My Best CT Brookie Day Yet

Generally the goal of a brook trout outing for me is just to get some beautiful fish to come out for flies. On a few streams I often have high hopes of getting a ten incher. Yesterday I got five of those! Five brookies eclipsing 10 inches- I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for the stream I was fishing. After all, there are roughly 300 that size in my secret spring creek, and plenty bigger. Though I ended up breaking off a 14 incher on a grey ghost (is this CT or ME?) in the very first pool I was still surprised when the first brookie I caught was 6 inches. That usually takes some doing in this tricky stream.

In the "Rootbeer Pool" I saw some giants but as is usually the case I spooked them before I was able to get my fly in the water. Further up however I watched a few fish taking terrestrials that were being blown into the water. I dropped in my hornberg, dressed well with flotant, and it was taken by the first large brookie of the day. In the 52 degree water it fought like a fish twice its size. It was so stunningly beautiful too!

After spooking but not catching a whole lot of brookies on my way upstream I had my first sandwich before going back down to Rootbeer.

I carefully crawled into position at the Rootbeer Pool. One I was there I had to shoot my fly through a tiny gap in the branches. It took my about ten minutes of trying to get that done. When I did, up came another nice brookie to chomp down the little soft hackle.

I worked my way back down to the bridge pool. Before going through it I flicked a good cast underneath. I got a strong pull and was into a solid hard fighting brookie. My third 10 incher of the day

On my way back up I fished the bridge pool again. This time it gave up two really nice brookies. The first took the hornberg as a dry and jumped like mad. It was one of the prettiest brookies I've caught.

The second fish took with a strong pull, and by the way it peeled line off the reel I new it was the best of the day. A solid male of around 11 inches, this brookie made it clear I did not like being hooked. It was one of the best fights I've had with a brookie on my 6'6" 3 wt rod! And a good end to my trip to that stream. I fished another stream that afternoon, but that will have to wait until a later time....