This is my first fig ever from one of my trees.  It is a Hardy Chicago breba which started changing color over the last day or so.

What do I look for before I rip it off the tree and devour it?

Andrew

The longer you wait the better it will be. It doesn't look ready yet by the way.

It should be hanging straight down and maybe some cracks on the skin.

5 days after the birds eat it.

You should hide it now.  :)  Newspaper, organza, whatevah

Not ready. Don't get ahead of yoursellf. Post a pick again in a couple of days.

it all hang loose like bull's ba.. i mean, it will look like sack of ... it will just hang down as if it's really tired.. it will winkler, and possibly crack. soft to touch.

Example of ripe and ready Hardy Chicago breba from past.
This one not crack skin but have another not shown that did crack skin .

In short you want whats called a hangmans neck as you see here in picture. 

Dang, Martin, that is a thousand word picture. Good thing it has your name on it.  I have very few Hardy Chicago brebas but the main crop is loaded.

I prefer mine wrinkly cracking ripe if the weather cooperates.

Ditto on what Mike newnandog, Martin, and Barry said.  Let it get extra ripe, and if not sure then late is better than early, especially with this variety.  I like 'em best when the skin cracks too.  Listen to Bob C too... you can hide it from birds if you want.  (add foil to his list of hiding techniques... I think that's what tmc uses).  Hardy Chicago are excellent figs, especially if really really ripe.

Mike 

I know we are talking about HC here, but on the ripening thing, I picked an lsu gold this afternoon, and the eye had cracked open a bit and it was very soft. I gave it smell test and I smelled spoilage, I almost chunked it over the back fence, then I thought what the hey, and bit off a chunk. The best fig I've had this year, bar none... All I'm saying is if you can get the fig 5 minutes before it spoils, that is the best it will be. The riper the better.

Another picture to memorialize my first fig (the Mount Rushmore sized bronze monument won't be ready for a few months).  Not quite ripe yet.



Andrew

Looks like that fig has a leaf associated with it, if so then that is your first main crop.
Edit) Or am I wrong?
Which brings up a good question, is that last years wood it is growing on or is it this years wood which has already turned brown? I have spot on my Smith fig tree which is green wood and figlet starting but no leaf, so is that still a main crop?

Picked and ate it yesterday.  22 grams and absolutely delicious.  We cut it in quarters and each had a taste.  Kids thought it tasted like a peach.

It was starting to rain really heavily and I didn't want it to get waterlogged or ruined.

Yum.

Andrew

Glad you liked it. I hope it's the first of many.