Friday, December 7, 2018

It's Time for Frustration

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Thanks for joining the adventure, and tight lines.

"Frustration" is an equal and accurate replacement for "sea run brown trout fishing"... it is that time of year again, the time when I start visiting tidal rivers to look for the most ghostly salmonid in the state. I have not caught an adult sea run brown trout since 2014, and that was the first one I'd ever caught. Fishing for them is usually cold, usually slow, usually in fairly drab surroundings... but the mere thought of catching even one big, chrome brown trout makes it something I do with regularity. And yesterday it was these rare fish that I went looking for, and these rare fish that I didn't find. I had a 30 fish day, but that didn't stop it from being frustrating.


The first stream was dead as a door nail. Nothing doing, no bait, no evidence of any fish at all.I started out swinging a Magog Smelt, worked my way downstream through the first set of runs before the stream turned to all slow water. Then I worked back up from the opposite side with a nymph and egg. This is very typical of my approach on a small-medium sized sea run trout stream this time of year. I didn't spend much time there, though, and didn't want to. It didn't feel fishy at all.


The next stream was a different scenario entirely. There were a lot of fish feeding. An absurd amount. They were almost all ugly little stocked brown trout. I couldn't keep them off my flies: nymphs, wets, small streamers, big streamers, swinging, bottom bouncing, fast stripping... it didn't matter, those little hatchery fish latched on again and again. It was fun (or just funny) for a little while, but then it got old. I couldn't get away from them, they seemed to be in every hole and run. 




In the end this was a little less frustrating than the bulk of my sea run brown trout hunts, many of which result in complete skunkings, no fish of any kind hooked. But it left me a little annoyed because I now new I had to rule out one of my closest potential spots because of those darn stockers. They'll be in the way for months to come. 

This is not the last time I will intentionally go get frustrated this winter. Hopefully one of the times I go out intending to get frustrated, I somehow won't. 

17 comments:

  1. Its a shame we didn't spend as much money, time and effort attempting to establish a sea run brown trout fishery, as we did on Atlantic salmon. Years ago there was a tremendous fishery at Latimer Brook.

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    1. That's not really an accurate depiction of the events that transpired. The reason CT ceased to manage a true sea run brown trout strain for a while is that the state was getting eggs from the UK to supplement stockings. Regulations changed and we could no longer get true sea run browns from the UK or most other places. To try to circumvent the problem fisheries just stocked seaforellen strain browns in lower tidal rivers hoping they would act like sea runs. It didn't really work. But now we have a true sea run brown trout strain in CT again, from the River Iijoki in Finland, and a lot of work is being done to restore sea run browns again. Hopefully the Iijokies will take hold.

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    2. Kirk said they put an awful lot of these fish in. Hopefully in a year or so we should see some results.

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  2. Fishing and frustration go together. Our knowledge of this profession and the environment will overcome.
    Tie, fish, write, conserve and photo on...

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    1. Nothing I've done in fishing has been quite as frustrating as sea run brown trout. More than 60 trips in 6 years and only one sea run brown landed... Those are not good odds.

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    2. At least you landed one in 6 yrs. I had one one (large trout) way down South, in one of our estuaries, virtually salt water and lost it, at my feet. What we call "a gentleman's release". From what I've read, the strain you've mentioned above could be returning this season, with a little good fortune.

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  3. I certainly read all your posts. You do an amazing job of sharing your trips.

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    1. A very much appreciate the regularity with which you comment, too.
      Thank you.

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  4. Keep it up brother! I appreciate your dedication and compassion along with how I learn a thing or 2 each post that I read! I really do hope they take hold how cool would it be to catch a sea run brown trout

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    1. Thank you Brandon.
      Having been lucky enough to hold one sea run brown... they are incredible.

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  5. Sorry you didn't connect with a big sea run brown, but sounds like a hell of a good day to me with 30 connections. Maybe those stocked browns will adapt and head to LI Sound and become the sea run variety that you seek. I sure hope so.

    Keep up the good work. I sure enjoy reading about your adventures and hope you keep at it. With work duties and such, I don't get to fish nearly as much as I want and your posts take me right out there where I would rather be.

    Best, Sam

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    1. These stockers almost definitely won't, but to answer why I'd reveal too much about the stream.

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  6. Well this was interesting. Unless everyone is talking smack, I have it on good authority that there are in fact sea runs in a number of streams we all know (but that I won't mention). It is just that they are *really* wild and wary. And sometimes big.

    Now what you mention in the comments about the strains and the regulations is the *really* interesting part. Thanks for pointing that out.

    Last year I came across two different people who had caught chromes out in the salt during the summer while fishing for other things. You can connect the dots on that.

    The few people who really do catch these things are not letting on how to do it. But I think fly fishing for them is probably absurdly difficult. But that'w why it is worth it.

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    1. There are some number of sea run browns, some wild, in a fair number of streams. I have seen SR browns in brackish water. They are not abundant. They are very hard to catch on any tackle. Absurdly difficult on the fly? I see no absurdity in it whatsoever. Very difficult on any and all kinds of tackle, barely any more on the fly in my very educated opinion.

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  7. RM - could you pass along my email (timothy.wildman@ct.gov) to gios? I’d love to hear more about the chromers caught in salt last year!

    Hope you land one soon...remember to look for fin clips!

    Tim

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    1. I will if he doesn't reply to this comment before I get to!
      I'm always checking the fins ;)

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  8. I enjoy your content. Tight lines!

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