browns

[acabtp]

i went river fishing last week, started off slow but then I got this nice little guy:

wild brown trout male. was just barely 9", too small to be a stocker. it milted on my hand, you can see some on his anal fin. released to make more trout.

I fished my way up stream a bit more, catching a mixed bag of pickerel, chubs, and a LMB. Was working my way out of a snag when I tripped on a submerged log and ended up taking a knee mid-river... the water topped my chest waders. Always wear a wading belt and keep it tight! It kept me from being soaked and it was instead just a minor inconvenience. My phone was a casualty though.

Anyway, right after I started fishing again, I hooked into something nice. It put up quite a fight with a couple runs and a jump, and when I netted it I saw it was another brown trout... but this time a nice 17". New personal best for me. Brown trout were not included in the fall stocking program, so I am thinking it was a probably holdover or, less probably, wild. I am really disappointed that my phone was not working, because it was the best looking fish I have ever caught. The yellows of its belly and the red and brown spots were intense, perfect fins, really just a great looking fish. She took the lure in one of her gills though and try as I might she was not destined to swim again. I took a picture with my camera when I got home about half an hour later, but it really does not do it justice.