I have yet to catch the Legend in year 1. For all the legendary fish, I get frustrated when I lose the fish, especially after all the anticipatory "okay, I'm ready to catc - oh, a carp...". I can do it easily enough with the iridium pole and the bobber that lengthens your catch area, or a +3 fishing buff.
But trying to get my fishing skill to level 10, enough money for fishing supplies, and have a rainy day just really screws up my chances of progressing in the rest of the game during the spring. Anyone got any suggestions?
If you're trying to catch all legendaries in year 1, make fishing your early game money maker, and you should level up really fast. Fish mostly in the mountain lake as largemouth bass is more profitable than the others.
Use Stardew Predictor to check for weather days near the end of the Spring. You'll need those.
Worst hypothesis if you can't catch it in Spring, then rush towards Ginger Island, since magic bait allows you to fish it regardless of season.
You don't find Legend in Ginger Island. However Ginger Island allows you to buy magic bait in Qi's Walnut Room, so you can catch the Legend off-season in the mountains.