I fished for 4 hours on January 1, 2024. I posted the fish I caught here. Don’t worry you aren’t having a computer problem. I got skunked. Nada, nothing, even with 5 rods out for hours. So could you please post your first catch of 2024, so we will know fish still exist in Texas. Hopefully I will be able to catch at least one fish in 2024, so I can post it here also.

Will be heading out this week. I will post my first! If you are going to get skunked, winter is usually the time that will happen!



Side Note: Also during bad weather conditions, you can easily get the big 0.

I know I'll be seeing a fish from you soon Osbornfishing...

At least you got to go. So far, I've been skunked on just getting to fish.

Five rods? I wish I had five rods!

I thought you would see one today. But I got skunked again.

I usually try and go catch a fish on the 1st every year. I just think it is a good way to start a new year. This year I have skunked, rained out, and skunked. With that record I can see an interesting fish in my future.

I frequent garage sales, estate sales, and eBay. I think I could probably approach the 99 Texas hook limit with one hook per rod. And that is after I gave away a bunch of rods and reels to kids last year.

My first of 2024. Rainbow Trout.



:

This was yesterday, Jan 3rd, and my first outing of the year. I’m not sure but I think my 1st catch was this one



Attempt at humor aside, when my sonar looks like this, which it doesn’t most of the time, I want to release and get my fly back in the water asap. So, no photo. I’m going to call my first outing of the year a success. About three hours on the water and a total of 8 striper ranging from 17” to 24”….6 under 20” and 2 overs. All fat and healthy. Around sundown I was thinking I would take a photo of the next one for prosperity, unfortunately there wasn’t a next one.

Barry, as always, I enjoy your posts. Thanks

Now it's time for

My first of 2024 Lmb

First fish of 2024 - a carp from Copper Breaks State park.

Lake is waaaaay low, but still has carp.

sb

Numero uno for 2024 from The Blue River. Size 12 Caddis Pupa. Landed seventeen today.

Going out with my pops later this week, hoping to get my PB! My luck, I'll get skunked

Finally on the board in 2024. Between travel and 3 trips getting skunked, I finally got a fish to the bank. The little carp hit a range cube in 20 feet of water. Hopefully there will be more fish in 2024.

That's a great start. I'm hoping for a whole lotta Carp this summer.

PK

A striper is always a good start.

Thanks, that's striper with one "p" !

So Wednesday the 10th I headed up to our place for a planned 2 day fishing trip on Nipissing. Ice formation has definitely been an issue this season but reports from Callander Bay were consistently showing 6 to 8 inches of black ice. Callander is not my usual go to on Nip as i typically get on at Fish Bay and hit the west side of South Bay and the south shore west of there. Well as little as 3 days ago Fish Bay still had pockets of open water so my typical go to was a non-starter.

Thursday morning i headed out around 7 am. This was the temp about 5 minutes out from Centennial Park in Callander:



Grabbed the auger and set out on foot to do my own due diligence on ice conditions. Popped a number of holes and thickness ranged from 6.75 to 8 inches of clear solid black ice. Based on that decided to sled it. Pic of a hole in the pop-up showing ice colour:



Sled unloaded and all set up:



Fishing was never hot or cold per say even at first and last light. It was just steady all day with a fish every 30 or 45 minutes. Ended the day with 12 walleye and 2 perch. Managed my 2 fish in the slot for the walleye and both perch came home as well - they were right around 10 inches:



Ten of the walleye were between 13 to 15 inches with this being typical:



Most of the walleye were actually caught on the Jaw Jacker which was tipped with a 1/4 oz jig head and shiner. The two keepers though were landed on a Buckshot Rattle spoon tipped with a shiner:

17 inch keeper:



16 inch keeper:



The original plan had been to head out again Friday but the alarm went off and i decided to grab another hour of sleep, eat a monster hot breakfast and then do chores around the cottage until about 230 pm leaving me just enough time to make it back home before the storm hit. Was a great 2 days - caught a whack of fish and got a whack of firewood moved.

A die in the wool outdoorsman ! Twenty below zero is crazy cold , Nice work and some good fish to devour !

Real perch. Great picture.

Slow start, but here is my first fish of 2024🙂

Awesome Thread.

Well, not the first. But the first over 5.

First over 5 definitely deserves a picture. Congratulations.

Real perch. Love that.

Love the smile. Love the fish.