Your best wild trout in 2024

[wbranch]

Some of you fellas need to learn what the word "best" means 🤣

Isn't it relative? Here's my PB Horse Eye Jack & Barracuda. Oops, I forgot this was a PB trout post.

 

[wbranch]

2024 continues to treat me well. Easily the prettiest brown I've caught, kype to boot.

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Beautiful trout!

 

[albatross]

Personal best Fine Spotted Cutt

 

[hooker-of-men]

Isn't it relative? Here's my PB Horse Eye Jack & Barracuda. Oops, I forgot this was a PB trout post.

I assume there will be a more general "best of the year" thread beyond the trouts, as usual.

It's too early, though! I've got a few more cold weather skunks in me before the ball drops.

 

[tjsingle]

I think I follow you on Instagram and saw this yesterday - awesome fish man 🤙

Thanks man, appreciate it!

 

[JMow]

It isn’t the biggest but I can’t complain for my first year targeting trout.

 

[dudemanspecial]

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Personal best Fine Spotted Cutt

I didn't know they stocked those in Twin Lakes. 😉

 

[keirns4]

Smith River, Montana.

 

[wbranch]

View attachment 1641238809Smith River, Montana.

Did you walk in or did you do a guided raft trip? Beautiful brown.

 

[wbranch]

It isn’t the biggest but I can’t complain for my first year targeting trout.

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Good job. There will be many more.

 

[keirns4]

Did you walk in or did you do a guided raft trip? Beautiful brown.

We (myself and Fred Hess) did the 5 day Smith River Wilderness float trip with Montana Angler out of Bozeman. Hit the Salmon Fly hatch one day which was a blast. We caught a lot of nice fish on the trip. I would highly recommend it. I actually caught that fish and a couple of others from the bank when we would pull over for lunch or to set up for camp at night. We caught a mix of rainbows and browns.

 

[wbranch]

View attachment 1641238793

Personal best Fine Spotted Cutt

Monster cuttie

 

[Broodstock]

Here is another best-of wild trout for me. This was from a tiny freestone that I could jump across in places. I spooked him while walking up a bit faster than I normally walk, since the creek was so tiny and I had only caught some chubs from a few pools downstream. I froze in place, and slowly walked back down. Then I waited about 30 mins until he settled back down in his little pool, watching him return to eating nymphs. I slowly crept up the bank and hid behind a tree. I carefully made one bow and arrow cast with my small streamer, and it drifted across the current in front of him. He got a good look at the profile of the fly, and he turned, opened his kyped jaw and inhaled the fly. The fight was short, and my 5x held up. I went home afterwards, ending the day on my terms was nice. Only trout I caught that day.

 

[wildtrout2]

Here is another best-of wild trout for me. This was from a tiny freestone that I could jump across in places. I spooked him while walking up a bit faster than I normally walk, since the creek was so tiny and I had only caught some chubs from a few pools downstream. I froze in place, and slowly walked back down. Then I waited about 30 mins until he settled back down in his little pool, watching him return to eating nymphs. I slowly crept up the bank and hid behind a tree. I carefully made one bow and arrow cast with my small streamer, and it drifted across the current in front of him. He got a good look at the profile of the fly, and he turned, opened his kyped jaw and inhaled the fly. The fight was short, and my 5x held up. I went home afterwards, ending the day on my terms was nice. Only trout I caught that day.

Awesome brown trout! Neat little story. Congrats.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Here is another best-of wild trout for me. This was from a tiny freestone that I could jump across in places. I spooked him while walking up a bit faster than I normally walk, since the creek was so tiny and I had only caught some chubs from a few pools downstream. I froze in place, and slowly walked back down. Then I waited about 30 mins until he settled back down in his little pool, watching him return to eating nymphs. I slowly crept up the bank and hid behind a tree. I carefully made one bow and arrow cast with my small streamer, and it drifted across the current in front of him. He got a good look at the profile of the fly, and he turned, opened his kyped jaw and inhaled the fly. The fight was short, and my 5x held up. I went home afterwards, ending the day on my terms was nice. Only trout I caught that day.

Awesome did ya get a measurement ??

 

[Broodstock]

Awesome did ya get a measurement ??

He was an old and tired buck, so I did not mess with him too much. I did lay him against my Scott rod which has marks at 12 and 20, and lined his nose up with the end of the rod. His tail was over 20 by a couple inches but I did not get a really accurate mark. Somewhere between 20 an 24. That reminds me, I should add a wrap at 24, or put a tape in my bag...

 

[HoboWithAFlyRod]

I got a buzzer beater for my best trout of 2024 and it’s my personal best since I haven’t been at this long. Poor picture quality but that’s what you get when you’re fishing at night by yourself.

 

[Acristickid]

Some biggies out there.

Not my game but rather catch a larger than smaller fish.

Here’s a seemingly completely forgettable fish- a small little rainbow on the eastern foothills of Mt Hood caught this past summer.

It is a White River Rainbow which I didn’t even know was a subspecies until just 2-3 years ago. Which is no surprise considering it is has just been recognized recently.

Interestingly it’s not even the newest classified Rainbow that is a Big Wood River rainbow which I caught 2 weeks before the White River Rainbow.

That White River rainbow makes the 19th subspecies's. I was the first angler to catch all 19. I held the record for a month then other angler catch one. So now there are 2 people to have caught them all. Never thought I woulda said that.

 

[PennKev]

He was an old and tired buck, so I did not mess with him too much. I did lay him against my Scott rod which has marks at 12 and 20, and lined his nose up with the end of the rod. His tail was over 20 by a couple inches but I did not get a really accurate mark. Somewhere between 20 an 24. That reminds me, I should add a wrap at 24, or put a tape in my bag...

You can just get a silver sharpie and put some measurement marks on without much fuss. If you decide to remove it later, the marks can be taken off with a little rubbing alcohol.

 

[headhunting22]

Felt I had to share a pic of this old boy with a hole in his head. I’ve seen discoloration around wounds on trout before but this one has to take the cake - the other half of his face was perfectly normal. Didn’t fight like a fish his size should have, but at least he swam off. Didn’t handle him much just a quick picture because of how wild he looks.