Two Fish I'll Never Forget

My name is Darla, and I’m 11 years old. I live in Colorado, and I love being outdoors. But more than anything, I love to fish. I caught my first fish when I was two years old, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

We fish a lot of different ways - open water at reservoirs, streams with bait and spinners, and even ice fishing in the winter. But my favorite kind of fishing is fly fishing.

Fly fishing feels more personal to me. It’s not just casting and waiting. It’s paying attention to everything, the wind, the bugs, and how clear the water is. Before I even make my first cast, I like to look into the water and see how deep I can see. I think about where the fish might be and what they might want.

Most of the time I start with a roll cast, but I’m getting better at casting overhead too. The wind can make it harder, but sometimes it actually helps move the flies in the water. Sometimes I have to cast over and over just to hit the exact spot I want.

Then I watch my indicator really close.

Waiting.

Hoping.

I get excited just thinking about it disappearing under the water and feeling that big pull.

Sometimes it feels like forever between bites. While I’m waiting, I’ll stare at the clouds, stack rocks along the shoreline, or laugh at my brother Presley, who is always doing something funny. One time, I even had a dragonfly land right on my indicator like it was part of my setup.

Most of my fly fishing happens on lakes in South Park, Colorado. My favorite flies are balanced leeches, hoppers, chironomids, and egg patterns. I just got my own vise, and I love tying flies - especially sparkly, colorful ones that I think will make fish hungry enough to lick their lips and eat.

One of the coolest parts of homeschool is that I get to learn outside too. My dad can turn almost anything into a lesson — bugs, weather, plants, clouds, and especially fishing. Sometimes a fishing trip turns into science class without even feeling like school.

In late summer, hopper fishing is the best. Watching a fish explode out of the water to eat a dry fly is one of my favorite things ever.

My favorite fly fishing memory so far happened last Thursday. I was watching my indicator when it suddenly disappeared. I lifted my rod, and my fly line sliced through the water. Right away, I knew this fish was different. It pulled hard … then harder. My reel started making that high-pitched sound from the drag, and my hands tightened on the rod. I remember thinking, don’t lose this fish. Every time it ran, it felt like there was no stopping it.

At first, it almost felt like I had hooked a log, and I’ve definitely caught logs and sticks before, but this wasn’t that. This fish was alive. Strong. Powerful. My heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking, but I held on as tight as I could. Slowly, I worked it closer and closer. Then I finally saw it. My eyes got huge. I remember thinking, that is NOT a normal fish.

It looked enormous in the water, and when it rolled, I could see how thick and powerful it really was. That’s when I started getting even more nervous, because I knew this was the biggest fish I had ever hooked on my fly rod.

When we finally got it in, I could hardly believe I was actually holding it. I was honestly a little scared to drop it because I kept thinking, what if I never catch a fish this big again?

Somehow, it stayed calm long enough for a few pictures before we watched it swim away.

It measured 28.4 inches. I never dreamed I’d catch a cutbow that big on my fly rod. And I did it.

From the hookset to the release, it felt like a true memory-making moment. Moments like that are a big reason I love fly fishing so much. I feel really blessed when it all comes together.

Fish Number Two

My second favorite fishing memory happened two years ago during a kid's fishing tournament. It was the final day, and there hadn’t been much action. The tournament was almost over, so my dad, my brother, some friends and I started walking back toward the trailer.

But as we passed our rods, my drag suddenly started screaming. Fish on! We had been fishing with shrimp, and apparently, it was exactly what that fish wanted.

I grabbed my rod and took off running down the dam, trying to keep up while the fish kept pulling line. Only 30 minutes earlier, the shoreline had been packed with kids trying to get a last-minute bite, but now it was wide open.

It felt like it was just me and that fish. The drag was screaming, and I was doing everything I could just to hang on. We finally landed it, and then, the tournament director blew the horn to end the competition. Perfect timing.

We measured and weighed the fish. It was just enough.

That one fish put me into first place for the entire three-day tournament right at the very end.

It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. It taught me to never give up, to stay ready, and to keep going all the way to the end because you never know when your moment is coming.

Fishing isn’t just about catching fish to me. It’s about the quiet moments between casts, the time I get to spend with my family, and the feeling that anything can happen on the next one.

That’s why I love it. And I don’t think that feeling will ever go away.

To follow Darla and her family's adventures, subscribe to their YouTube Channel Reel Hustle JRs Outdoors.