Photo of the Day: Charlie’s First Big Brown Trout

Written by: Ray Berumen

Charlie Moderelli makes sure his fish doesn’t get away before there’s photographic evidence.
Photo by Ray Berumen

Here is a picture of Charlie Moderelli and his father, Rob Moderelli, from Long Island, New York. Charlie is 11 years old and just started his summer vacation. On Charlie’s first fishing trip, he learned how to short-and long-line nymph from my drift boat on the Battenkill, on the New York side. His first fish was a small brook trout.

Fishing with an Orvis Frequent Flyer rod, he caught another brookie and four browns, but the largest fish was no greater than 12 inches long. Finally, during the last hour of the trip, Charlie cast across the current, hooked, and successfully fought this big brown trout for more than a few minutes. It was literally boy versus fish, as his father and I both looked at each other and didn’t know if his arm would hold up. He eventually brought it to the boat, and I netted the fish. Moments later, we took this picture: he was so thrilled and his Dad was clearly shocked.

Charlie was so nervous about taking the photo with the fish that he bear-hugged it, fearing it would jump out of his hands. His mother called me later and said that the picture “made her week, her month, her year, and his lifetime.” She is going to frame it and said that Charlie is now “hooked” for life on the sport of fishing.

Ray Berumen is an Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing guide who operates Taconic Guide Service in Manchester, Vermont.