river, though I never saw any sort of insect. Walking the bank and saw one rise, made one cast from that bank with my old Battenkill, and hooked this one trout. Thanks to Mother River.
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...a wink of gold like the glint of sunlight on polished cane...

brightwatercatskill.art.blog

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GerardH
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Re: First fish of 2021

#18

Post by GerardH »

Just put storage wax on 6 pairs of xc skis myself a couple weeks ago.

Posted this earlier, took out my new PHY Midge clone that I had built by PJ Julius specifically for my home creeks in northern WI. Hit this stream I've been fishing since the early '70s for some brookies to christen the new rod:

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Beautiful weekend to be on those boyhood streams.

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wannabe
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Re: First fish of 2021

#19

Post by wannabe »

Happy Mothers' Day to all the amazing Moms out there.

I finally got out for the first time on Friday. We've had lots of rain the past week or so, and all the Catskill rivers were high. Between the heavy flows, and the limited number of wading options, I figured I'd be in for a day of fighting crowds and looking in vain for any rising fish. But, to my great surprise, I found an empty section of river with a few nice pools. And to my even greater surprise, some Hendricksons and olives came off for a few hours in the afternoon, which prompted at least a couple fish to look up. A Hendrickson Last Chance Cripple was the fly of the day. It turned out to be a pretty good afternoon of fishing.

This pic wasn't of the first fish of the day/year. That one was a skinny 14" brown. This was the third, and certainly the best fish of the day by far: a heavy, broad shouldered, male brown at 19". My phone auto-focused on the rod rather than the fish. That's fine by me. The brown was a beauty, but the rod--my Chris Vance 864 is sublime. I fished it almost exclusively last year, and it's just mighty hard to leave home. Casts and fishes like a dream, and just keeps getting more mojo each time out. Glad to have it in hand to land the first few fish of 2021.

Bret




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