My Single Best Fish of 2016

On a year when I caught not one but five personal best wild brook trout, a few on the best carp I've ever caught, my first false albacore, and an absolute brute of a bluefish, my best catch of the year was my first striper over 30 inches... 33 to be exact. Though that is by no means a large striper, it was a truly amazing fish in a truly amazing location. This year was the first year that I have really figured out the salt water fly fishing game. I had spent a while learning one stretch of beach and the tidal river that entered there, and it became sort of a home away from home for me. On a cloudy morning I had a short amount of time to fish there and the tide and wind were right. I hit the river with poppers I knew would work and started catching immediately. One of the last few fish of the day ended up being this 33 inch beauty. She had me into the backing on three runs, and she landed in a hard way.

Next year, my goal is to break the 40 inch mark. Let's hope its another productive year!