the Big Fatty
no shorthairs aided in the landing of this fish

It just had to be done. An unseasonably warm winter day, especially when that day just happens to be the opener of trout season on the Connecticut River, summons some of us to try our luck and get the fishing season off on the right note. Couple that with the fact that it was January 1, positively had me salivating at getting on the board first for the new year.

It didn’t take too long – about twenty minutes or so in, I had my first fish on of the year, as it hungrily gulped down my grey soft hackle streamer. The river flow is high right now, and it seems as though some of the local smelt population are straying a little too close to the dam on Lake Francis. They get sucked in to the dam, and before you know it, the local fish are enjoying a smorgasbord of smelt floating (dead or stunned) down the river.

A simple upstream cast, dead drifted to mimic the real thing, got this bad boy to bite. By checking out the heft of this rainbow, this fish had apparently refused to make any sort of a New Year’s resolution regarding “eating less and exercising more” for 2011. He was a fatty, pure and simple, and still prowls the depths today. It was a great way to start off the year, and would not have been possible without the aid of friend and fellow angler Larry Mansfield. Thanks again Larry for the expert net and camera work!