Last trips of 2025?

[Northern]

One last trip to the Hood Canal cabin to wrap up 2025:
NYE day forecast was for a sunny afternoon but it was fogged in pretty densely on my chosen lake, which made for a very chilly 40° outing
The cold kept folks home, though, so I had most of Tues to myself on a popular lake (one other guy for a few hours.) Got a couple on the wigglebug, but the fly of the day was a standard orange booby on a type 7, either trolled or stripped veeery slowly. Mixed bag of 10ish bows & cutts. Pics mostly for the interesting color variation:





After a few casts off the beach in front of the cabin Wed morning (hooked & lost one nice SRC) I ventured to a bigger put&take lake that reluctantly gave up 4 decent bows to the wigglebug on Wed, with a few more LDR'd - they were crazy jumpy - flying out of the water multiple times immediately after feeling the hook, at some distance from the yak!
Spunky & fun, but no particularly pretty ones to photograph.
The view of Hood Canal from the cabin yesterday afternoon

And that's a wrap!

Anyone else get out for the end of the year?

 

[SovDog]

Stopped along the Mo on my way home from a work trip yesterday and snuck this nice rainbow in before the years’ end. Cheers and happy new year.

 

[Matt B]

I ended the year by fishing on 12/31 (good), right off in the morning breaking a rod tip through 100% sheer stupidity (doh!), and using a backup setup to get skunked (whatever).

 

[Pink Nighty]

I ended the year by fishing on 12/31 (good), right off in the morning breaking a rod tip through 100% sheer stupidity (doh!), and using a backup setup to get skunked (whatever).

I think you meant to say you put on a clinic in perseverance, single hand casting and storing up major mojo for future endeavors.

Still hearing the crack of that tip lol.

 

[Shad]

Beautiful lake fish! 10-ish trout is solid work this time of year.

I did some river fishing this week. I mostly caught and released big, fire truck buck coho, but I did score a nice little hatchery chromer steelhead on the 27th.

First fish of 2026 was another colored-up coho. Beautiful specimen of a hen, somewhere north of 15 pounds and absolutely plugged with eggs. Would have taken a pic, but I figured it was more important to get her back swimming ASAP so she could spawn and make more. She gave me a vigorous, much-deserved tail splash in the face when I released her. Happy New Year indeed!

 

[_WW_]

I ended the year by fishing on 12/31 (good), right off in the morning breaking a rod tip through 100% sheer stupidity (doh!), and using a backup setup to get skunked (whatever).

Oooof!

 

[Matt B]

Oooof!

Yeah. I really like that rod so I am glad that the stupid tax is “only” $72.24 for a new tip section, shipping and sales tax. Thanks, ECHO, for making that part easy, about as easy as breaking it in the first place.

 

[Pink Nighty]

After @Matt B snapped his rod tip immediately, I through salt in the wound by first cast hooking a chunky bull. It seems he absorbed my first cast curse for the day. What a guy!

 

[Matt B]

After @Matt B snapped his rod tip immediately, I through salt in the wound by first cast hooking a chunky bull. It seems he absorbed my first cast curse for the day. What a guy!

That was a neat trick you pulled off there.

 

[CutthroatPadawan]

Great meeting you on the lake,

I caught nothing and got completely socked in with fog after crossing to the end you mentioned you picked up those 4 fish.

 

[DryFly82]

I got off work early NYE and was on the lake by 1:30pm. It looked like there would be a break in the fog, but then it rolled in thicker. Fishing was decent. Broke off a fish on my first cast. 5 to the net in the next few hours of fishing bloodworms. It was about as cold a fishing day as I can remember that didn't involve rain, but still a good way to end a very fishy year.

 

[Matt B]

I got off work early NYE and was on the lake by 1:30pm. It looked like there would be a break in the fog, but then it rolled in thicker. Fishing was decent. Broke off a fish on my first cast. 5 to the net in the next few hours of fishing bloodworms. It was about as cold a fishing day as I can remember that didn't involve rain, but still a good way to end a very fishy year.

View attachment 176156

Way to end the year strong. Got a pic of the rest of that fine looking, likely well-loved Sears craft? Gamefisher?

 

[DryFly82]

Way to end the year strong. Got a pic of the rest of that fine looking, likely well-loved Sears craft? Gamefisher?

It's not pretty, but it still floats. 11' Jon Boat. Also light enough that I can easily lift from the pickup bed to the lake on my own. Best $150 I ever spent.

 

[Northern]

Great meeting you on the lake,

I caught nothing and got completely socked in with fog after crossing to the end you mentioned you picked up those 4 fish.

Hey there!
Welcome to the forum! Sorry they didn't cooperate for you - it was a pretty slow day in that mist