A Memorable Brook Trout

These are the last days of fall. If you are a small stream wild brook trout fisherman these are the glory day. Rain has come and cleared the big leaf blockages that made fishing nearly impossible a few weeks ago. The fish are either in the process of making brand new brookies or nearly finished with it. Regardless they are very digressive right now. In my opinion this is the best time of year to get out and catch some of the largest residents in the stream.

Yesterday I asked RKM if he wanted to fish a favorite stream of mine (fast becoming my number one favorite, now that my home water isn't fishing so well). He was there with me to observe what is likely one of the biggest wild brookies in the whole state of CT, and I think it would be difficult for any brook trout nut to stay away from a stream like this for too long. He picked me up a little before 9:30. 

When we got to the stream it was flowing much better than it had been before the rains, but still a little low. That isn't saying much, this stream is the perfectly suited for these fish that have been living in it for thousands of years.

Woody debris is a big part of what makes this stream so remarkable.

 I started out catching a number of the little guys that make up about 90% of the fish population in the stream and probably 20% of the diet of the really big ones that live here. I remember seeing one 10 inch brooky with a 3 incher sideways in its mouth. The hot flies today were subsurface, though Kirk had a few come up for a bomber. I was using a crazy shrimp/scud pattern I tied last night and it did the charm, while a soft hackle was the taker of Kirk's fish.

One of the main reasons I enjoy fishing this stream is that it can be very good sight fishing. At the tail of one pool I saw a number of decent sized brookies working. I put the scud in front of them and gently stripped it back to me. I got them to chase it, but they wouldn't take. Then I sped up the retrieve and a nice one nailed it. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful brook trout I have ever caught. LOOK AT THAT TAIL!!!

After our short outing RKM went to watch some football and I went to see if I could find some spawning brook trout at the lake and a few of it's tributaries. I didn't have any luck there so I went to a stream I was told holds brook trout. It does, and I caught one in a deep mill pool. Quite a productive day in my book!