First Fish of the New Year

The fly fishing gene runs deep in our family. We have a tradition of catching a fish on New Year's day. This isn't always easy because we usually spend the holiday at the family ranch in the North Cascades where winter temperatures freeze most of the local waters. But on the lake at the Ranch we run an aerator all winter to oxygenate the water and reduce the risk of winter kill. This aerator manages to keep about an acre of water ice free and is the one place where fish can still be caught. Some would say we're insane to venture out into this open water just to catch a fish. But we're talking about the first fish of the entire year here. This year my father Mac road the snow mobile up to the lake while the rest of us cross country skied up. He claims to have caught the first fish prior to our arrival at the lake, but has no witnesses. My wife Teri received the official honor, catching a nice Rainbow Trout just after noon on January 1st.