Fishing Season 2k16!!!!!!!!!!!

[divemaster99]

Well, I'm not sure where NCStateFisher is this year, as he's always been the one to start these annual threads in the past. However, it is already February and I'm sure that there are some folks here who have already been out on report-worthy trips this year so in his absence, here is the Fishing Season 2k16 thread, MFK! It seems like the last couple years there have been less and less reports on these threads so let's turn that around and make this year's thread the best and most active one yet!

 

[divemaster99]

Last year was a decent year for me. I only logged 529 total fish which is a bit slow for me (normally I end years anywhere from 700-1,000 fish) but I did catch some of the biggest fish of my life last and shattered many personal bests as well as logged many new species! My goal for this year is 700 fish total plus various size goals I've made for myself and with the expected weather patterns and gear upgrades I'll be making this year, I think all of my goals are very possible!

Starting off this year, I had my first successful outing yesterday after exploring some rural, pristine, high-gradient mountain streams and after a while I landed a beautiful 5" native Brook Trout. This fish was far from easy to get and I had been fishing for a couple hours before even getting it to hit. Missed a few more hits after it but overall a great day in the woods and the best cure for cabin fever!

 

[Frank Castle]

Last year was a decent year for me. I only logged 529 total fish which is a bit slow for me (normally I end years anywhere from 700-1,000 fish) but I did catch some of the biggest fish of my life last and shattered many personal bests as well as logged many new species! My goal for this year is 700 fish total plus various size goals I've made for myself and with the expected weather patterns and gear upgrades I'll be making this year, I think all of my goals are very possible!

Starting off this year, I had my first successful outing yesterday after exploring some rural, pristine, high-gradient mountain streams and after a while I landed a beautiful 5" native Brook Trout. This fish was far from easy to get and I had been fishing for a couple hours before even getting it to hit. Missed a few more hits after it but overall a great day in the woods and the best cure for cabin fever!

View attachment 1164329

Aside from people who don't understand the significance of a tiny little fish like that, it says a lot about your environmental quality, pristine water conditions, and overall healthy ecosystem. Nobody really sees a 5" fish and is amazed by it unless they know what things need to be like to have native Brookies breeding healthy and strong.

Brilliant colors, especially for a little guy. Props for dedicating yourself to plugging away until you got one....February is ffriggin cold around here.....what's the temps out there, dude?

 

[divemaster99]

Aside from people who don't understand the significance of a tiny little fish like that, it says a lot about your environmental quality, pristine water conditions, and overall healthy ecosystem. Nobody really sees a 5" fish and is amazed by it unless they know what things need to be like to have native Brookies breeding healthy and strong.

Brilliant colors, especially for a little guy. Props for dedicating yourself to plugging away until you got one....February is ffriggin cold around here.....what's the temps out there, dude?

Thanks! Native Brookies are one of my favorite fish to target, such beautiful little fish in untouched places and it takes so much skill to catch them! I believe the air temp was around 26° when I caught that fish.

 

[Frank Castle]

Thanks! Native Brookies are one of my favorite fish to target, such beautiful little fish in untouched places and it takes so much skill to catch them! I believe the air temp was around 26° when I caught that fish.

Would you care to divulge your methods....u got me ready to throw some waders over my 2pairs of pants and socks this week....

 

[divemaster99]

Would you care to divulge your methods....u got me ready to throw some waders over my 2pairs of pants and socks this week....

PM sent!

 

[spotfin]

Nice brookie! Natives are hard to find/catch, even here in Maine. Where abouts are you?

 

[divemaster99]

Nice brookie! Natives are hard to find/catch, even here in Maine. Where abouts are you?

Thanks! I'm in southwest PA, definitely difficult to find wild brookies around here too!

 

[spotfin]

Also of interest we do have a few populations of sea run Brookies. I've only caught one, and that was in a research net.

 

[divemaster99]

Also of interest we do have a few populations of sea run Brookies. I've only caught one, and that was in a research net.

That'd be an awesome catch! You guys have Arctic Char up there as well, right? I believe they're a subspecies actually, Salvelinus alpinus oquassa.