[wademaster]

After a hiatus for over a week I finally made a stand today and hit some water after work. Finally, the ailment has loosened it's grasp on my sinus/allergy areas where I can actually operate like a normal human.

The rainbow pictured must be a tough guy of sorts from the looks of things. Scars/scrapes from head to tail. On top of that it was missing an eye. It hit a nymph dropper.

The brookie slammed a large streamer while I basically let it "ride" in some current. I had seen quite a bit of surface action this evening and that has left me wondering if I should've tried something dry.

I stuck another nice trout but lost it mid battle when it swam close enough to me that my line was limp and I hadn't gotten the net in position yet. Also had 3 more passes at the streamer with one trout coming out of the water after it.

As usual, I maintained a respectable level of stewardship and removed a couple beer cans from the river's bottom.

New rod: great.
New waders: great.

Good fishing.

Sent from my kayak...

 

[wademaster]

Forgot to mention how interesting things get when the fish swims through my slack and dangling/floating fly line beside me while I have the net in one hand and the rod in the air in the other....


Sent from my kayak...

 

[wademaster]

Forgot to add this guy....


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[horsehead]

Beautiful fish!

 

[wademaster]

It may just be me but that brook seemed to be a little more "taller" and "thicker" through the midsection than what I'm accustomed to with trout that size thus far....


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[horsehead]

NCWRC puts in some of their big spawners, so they're already larger than the average fish they're stocking... This probably accounts for some of them being more plump than the others you've seen more of...

My mom caught that fatty.


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[wademaster]

The brookie was quite some distance from DH waters but I suspect it has fins and will travel....just looked like an overall healthier specimen....


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[Fish_Fiend]

Brookies are a stockier fish by nature. Part of the char family, not actually a trout. They will eat just about anything.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

 

[OZ Angler]

Nice looking fish. Apart from a few isolated places, brook trout haven't thrived in Australia, unlike rainbows and browns. A pity. There was a hatchery escape of brook trout into a river NE of where I live a year or so ago. When the word got out, apparently it was like Burke Street in rush hour and the stream got absolutely thrashed. Not much in the way of catch and release. I might try this stream in September, when our stream trout season reopens. Maybe there might be a few brookies remaining? Any suggestions on brookie flies?
Cheers,
Steve.

 

[wademaster]

The one pictured was caught using a woolly bugger. I've also caught quite a few on gold ribbed hare's ear nymphs (black) as a dropper rig under an egg pattern....


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[Fish_Fiend]

Nice looking fish. Apart from a few isolated places, brook trout haven't thrived in Australia, unlike rainbows and browns. A pity. There was a hatchery escape of brook trout into a river NE of where I live a year or so ago. When the word got out, apparently it was like Burke Street in rush hour and the stream got absolutely thrashed. Not much in the way of catch and release. I might try this stream in September, when our stream trout season reopens. Maybe there might be a few brookies remaining? Any suggestions on brookie flies?
Cheers,
Steve.

Steve they are varacious feeders. most of the time if it resembles food they will eat it. They can turn off to some things though at times.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

 

[OZ Angler]

Gene, wademaster,
Thanks for the advice on brook trout flies. It sounds like my new stream searching rig of a Royal Stimulator with a bead head nymph on a dropper might be a good starting point. It wont be until September before I can try it when the stream trout season reopens but I'll let you know how I go. It'll be a real buzz for me if I catch a brook trout.
Cheers,
Steve.

 

[wademaster]

Looking forward to seeing a report and pics! Good luck!


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[dbeam]

Beautiful fish wademaster I have come across several brookies over the last couple of years that appeared to be thicker and plumper than the rest of the trout in that section.

Oz I have caught a lot of brookies on a small crawdad jig (crayfish) I don;t know if it would work with a fly of that pattern or not. Assuming you have crayfish?

Darrell

 

[OZ Angler]

Beautiful fish wademaster I have come across several brookies over the last couple of years that appeared to be thicker and plumper than the rest of the trout in that section.

Oz I have caught a lot of brookies on a small crawdad jig (crayfish) I don;t know if it would work with a fly of that pattern or not. Assuming you have crayfish?

Darrell

In OZ we have freshwater crayfish that generally get called yabbies. The local streams and creeks near where I live have good populations of yabbies, the stream that has the brook trout escapees I wrote about is probably the same. I've got a reasonable selection of streamers that could pass well enough as a yabby. I've also got a few Rebel small crawdad lures that might be useful, so I've got a few choices to work with. Pity it's 3 months before I can try them in that stream. I'll be chomping at the bit until then!
Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Fish_Fiend]

That rebel weecraw is a stream fish slaying machine plain and simple. Look into Circus Peanut flies. They are articulated and with the right colors create a fair "yabby" impersonation.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

 

[OZ Angler]

That rebel weecraw is a stream fish slaying machine plain and simple. Look into Circus Peanut flies. They are articulated and with the right colors create a fair "yabby" impersonation.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

Those Circus Peanut flies look interesting and a decent attractive mouthful for any fish. Never seen anything like it in OZ. I dont tie my own flies so I'll have to source some on your side of the pond.
I've been looking up traditional brook trout flies and those patterns like the Parmachene Belle, Fontinalus and Trout Fin certainly caught my eye. Bright and lots of colour--just like a brook trout.
Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Fish_Fiend]

In my opinion there are only 2 trout species that fight better than Brookies. Bull trout and Dolly Varden often confused as the same fish but genetically different.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

 

[OZ Angler]

In my opinion there are only 2 trout species that fight better than Brookies. Bull trout and Dolly Varden often confused as the same fish but genetically different.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

I wont get to fish that stream with the brook trout escapees until September, so here's a link to a site where someone did well.

Cheers,
Steve
http://flickandflyjournal.com/2014/06/01/like-shooting-fish-in-a-barrell/

 

[dbeam]

Thanks for the link, great pics, that fly looks like the saltwater fish wold love a size or two bigger.

Darrell