Native Brook Trout

[Jaylotw]

Are the most beautiful thing in nature.


Elk County, PA. Caught on barbless hooks and released. Him and 17 others. My girlfriend, who holds a PhD in freshwater ecology and has spent countless hours sampling fish, has finally begun to understand my obsession with these fish. It's the places you have to go to find them, the careful casting and presentation, all for a few seconds to enjoy their magnificent colors. A quiet trout stream beneath the hemlocks is my church.

I always ask myself, why? Why do they have to be so lovely, bright orange and those blue ringed red spots...

And yeah. They're tasty. I will only keep them from stocked waters, though. They're just too damn gorgeous for me to slice open, too fine a creature.

 

[Inspired Idler]

Beautiful. I moved to Colorado recently. I haven't done much fishing but I'd like to. I hear there are some world class spots near by but I'm a little intimidated by the hardcore anglers that frequent those spots.

 

[LimestoneCowboy]

They are magic jewels. I grew up in the hills west of Gettysburg and have great memories of fishing the local creeks. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Jaylotw]

Beautiful. I moved to Colorado recently. I haven't done much fishing but I'd like to. I hear there are some world class spots near by but I'm a little intimidated by the hardcore anglers that frequent those spots.

Don't let them bother you. I don't look like a hardcore guy, my equipment is old and beat, my tackle boxes tangled and disorganized, yet I live, eat and breathe to fish and do quite well. I see dudes in $43,742 worth of Orvis gear get skunked and whine about it, dudes who's only goal is to have the best equipment and catch the biggest or most.

Just go, and find your own way with it and enjoy it. And stock up on #0 mepps spinners, in gold, copper, and silver, the smallest snap swivels you can find, 4-6 pound line and some decent waders. Cast upstream or quartering across upstream and hit every hole you see, every current break, every piece of cover, and you'll catch trout.

Fly fishing is great but it's not the end all be all that the diehards claim it to be, and it can be a barrier to entry since it can be intimidating, but if that's your thing, go for it. It just seems to me that it's adding a layer of difficulty (and cost) that im just not convinced will increase my enjoyment, at least it hasn't yet.

 

[ssjones]

In Western Maryland, there are a number of small, unnamed streams that hold brookies like that. A 6-8" fish is big. Fun with a 3 weight and some #20-22 flies, they aren't too selective and rarely encounter anything they can't eat.

 

[Jaylotw]

In Western Maryland, there are a number of small, unnamed streams that hold brookies like that. A 6-8" fish is big. Fun with a 3 weight and some #20-22 flies, they aren't too selective and rarely encounter anything they can't eat.

That's the magic right there!

 

[mingc]

Are the most beautiful thing in nature.
View attachment 100408

Elk County, PA. Caught on barbless hooks and released. Him and 17 others. My girlfriend, who holds a PhD in freshwater ecology and has spent countless hours sampling fish, has finally begun to understand my obsession with these fish. It's the places you have to go to find them, the careful casting and presentation, all for a few seconds to enjoy their magnificent colors. A quiet trout stream beneath the hemlocks is my church.

I always ask myself, why? Why do they have to be so lovely, bright orange and those blue ringed red spots...

And yeah. They're tasty. I will only keep them from stocked waters, though. They're just too damn gorgeous for me to slice open, too fine a creature.

That's a cichlid in your avatar too, isn't it? You must be a fish guy! (Yes, that brook trout sure is pretty).

 

[troutface]

When I moved to Colorado more than 30 years ago I was one of "those" guys. I had the pricey fly rod and almost as pricey reel. I stood elbow to elbow with all the other guys fishing #24 blue winged olives on Gold Medal waters with spidery thin leaders hoping for a hog. Trouble was the fish were so educated they rarely fell for anything and when they did you could see they had no lips left and their backs were all scarred from having hooks raked over them. I got so disgusted that I began fishing the high lakes with spinning gear. There are plenty of lakes with good sized brookies and they taste great. Below is a photo of a photo (sorry about that) of my best so far, a brookie about 19" and around 3 lbs. It involves some hiking, but damn it's worth it. Get thee to the high country !!!

 

[trouttimes]

Beautiful. I moved to Colorado recently. I haven't done much fishing but I'd like to. I hear there are some world class spots near by but I'm a little intimidated by the hardcore anglers that frequent those spots.

I agree with many comments here. It’s not about the equipment, it’s about the experience. The Frying Pan, Roaring Fork and Colorado are just a few minutes from my house but some of my best memories are little known streams and small fish. It’s the time spent on the water, the views, the escape. The fish caught are just a bonus.

 

[Jaylotw]

I agree with many comments here. It’s not about the equipment, it’s about the experience. The Frying Pan, Roaring Fork and Colorado are just a few minutes from my house but some of my best memories are little known streams and small fish. It’s the time spent on the water, the views, the escape. The fish caught are just a bonus.

I think we'd get along.

 

[Jaylotw]

That's a cichlid in your avatar too, isn't it? You must be a fish guy! (Yes, that brook trout sure is pretty).

I am indeed! I've got 9 aquariums, ~100 fish. The cichlid in my avatar just died recently, but his kids are doing great.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

My son and I used to fish Cataloochie Creek, North Carolina. This species was a common common catch.

 

[prairiedruid]

#0 and #1 Mepps were my childhood ammunition when I visited my grandparents in Montana. Brookies and Rainbows from mountain streams and lakes made for great afternoons.

 

[kcghost]

Sometimes I wish I had taken up fly fishing, as if I don't have enough hobbies that take up way too much time.

 

[mingc]

I am indeed! I've got 9 aquariums, ~100 fish. The cichlid in my avatar just died recently, but his kids are doing great.

Aquariums are lovely to look at. Before the divorce, I had two planted tanks that I ran with CO2, Apistogrammas, a school of neon tetras, etc. The cichlids laid eggs but never hatched and I wasn't set up to keep any babies alive anyway.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Sometimes I wish I had taken up fly fishing, as if I don't have enough hobbies that take up way too much time.

I know this is anathema, but a small flexible spinner rod and reel can catch a lot of fish

 

[mso489]

That brook trout is just about too pretty to eat. I savor seafood, but when I catch fish I feel a strong urge to release them, though sometimes I don't. They are interesting critters. If they didn't have complicated behavior, I don't think they'd be so interesting to catch.

 

[trouttimes]

That brook trout is just about too pretty to eat. I savor seafood, but when I catch fish I feel a strong urge to release them, though sometimes I don't. They are interesting critters. If they didn't have complicated behavior, I don't think they'd be so interesting to catch.

I fish a lot, maybe 80 to 100 days a year. I release them all. When I want fish to eat, I go to the store. The one exception is when I’m in the back country camping. Then, there is nothing like a few fresh caught rainbows or cuts with taters and onions over a wood fire. That is heaven on a plate. Just add a good wine, a pipe and sit back and watch the world go by.

 

[bassbug]

There's not many things in this world prettier than a male brook trout in September.

Fun fact...they're not trout, they're actually char.

 

[bassbug]

And for those of you that might be wondering how we hunt these little critters, or at least my favourite way....