Best of 2019

2019 was an interesting year for me. I had a career change, went to graduate school full time, got hired to manage a fly shop, had the worst summer drought I’ve ever seen, and so much more. I’m happy to say that I’m thriving amidst all the changes this year has brought. I work with my friends, have expanded my depth and workflow in photography, and have some exciting new prospects going into 2020. Below are some of my favorite moments fishing from the 2019 year and the story behind each one.

This was my first big brown of 2019. I had been fishing a brutally cold day with my good friend Adam from Blue Ridge Custom Flies. We were fishing one of my favorite creeks in Boone and Adam had just helped me land this beautiful brown. Not long after he  hooked a massive wild rainbow that we fought for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I botched the net job and the fish broke off at the net…..still sorry Adam. Fun times together on the water and a good sense of humor made this one of my favorite days. I look forward to you never letting me forget how I lost that fish for you Adam.

CJ and I were fishing the same local creek as Adam and I from the story above. At a certain point in this creek it splits into a couple different directions briefly. CJ chose one braid and I chose the other with plans to meet at the top where they met back up. About halfway up my side I moved a good brown in a soft spot right next to a small plunge. The fish had swiped aggressively but had missed the streamer entirely. I went and found CJ and asked for his help with netting the fish if I got it to eat; the topography of the  creek made for a difficult solo net job. CJ positioned himself at the back of the pool and I placed myself behind some rocks that acted as cover for me near the head of the pool. First cast back into the soft spot the brown wasted no time and enhaled the sex dungeon. Several jumps and tail-walking maneuvers later CJ netted the fish the back of the pool right before a drop off into the next pool. Patience and teamwork made this one to remember.

This day was slow and not many fish had moved to our streamers throughout the day. We persisted and kept moving at a quick pace to cover as much water as possible looking for the one fish that was on the prowl for a big meal. CJ found that fish in a gorgeous run framed by bedrock and pine trees. Mission accomplished. This image is one of my favorites that I took this year. I love how crisp and punchy the brown looks which matched its fighting style.

I remember this day very well. It was the first warm day of spring and I had finally gotten Skye to leave the tailwaters to come target some big browns my favorite creek. I cut my teeth learning to fly fish on this creek for years and knew that it held some wiley brown trout. The first run of the day produced a solid wild brown for me that took a brown trout streamer while it was still digesting another trout. The pure gluttony of this fish was something I’ll always remember. The water was high and a little stained this day. Skye had moved into what under regular water conditions is a shallow riffle. However, today had become a slow moving run about two and a half feet deep. I looked up from where I was fishing to see Skye strip setting once, twice, and again for good measure. I threw my rod to the side and ran upstream to assist with the net job. Skye is no stranger to catching big fish but even his hands were shaking from the excitement of catching a small water giant. 

If you follow my blog or instagram it should be no surprise that this fish is on here. Long story short my buddy JP and I saved this fish when we spotted it caught up in some trash. Saving a fish in any regard is memorable but when we saw the beauty of this fish we were in awe. I truly don’t think I’ll ever see another brown trout that is as stunning as this one. JP and I got to share this moment, there was no friendly jealousy or envy over who caught, it was a pure moment of goodwill and fishing karma.

This fish is my personal favorite of the year. I was fishing with Lyssa and Collin at one of my all time favorite local streams. I had hooked a brown early in the day that had been chased by a larger brown during our fight. I thought about that fish all day and right as we were wrapping up our fishing session I decided to try for that big fish we had seen earlier. I casted a sculpin out that was eaten by a smaller brown in the pool, much like earlier in the day, and much like earlier in the day the large brown came out again after the fish I had hooked. This time the large brown T-boned the fish I had on the sculpin. The amount of pressure and weight on the end of my line increased exponentially and I as the big brown slid into the net I yelled in sheer disbelief. Lyssa had been on my left during the fight and was just as stoked as I was when I landed the fish. Collin had been in the pool behind us and came running upstream during the commotion. Collin grabbed the photos of this pescavorius brown. The way I caught him was something I had never experienced before and the uniqueness of that moment was only bolstered by the coloration of the brown. The top half of the brown was the most olive I have ever seen, which probably helps him ambush fish from below. The rest of the fish was flame orange and amber which was only interrupted by the scarlet dots and white halos around them. Last but not least was the adipose fin which was so red that it almost appeared purple. A truly aggressive eat, the presence of two of my best friends, and the coloration that only small water can produce make this fish, this memory my favorite of the year.

I was fishing with CJ and Alex and there was more laughing than fishing going on. We came up on a hole that has always looked great but never really produced for me like I thought it should. I swung my streamer near a partially submerged root ball and the fish I had always imagined living in that hole materialized into existence as it collided with my streamer. This fish pulled with an incredible strength for its size and sported giant black leopard spots all along it body. A whimsical start to the day was instantly juxtaposed by an intense fight and a stellar photo by CJ.

Vance and I were fishing together in a medium sized creek. The day was overcast, the water was high, the color of the water was stained like tea, and everything felt fishy. About an hour into the day this brown hit my streamer and pulled me all over that creek. The blue diamond cheek of this fish, its insane amount of spots, and the great company and photo by Vance made the day.

This was probably the biggest brown of the year for me. I was not expecting this fish to be were it was and the force with which it hit my streamer I can still feel in my hand. I gave this fish no quarter during our fight and JP swooped in for a quick net job. JP and I have very different schedules which makes fishing together difficult, so any time on the water together is great and to catch this guy together made it especially memorable.

Kole and I were exploring some hard to reach small water when we saw this pristine looking fishing hole. After several casts and no eats, things were looking bleak. I switched to a micro-streamer and this chunky wild bow came out to play. This fish was massive for the size of water we were in and is probably the most beautiful bow I have caught to date.

My favorite photo of the year. A man and his dog.

A very charismatic brown that Will and I caught on a black stonefly. I got worked over pretty good by this fellow and I thought I would lose it several times. Will came in clutch with the net and the photo. A stacked brown with color and kype to spare.

Woke up not feeling well on my day off. I had planned to spend the day fishing and considered no going out on the water at all. I figured that being on the water sick would be better than being on the couch sick so I went anyway. It was raining throughout the day and the water in this creek was rising quickly. I had moved through a lot of hard to reach water with little to show for it. Just as I was thinking about heading back home, this gorgeous brown hit the peanut envy I was using and ran me down a series of rapids. The section of water I was in was gorge like and made it difficult to run down after the brown in the high water. I was a bit into my backing before I knew it and slowly worked my way down to the fish gaining on him with every step. He and run down into a deep calm pool and that I where the tables turned in our fight. I was solo on this one which made netting this fish even sweeter.