Thanks Mike! It is a Sage ESN 10.5' 3wt. Good backbone but very soft to protect the tippet. I have another euronymphing rod as well but the Sage is amazing. It was throwing massive headshakes and it absorbed them like nothing (way better than my other euro rod). Love my ESN!!!
Good to know I’m not the only guy that talks to himself and swears profusely when he has a big fish on the line😂 Absolute beauty. The almost netting and not… been there a few times, it was killing me.
LOL.. I was not as good as i should have been in fighting and landing this fish. It was a big learning experience for me that has made me a better fisherman. I should have landed that fish so much sooner than I did....
Oh my, what a great example of euro nymph production. I’ve got to get up to Vermont to test my newly learned euro nymphing skills. I have a son in Bennington, so I’ll be up there in the spring, from SC! Thanks for the euro nymph series and other great videos.
This particular fish was early on in my euro nymphing days. It was a hefty fish for only 20 inches and in some faster water.... but it took me too long to land that fish. I hadn't learned yet how much pressure I could put on fish and my net setup kept me from landing it sooner. I learned some lessons on this fish for sure. The water was cold so it helped the fish recover and I kept the fish in the water almost the whole time. When I released the fish it kicked off but went and laid straight on the bottom to recover. I don't usually like that. The fish should kick off and swim away stronger. A fish that sits on the bottom after you release it fought too long and hard or it wasn't handled correctly. I know I handled it correctly but I fought it too long.
Love the Battenkill. Use to live over near Keene NH and would fish the Battenkill a lot. Wonderful hatches and good fish. Moved south and no good trout flyfishing here. I am so envious of you guys that live near that wonderful rive. Another rive I miss a lot is the norther Deerfield near Bear Swamp. Tight lines guys
Thanks for the comment! I lived in the DC area for 5 years and moved back and it felt like a whole new world of outdoor opportunities. We really have so much available to us up here! I just got back from 3 days of steelhead fishing too. Amazing what we have up here!
When I was in college many moons ago, I lost a big trout on the Battenkill River. It held low and thus was likely a brown. Broke the line. What a great memory. Just by the feel and the bent rod, it was likely a 3 or 4 pounder. WOW!
The BKill can hold some incredible trout for sure!!! That river has handed me skunks way more regularly than any other pieces of water but you can be rewarded for your perseverance big time!
Lovely trout and great to watch the tussle. That's what trout fishing is all about and in such a lovely environment. Similar to my latest brown on the Tongariro River, New Zealand. Tight lines from down under.
Congrats with that brownie. But next time you fish the Battenkill you better take a bigger landingnet. There are fish even a lot bigger than the one you had. 15 years ago I fished there and had several good brownies, topped by a 23 inch fish. Fortunately my guide carried a big net with him, otherwise I would have been totally helpless. Greetings and tight lines 🎣 from the Čech Republic 🇨🇿.
I lost an absolute heart breaker many years ago on the Battenkill. I was spin fishing in March with a Rapala jerakbait and it crushed it... I've never felt a fish that heavy with such violent head shakes before. Easily the largest trout I've ever connected with. I'm guessing 25"+... sadly it broke my heavy 14# leader. I'm guessing it cut my line with a tooth and I left that Rapala with 2 treble hooks in it. I was devastated for losing the fish but more for the fact that I likely killed it by leaving that lure in its mouth. That summer I found the remains of a dead trout downstream that was huge... I'm betting that was my fish. It broke my heart to see it.
Congrats on catching such a beautiful fish and releasing correctly... awesome video as usual from you.. love watching all your fishing and instructional videos 🎣👍
Thanks! This was a while ago and I've learned a ton since then with euro nymphing and with filming\editing. This video could have been so much better if I had done it now lol. I'll never forget that fish though! I've named this one beefcake because while it was only 20" it was a really thick fish.
Thanks... I was somewhat newer to euro nymphing at the time of this video and I definitely could have landed the fish sooner I think. I was so afraid of breaking a fish like that off. It was a beefcake and very heavy to move!
Yeah... it was a great fish! I fought it way too long though. I didn't know what I was doing back then... it was my first good fish on euro and I didn't know my rod and tippet well yet.
Haha... I was saying the same thing over and over in my head! My biggest worry was I was using a double nymph rig so when I almost had him in the net twice I was so worried about the second nymph catching the net and then one headshake and he would have been gone... I like my MeasureNet but in fast water they catch a lot of resistance so scooping a fish in fast water is so hard... or I need to get stronger...
Well played and well caught! Started fly fishing this year and caught a 16" brown from olway brook in usk on my 6ft 2# rod..... proper hooked on fly fishing now!
Thank you! And congrats on getting into fly fishing. It is a lifelong journey! I wish I had landed this fish much sooner... it took too long to land that fish by myself unfortunately. It was not crazy long but really heavy which made for a tougher landing than I had hoped. I have actually changed my landing net partially because of this particular experience.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I thought it was awesome..i felt like I was playing it! I'll definitely be fly fishing for life now I've even started trying to tie my own flies. Look forward to seeing more of your videos. I wish you all the best.
@@deanbartlett2382 Thank you! We have lots of fly fishing videos on the channel and a few fly tying as well. Lots of good stuff to watch! check this one out if you haven't seen it. th-cam.com/video/AioqjybZ48E/w-d-xo.html Another very interesting fight of a big fish. Good luck with your fly fishing!
LOL! It may have been a somewhat bold off the cuff statement but stocked fish tend not to move too far from where they are stocked unlike wild fish. I was almost certain it was a wild fish too because of the fins. NY was clipping fins (mostly adipose fin) for many years when they stocked... so fish with all of their fins and in good shape were wild. Not sure they do it anymore but all of my bigger fish from that river have had all of their fins... which tells me the stocked fish don't survive to be the real big ones.
Congrats! Awesome brown! When one video is this much fun with one fish.....you know its a darn good fish and a great fight! Wow ! I am creating some Euro content as well. Great way to fish!!
Thanks! I love Euro Nymphing! I was out yesterday and hooked up with a few more nice (not quite as big) fish with the same exact fly and technique as this one! Different water and crazier but much shorter fights.
Thanks! It was my most memorable fish of 2018 so far. I think handling the fish well (especially large fish) is key to the health of the fishery. Thanks for watching and commenting! Definitely subscribe if you like our content. We'll be coming out with a EuroNymphing - Basics for Beginners video by the end of the year which I'm hoping will help people either learn or fine tune their EuroNymphing as well as fly tying videos of the flies that have caught many of our fish. Tight Lines!
Jealous.. I've been new york side all season can't even hook up on the stockers, soo much pressure.. I've watched the refusal about a hundred times lol. Nice fish man.
Ya know I didn't see a single person at any of the spots on the VT side and as soon as I got to the NY side there were 2 or 3 fisherman at each spot. I turned around and went back to VT and glad I did. I've spent a lot of time on the NY side over the years (and connected with lots of nice fish.. many of them wild fish.. see some of my other videos) but I fish it less and less these days in favor of other places.
Check out Modern Nymphing 1&2 with Devon Olsen and Lance Egan. They show amazing Euro style fishing. Also show how to fight/land fish with euro gear. Excellent videos Beautiful Brown!
Thanks Mike... been a while since I've hit the Battenkill actually and this was a new spot for me (so much river to explore). I've tangled with some brutes there but this is the best one that I've actually landed.
Love it! I was with you there. Two things out of curiosity … were you barbless? And what tippet were you on? Really nice minimal fish-handling by the way.
Thanks.. I'm more critical of this experience than most people actually. I learned a lot from this fish in particular. First to answer your questions. I was not using a barbless hook but I pinched the barb. I like barbless because they penetrate more easily. I was using 5X tippet. So now to why I'm critical of this experience. This fish was fought for way too long! It was more toward the beginning of my Euro Nymphing experience and it taught me a few things. 1. I could have put more pressure on this fish even though it was a heavy beefcake! The rod I have protects tippet very well and I had good 5X tippet on. I could have controlled the fish better by putting more pressure on it. 2. The net I had kept me from landing the fish sooner. Those measure nets are great for measuring fish without touching them but they catch way too much water and make it really difficult to land fish in fast water by yourself...and their hoop is smaller. I changed nets after this experience (and a few other tough landing experiences) and net my fish much faster now. I use a Frabil hoop style net on a retractor now. You can see my net setup in Volume 1 of my Euro Nymphing Series. th-cam.com/video/sBoqSkL9vGI/w-d-xo.html I do think my fish handling was really good after the fish was landed. If I had not handled the fish properly I'm not sure how it would have done. As it was, the fish swam to the bottom and sat there after I released it. I never want to see that! That is the sign of a fish that is overly exhausted. It should swim off to the water it came from, not sit at my feet. I increased the chance of mortality on this fish by exhausting it, which is frustrating because it is fish of this caliber that we really need to protect. Now that I think about it, I should actually do a video of why this was a good experience but a bad one as well to help teach people! Thanks for the idea! 😂😂
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Completely fair comments I think. We've all committed crimes against fish though I should think: all the criticisms you make of yourself I would make of myself relative to a fish I made very similar mistakes with in a pool in Iceland a few years back. Learning is good. Self-forgiveness is also good. Here in Wales I've been catching quite a few barbel on heavy nymphs fished euro style on the Wye. Now those barbel are strong as horses and I've been using 6X to get down to them (expensive 6X it's true). And I'm consistently amazed how much pressure I can put through the rod just by keeping it smooth and letting the 3-weight bend all the way down. My nerve feels like it will break long before the tippet! All the best and keep up the great work.
Haha... Yeah... not gonna disagree with you! I kept saying to myself "I wish I had put on 4X". I honestly didn't expect a brute that size. You run into your share of 20" fish but this one was fat and heavy. On certain waters I am definitely going to 4X after this fish. There were several times I could have ended that fight sooner with 4X. Definitely the one criticism I had for myself from this adventure. Thanks for watching and commenting! Always appreciated!
and learn that "playing" even just average sized fish requires a few skills other than doing nothing, especially when it's in a stream...lol, 20" huh...don't think so.
A little too long for my liking.. I was worried about the health of the fish after such a long battle. After reviewing the video it was about 15 minutes... by far the longest brown trout fight I've had. Luckily the Battenkill is a cold running river which helps and the fish seemed to recover well. Even with the soft rod I had 5X tippet so I'm not sure how much more pressure I could have applied without breaking off. It made me think that I might have to go to 4X tippet on waters with bigger fish from now on...
Thanks! I was using 5X tippet and was wishing I was using 4X. The long and soft euronymphing rods help protect the tippet but I could have shortened the fight considerably with 4X. But the fish never showed signs of distress and the water in the Battenkill runs cold all year so I think he was pretty health afterward.
Awesome fish man but 2 things: get a bigger net. Makes landing them less stressful and more room for error. And try changing rod angles more. Too much positive pressure up stream like that will cause you to lose big fish
Thanks.. The net is actually pretty big. My problem with the net is that it catches too much water in moving water. I would have had the fish in the net the first attempt if there wasn't so much pressure from the water holding it back. I love the measurements in the net and the telescoping handle for when I'm guiding but when fishing by yourself it can be tough. Also, I do try to keep a low angle and side pressure on the fish while fighting (except when they're running.. I'll let them run). Sometimes I think the camera angle doesn't show it. I learned to fight big fish while steelhead and salmon fishing and a low rod angle and side pressure is always key to landing bigger fish quickly. Thanks for watching and commenting... it is always appreciated!
For sure man side pressure is the only way to tire them out. I found quick switches from up to down stream and back up will bring them closer and closer each time. And as far as the net I have a monster net I bring trout fishing you could fit 2 basketballs in it lol. Makes swiping at them less scary lol. Beast of a fish though man
Interesting... I've seen people fight steelhead like that (quick changes side to side). It always makes me nervous to make quick changes like that... I worry they'll come unbuttoned... I've also see some of the big nets guys carry (very round nets) but I haven't tried them.. Is there one you like in particular?
Thanks! I was initially using a tungsten frenchie and a tungsten prince nymph but with the 2 I could not get the flies to move slowly enough. I put on a big brown rubber leg stone fly that had lead wrapped on the body for my dropper (the upper fly) and that made all the difference. It got down deep and slow and within a few casts I got bit on the stonefly. Needless to say I'm tying several more of these now :)
I have not... I was using a Sage ESN 10.5' 3wt. I get a discount on Sage and Redington so they get most of my money :) Do you have the Thomas and Thomas? I like their slogan.... "The rod you will eventually own". LOL
Cool... I grew up in Dolgeville and learned to fly fish on the West Canada. Lots of great memories of summer evening hatches and rising fish all around me :) I've spent 1 evening there in the last 2 years and was asking myself why I don't make it back more often! So much fun. I'm basically stuck to the small streams and other types of fishing for the last month because of water temps... Needs some cool nights to make there way back in here (not that I'm wishing summer away).
This is the gauge I use. waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/01329490/#parameterCode=00060&period=P30D&showMedian=false The last time I was there it was about 450-500 cfs. It feels pretty high around 1000cfs but it doesn’t often get dirty. The water stays pretty clear.
YUP! This was actually the first big fish I caught on a Sexi Stone. After this fish I went to work and tied a bunch and have caught a bunch of big fish on them since!
This is in Southern Vermont. What they bite depends on their mood, the season and the natural food sources. Trout will eat worms, other fish and flies.
LOL.. I've landed bigger trout in way less time because of the gear I was using. This was a very heavy 20" trout in fairly fast moving water and I was using tippet that was a little lighter than it should have been for this one. If I had to change one thing it would be going to heavier tippet on this one. And my net catches too much water making it hard to scoop on your own. I may go to a different net this year for when I'm by myself. I would have had it in the net a lot sooner with a different net.
I always wear it on my head. I tried the "chesty" mount at first and didn't like it at all. Wherever I am looking the camera looks the same way with the head mount.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany yeh I'm having issues using it on my chest so will try my head, only issue is it needs to be in the waterproof case and I can't hear myself talking. Using an akaso ek7000 4k hd ultra, cost me £40.
@@michaelmckenna14 Ah Yes!! I had the GoPro 3 at first with a separate case and all of the sounds were muffled. I have the GoPro 5 which is waterproof without a case and the sound is perfect.
I wouldn't exactly call it a put and take fishery. Most of the fish over a certain size are wild fish and I believe VT stopped stocking the river many years ago.
Thanks. After that long of a fight I was worried about the health of the fish. I always try to handle them well but I literally only had this one out of the water for 2 or 3 seconds at a time. Thanks for the sub.. I'll check out your channel.
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Beautiful fish and great patience on getting him in. What weight rod was that! Glad you landed him! Fun to watch!
Thanks Mike! It is a Sage ESN 10.5' 3wt. Good backbone but very soft to protect the tippet. I have another euronymphing rod as well but the Sage is amazing. It was throwing massive headshakes and it absorbed them like nothing (way better than my other euro rod). Love my ESN!!!
Good to know I’m not the only guy that talks to himself and swears profusely when he has a big fish on the line😂
Absolute beauty.
The almost netting and not… been there a few times, it was killing me.
LOL.. I was not as good as i should have been in fighting and landing this fish. It was a big learning experience for me that has made me a better fisherman. I should have landed that fish so much sooner than I did....
A real beaut! Thanks for showing this to us. What a fight he put up!
He definitely did... although I could fight that fish way better now. I fought it for WAY too long. Every experience is opportunity to learn!
Oh my, what a great example of euro nymph production. I’ve got to get up to Vermont to test my newly learned euro nymphing skills. I have a son in Bennington, so I’ll be up there in the spring, from SC!
Thanks for the euro nymph series and other great videos.
This particular fish was early on in my euro nymphing days. It was a hefty fish for only 20 inches and in some faster water.... but it took me too long to land that fish. I hadn't learned yet how much pressure I could put on fish and my net setup kept me from landing it sooner. I learned some lessons on this fish for sure. The water was cold so it helped the fish recover and I kept the fish in the water almost the whole time. When I released the fish it kicked off but went and laid straight on the bottom to recover. I don't usually like that. The fish should kick off and swim away stronger. A fish that sits on the bottom after you release it fought too long and hard or it wasn't handled correctly. I know I handled it correctly but I fought it too long.
Love the Battenkill. Use to live over near Keene NH and would fish the Battenkill a lot. Wonderful hatches and good fish. Moved south and no good trout flyfishing here. I am so envious of you guys that live near that wonderful rive. Another rive I miss a lot is the norther Deerfield near Bear Swamp. Tight lines guys
Thanks for the comment! I lived in the DC area for 5 years and moved back and it felt like a whole new world of outdoor opportunities. We really have so much available to us up here! I just got back from 3 days of steelhead fishing too. Amazing what we have up here!
When I was in college many moons ago, I lost a big trout on the Battenkill River. It held low and thus was likely a brown. Broke the line. What a great memory. Just by the feel and the bent rod, it was likely a 3 or 4 pounder. WOW!
The BKill can hold some incredible trout for sure!!! That river has handed me skunks way more regularly than any other pieces of water but you can be rewarded for your perseverance big time!
Lovely trout and great to watch the tussle. That's what trout fishing is all about and in such a lovely environment. Similar to my latest brown on the Tongariro River, New Zealand. Tight lines from down under.
Very cool to get a comment from down under! Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!
Woo! That was a nice one! I love that exhilaration. U set the hook & realize it’s a toad... beautiful!! Thx for sharing.
Thanks. I love those "hook up" moments too and then it's a battle and you're praying they don't come off! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Congrats with that brownie.
But next time you fish the Battenkill you better take a bigger landingnet.
There are fish even a lot bigger than the one you had.
15 years ago I fished there and had several good brownies, topped by a 23 inch fish. Fortunately my guide carried a big net with him, otherwise I would have been totally helpless.
Greetings and tight lines 🎣 from the Čech Republic 🇨🇿.
I lost an absolute heart breaker many years ago on the Battenkill. I was spin fishing in March with a Rapala jerakbait and it crushed it... I've never felt a fish that heavy with such violent head shakes before. Easily the largest trout I've ever connected with. I'm guessing 25"+... sadly it broke my heavy 14# leader. I'm guessing it cut my line with a tooth and I left that Rapala with 2 treble hooks in it. I was devastated for losing the fish but more for the fact that I likely killed it by leaving that lure in its mouth. That summer I found the remains of a dead trout downstream that was huge... I'm betting that was my fish. It broke my heart to see it.
Congrats on catching such a beautiful fish and releasing correctly... awesome video as usual from you.. love watching all your fishing and instructional videos 🎣👍
Thanks! This was a while ago and I've learned a ton since then with euro nymphing and with filming\editing. This video could have been so much better if I had done it now lol. I'll never forget that fish though! I've named this one beefcake because while it was only 20" it was a really thick fish.
Nice job playing and landing that fish ! You can't rush the end game or you will come up empty
Thanks... I was somewhat newer to euro nymphing at the time of this video and I definitely could have landed the fish sooner I think. I was so afraid of breaking a fish like that off. It was a beefcake and very heavy to move!
I just watched your “Beefcake” video. Absolutely incredible fish.
Yeah... it was a great fish! I fought it way too long though. I didn't know what I was doing back then... it was my first good fish on euro and I didn't know my rod and tippet well yet.
”Holy shit” is right... BEAUTIFUL Brown.
Haha... Yeah. That was the fish of the year for me last year for fly fishing (outside of salmon). That baby was a brute!
Wow, great video! Thanks for posting
Thanks... hard part of this video was cutting the fight scene down to a reasonable length.
What a nice fish! Found myself saying "please don't come off" as it got close to the net 😁
Haha... I was saying the same thing over and over in my head! My biggest worry was I was using a double nymph rig so when I almost had him in the net twice I was so worried about the second nymph catching the net and then one headshake and he would have been gone... I like my MeasureNet but in fast water they catch a lot of resistance so scooping a fish in fast water is so hard... or I need to get stronger...
Well played and well caught!
Started fly fishing this year and caught a 16" brown from olway brook in usk on my 6ft 2# rod..... proper hooked on fly fishing now!
Thank you! And congrats on getting into fly fishing. It is a lifelong journey! I wish I had landed this fish much sooner... it took too long to land that fish by myself unfortunately. It was not crazy long but really heavy which made for a tougher landing than I had hoped. I have actually changed my landing net partially because of this particular experience.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I thought it was awesome..i felt like I was playing it!
I'll definitely be fly fishing for life now I've even started trying to tie my own flies.
Look forward to seeing more of your videos. I wish you all the best.
@@deanbartlett2382 Thank you! We have lots of fly fishing videos on the channel and a few fly tying as well. Lots of good stuff to watch! check this one out if you haven't seen it. th-cam.com/video/AioqjybZ48E/w-d-xo.html Another very interesting fight of a big fish. Good luck with your fly fishing!
Nice I'm going to be fishing there for 10 days starting tomorrow.
Tough river but it can be VERY rewarding!
Yeah I got skunked up there.
I'm staying in Bennington so I've been hitting the branch and the w-$ack,
@@richardmorris1965 Nice! Good places to go!
Nice fish!! I wasn't aware stocked fish stay in their own state.
LOL! It may have been a somewhat bold off the cuff statement but stocked fish tend not to move too far from where they are stocked unlike wild fish. I was almost certain it was a wild fish too because of the fins. NY was clipping fins (mostly adipose fin) for many years when they stocked... so fish with all of their fins and in good shape were wild. Not sure they do it anymore but all of my bigger fish from that river have had all of their fins... which tells me the stocked fish don't survive to be the real big ones.
Thats a sick fish! Also some great patience on landing that bull. Impressive on a three weight
Thanks.. It was a Euro Nymphing 3wt though so it has a lot of backbone. The 3wt part is just the upper half of the rod.
Congrats! Awesome brown! When one video is this much fun with one fish.....you know its a darn good fish and a great fight! Wow ! I am creating some Euro content as well. Great way to fish!!
Thanks! I love Euro Nymphing! I was out yesterday and hooked up with a few more nice (not quite as big) fish with the same exact fly and technique as this one! Different water and crazier but much shorter fights.
Congrats Bud..
Great looking fish also..
Keep up the Great Work..
Thanks.. I enjoyed watching you and Mike fishing the wild browns too and the big one you netted for him :)
What a fight - that Brown was a pig! Great job landing him, and nice video. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Was very happy to get him to net and to see him release as easily as he did after the long fight. Thanks for watching!
Thank you thank you thank you
Nice chunk! I love that feeling when you set the hook on a fish that doesn't give lol. Nice little adrenaline dump lol \m/
really cool vid and excellent handling of a tired fish. well done 👍
Thanks! It was my most memorable fish of 2018 so far. I think handling the fish well (especially large fish) is key to the health of the fishery. Thanks for watching and commenting! Definitely subscribe if you like our content. We'll be coming out with a EuroNymphing - Basics for Beginners video by the end of the year which I'm hoping will help people either learn or fine tune their EuroNymphing as well as fly tying videos of the flies that have caught many of our fish. Tight Lines!
I want one! Haven't had the chance to fish for Browns yet...but it will happen.
We all do :) Good luck if you get out and thanks for watching!
Jealous.. I've been new york side all season can't even hook up on the stockers, soo much pressure.. I've watched the refusal about a hundred times lol. Nice fish man.
Ya know I didn't see a single person at any of the spots on the VT side and as soon as I got to the NY side there were 2 or 3 fisherman at each spot. I turned around and went back to VT and glad I did. I've spent a lot of time on the NY side over the years (and connected with lots of nice fish.. many of them wild fish.. see some of my other videos) but I fish it less and less these days in favor of other places.
Check out Modern Nymphing 1&2 with Devon Olsen and Lance Egan. They show amazing Euro style fishing.
Also show how to fight/land fish with euro gear. Excellent videos
Beautiful Brown!
Yes... The Modern Nymphing videos are my bible! Thanks for watching and commenting!
What a Battenkill brute Brian! Congrats man!
Thanks Mike... been a while since I've hit the Battenkill actually and this was a new spot for me (so much river to explore). I've tangled with some brutes there but this is the best one that I've actually landed.
Love it! I was with you there. Two things out of curiosity … were you barbless? And what tippet were you on? Really nice minimal fish-handling by the way.
Thanks.. I'm more critical of this experience than most people actually. I learned a lot from this fish in particular. First to answer your questions. I was not using a barbless hook but I pinched the barb. I like barbless because they penetrate more easily. I was using 5X tippet. So now to why I'm critical of this experience. This fish was fought for way too long! It was more toward the beginning of my Euro Nymphing experience and it taught me a few things. 1. I could have put more pressure on this fish even though it was a heavy beefcake! The rod I have protects tippet very well and I had good 5X tippet on. I could have controlled the fish better by putting more pressure on it. 2. The net I had kept me from landing the fish sooner. Those measure nets are great for measuring fish without touching them but they catch way too much water and make it really difficult to land fish in fast water by yourself...and their hoop is smaller. I changed nets after this experience (and a few other tough landing experiences) and net my fish much faster now. I use a Frabil hoop style net on a retractor now. You can see my net setup in Volume 1 of my Euro Nymphing Series. th-cam.com/video/sBoqSkL9vGI/w-d-xo.html
I do think my fish handling was really good after the fish was landed. If I had not handled the fish properly I'm not sure how it would have done. As it was, the fish swam to the bottom and sat there after I released it. I never want to see that! That is the sign of a fish that is overly exhausted. It should swim off to the water it came from, not sit at my feet. I increased the chance of mortality on this fish by exhausting it, which is frustrating because it is fish of this caliber that we really need to protect.
Now that I think about it, I should actually do a video of why this was a good experience but a bad one as well to help teach people! Thanks for the idea! 😂😂
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Completely fair comments I think. We've all committed crimes against fish though I should think: all the criticisms you make of yourself I would make of myself relative to a fish I made very similar mistakes with in a pool in Iceland a few years back. Learning is good. Self-forgiveness is also good. Here in Wales I've been catching quite a few barbel on heavy nymphs fished euro style on the Wye. Now those barbel are strong as horses and I've been using 6X to get down to them (expensive 6X it's true). And I'm consistently amazed how much pressure I can put through the rod just by keeping it smooth and letting the 3-weight bend all the way down. My nerve feels like it will break long before the tippet! All the best and keep up the great work.
You sir need to consider one step heavier leader, exept that good job:)
Haha... Yeah... not gonna disagree with you! I kept saying to myself "I wish I had put on 4X". I honestly didn't expect a brute that size. You run into your share of 20" fish but this one was fat and heavy. On certain waters I am definitely going to 4X after this fish. There were several times I could have ended that fight sooner with 4X. Definitely the one criticism I had for myself from this adventure.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Always appreciated!
and learn that "playing" even just average sized fish requires a few skills other than doing nothing, especially when it's in a stream...lol, 20" huh...don't think so.
Bryan, great fish and battle. How long was the total fight?
A little too long for my liking.. I was worried about the health of the fish after such a long battle. After reviewing the video it was about 15 minutes... by far the longest brown trout fight I've had. Luckily the Battenkill is a cold running river which helps and the fish seemed to recover well. Even with the soft rod I had 5X tippet so I'm not sure how much more pressure I could have applied without breaking off. It made me think that I might have to go to 4X tippet on waters with bigger fish from now on...
Gorgeous Fish congrats. I was on the edge of my seat watching. What size tippet were you using ?
Thanks! I was using 5X tippet and was wishing I was using 4X. The long and soft euronymphing rods help protect the tippet but I could have shortened the fight considerably with 4X. But the fish never showed signs of distress and the water in the Battenkill runs cold all year so I think he was pretty health afterward.
Awesome fish man but 2 things: get a bigger net. Makes landing them less stressful and more room for error. And try changing rod angles more. Too much positive pressure up stream like that will cause you to lose big fish
Thanks.. The net is actually pretty big. My problem with the net is that it catches too much water in moving water. I would have had the fish in the net the first attempt if there wasn't so much pressure from the water holding it back. I love the measurements in the net and the telescoping handle for when I'm guiding but when fishing by yourself it can be tough. Also, I do try to keep a low angle and side pressure on the fish while fighting (except when they're running.. I'll let them run). Sometimes I think the camera angle doesn't show it. I learned to fight big fish while steelhead and salmon fishing and a low rod angle and side pressure is always key to landing bigger fish quickly. Thanks for watching and commenting... it is always appreciated!
For sure man side pressure is the only way to tire them out. I found quick switches from up to down stream and back up will bring them closer and closer each time. And as far as the net I have a monster net I bring trout fishing you could fit 2 basketballs in it lol. Makes swiping at them less scary lol. Beast of a fish though man
WILD fish at that
Interesting... I've seen people fight steelhead like that (quick changes side to side). It always makes me nervous to make quick changes like that... I worry they'll come unbuttoned... I've also see some of the big nets guys carry (very round nets) but I haven't tried them.. Is there one you like in particular?
nice 20 incher
Thanks.. Definitely the thickest 20 incher I've run into.
Nice one! What nymph were you using? Perdigons?
Thanks! I was initially using a tungsten frenchie and a tungsten prince nymph but with the 2 I could not get the flies to move slowly enough. I put on a big brown rubber leg stone fly that had lead wrapped on the body for my dropper (the upper fly) and that made all the difference. It got down deep and slow and within a few casts I got bit on the stonefly. Needless to say I'm tying several more of these now :)
I did a video on this fly recently. Figured I would share since you had asked previously. th-cam.com/video/u44H48xRQdM/w-d-xo.html
Have u tried the Thomas and Thomas contact rod?
I have not... I was using a Sage ESN 10.5' 3wt. I get a discount on Sage and Redington so they get most of my money :) Do you have the Thomas and Thomas? I like their slogan.... "The rod you will eventually own". LOL
Looks like something outta the WC!
been following your channel for a while. let's connect and fish sometime on the WC, SR, or BK. I'll shoot you an email
WC?.. West Canada? I grew up fishing the West Canada. Some real nice fish there too. Thanks for watching and commenting!
yeah I grew up in CNY as well.
Cool... I grew up in Dolgeville and learned to fly fish on the West Canada. Lots of great memories of summer evening hatches and rising fish all around me :) I've spent 1 evening there in the last 2 years and was asking myself why I don't make it back more often! So much fun. I'm basically stuck to the small streams and other types of fishing for the last month because of water temps... Needs some cool nights to make there way back in here (not that I'm wishing summer away).
I just sent you a FB message
what is a good flow range for wading this river
This is the gauge I use. waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/01329490/#parameterCode=00060&period=P30D&showMedian=false The last time I was there it was about 450-500 cfs. It feels pretty high around 1000cfs but it doesn’t often get dirty. The water stays pretty clear.
thank you
Did you catch that big brown on a sexi stonefly?
YUP! This was actually the first big fish I caught on a Sexi Stone. After this fish I went to work and tied a bunch and have caught a bunch of big fish on them since!
Where in vermont is this?! And do they bite if youre not fly fishing?
This is in Southern Vermont. What they bite depends on their mood, the season and the natural food sources. Trout will eat worms, other fish and flies.
Caught just about the same fish in the same run this summer haha! Great fish.
Nice!!! There are some big fish in that river but they can be tough to get. Most people don't like fishing there because the fish are smart!
I didn’t know that Nicholas Cage was into fly fishing!
What river is this
Damn cuz, it's s trout not a tarpon lol...what took u so long?? And yes I've caught many s trout twice as big.
LOL.. I've landed bigger trout in way less time because of the gear I was using. This was a very heavy 20" trout in fairly fast moving water and I was using tippet that was a little lighter than it should have been for this one. If I had to change one thing it would be going to heavier tippet on this one. And my net catches too much water making it hard to scoop on your own. I may go to a different net this year for when I'm by myself. I would have had it in the net a lot sooner with a different net.
Nice one!!
Thanks... you look like you've been finding some nice once too!
White Dog Trail Company yeah nothing on video but the season has been good so far!
Is the camera on ur chest or head ?
I always wear it on my head. I tried the "chesty" mount at first and didn't like it at all. Wherever I am looking the camera looks the same way with the head mount.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany yeh I'm having issues using it on my chest so will try my head, only issue is it needs to be in the waterproof case and I can't hear myself talking. Using an akaso ek7000 4k hd ultra, cost me £40.
@@michaelmckenna14 Ah Yes!! I had the GoPro 3 at first with a separate case and all of the sounds were muffled. I have the GoPro 5 which is waterproof without a case and the sound is perfect.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany well it looks like I'm going to have to save up my pennies to buy one now lol
You’re going to need a bigger boat…I mean a bigger net!
Non native fish caught in a put and take fishery.
I wouldn't exactly call it a put and take fishery. Most of the fish over a certain size are wild fish and I believe VT stopped stocking the river many years ago.
Awesome fish and handling man! Subbed stop by my channel if you have time!
Thanks. After that long of a fight I was worried about the health of the fish. I always try to handle them well but I literally only had this one out of the water for 2 or 3 seconds at a time. Thanks for the sub.. I'll check out your channel.
Yea you did great. Watch the most recent video every always watches the old stuff and the new hottness is ignored lol
lousy fisherman,,,obviously
Location
nice fish but not a monster