Every year, I try to catch at least one trout each month in open water (i.e., not through the ice) - - preferably on a river than a brook.
Obviously, that's a lot easier to do in May through November than December through April.
Since there's no fishable ice up my way right now, I decided today was a good day to shift my sights to my open water goal instead.
So my younger son and I fished the South Hoosic in Adams from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
The weather was iffy - - mostly cloudy with temps in the mid-30's - - and the stream was pretty high.
We started by targeting the three flood control chutes.
I lucked out by connecting with a nice (16") rainbow at the first (uppermost) chute behind the Polanka Pavilion - - which I was able to land by hauling it in hand-over-hand up and across the top of the walls of the chute.
(Fortunately, I was able to release the fish unharmed - - although I had to drop it over the same wall, I saw it swim away unfazed).
We then walked along the Bike Trail to check out the next next two chutes (by the Cook Street bridge and behind the Industrial Park), but didn't have any hits, so we walked back along the Trail to our car.
At one point, my son and I stopped so that I could change the "terminal tackle" (i.e., hook and sinkers) on my line, and while I was doing that, two fly fishermen from Montague (who had been fishing downstream from us) reported catching a small brown above the Lime Street bridge.
After that, my son and I drove upstream and fished my "milk run" (between Mullen Mayflower and the footbridge) without success, so we called it a day and headed home.