The Highest of Highs to the Lowest of Lows

     I finally had the opportunity to go to my favorite stream after work today. I had not been out since my last report March 11th and needed a little time to myself. I arrived at the stream @ 6:30 and only had about an hour to fish before sundown. I decided to fish a new stretch and was curious to see how the trout had rebounded from the flood a couple weeks ago. I immediately took the temp and was surprised to see a staggering 52 degrees (up 14 degrees from a couple weeks ago). I soon became optimistic with new territory, warmer temps, and an overcast sky. It took only one hole to produce a beautiful 10" Brookie and was catching one trout after another thereafter. By the time it was time to go I had 14 trout to hand and made it a whopping 200 yards over the course of 45 minutes..

     Despite all the positives I took from this outing there was an incident that really made me take a step back. It is hard to go a day without encountering something like causes sadness, stress, or disappointment. I never thought I would say that the sport that I cherish so much would take such a dramatic turn but today things took a turn for the worse. In one of the last Brookies I noticed something on the gills and assumed the worst, gill lice! Late last summer I found some on a nearby stream but in all my years fishing this particular stream I had yet to come across this infestation. As I unhooked the Brookie I just so happened to look up and noticed a bald eagle soaring not 50 feet above. Perhaps it was a sign of good things to come and that my favorite trout stream would recover someday and that future generations will still have the opportunity to catch such a remarkable fish. I understand that the DNR says that Gill Lice alone cannot wipe out the trout population but it makes you wonder how much of an impact it will have the Brook Trout population in the long run. I drove home wondering what I could do to help put an end to Gill Lice, but came up with no real answers.

Lovin' This Weather!

I woke up this morning with anticipation of once again exploring new waters. The streams near my home are unfishable and many look like small lakes. With such a beautiful day and nothing but time, I decided to explore some new streams. I brought a long my ultra-light and some PM's and just drove to where I believed the snow melt had its impact already. I managed to find a crystal clear stream with water temps in the mid- 40's (Perfect). I managed to locate a huge pool that was just below where I had parked my car. I quietly snuck down the bank and waded along the side of the pool. The pool had to be 10 ft deep and I was certain a large brookie or brown was just waiting for an ambush. I made 15 or so casts and not a single strike! I decided to make a few more and casts not 10 feet from my feet a massive strike. I had no idea what was on the other end but new it was something quite nice and reset the drag. It was about 5 seconds later the trout jumped out of the water flinging his head back and forth. At this point I knew I had for sure hooked into the biggest brown of my life. I was able to land the trout after giving my ultra-light quite the workout. Upon further inspection a fat 18.5" brown! I don't think I had been this excited since landing my 17" brookie a few years back. I was able to snap a few quick shots of the fish before releasing.

I waded upstream hugging the shallower banks and casting in the deeper holes as I navigated toward the headwaters. I was absolutely amazed by the number of quality trout I spooked and that were traveling downstream. I had an 18-20" brown swim between my legs twice before taking cover under a rock. I probably saw 50-60 trout and the bright sun and having to keep my "feet wet" kept me from catching a lot of these trout. I can't wait for streams around my home to recede and begin to fish the streams I am all too familiar with.

Opening Weekend (Saturday)

I had the opportuntity to explore some new waters, while my streams back home had an opportunity to warm-up. I was unsure of what to expect trying these new streams during the early season and not really knowing where any large pools were located. I managed to stumble across a few large pools that were holding active feeding trout. I managed to land my 2nd brown trout of my life and another half dozen brookies.

Winter Wonderland

Had an opportunity to venture out and take some photos of a few local streams after a dumping of 11 inches. The streams were flowing of large chunks of slush that had fallen into the streams. Stopped by one of the local streams after work tonight and still was chock-full of slush and snow caves. I will check one last time tomorrow to see if there is any improvement. If not, I will wait until later in the week to make my first appearance of the season.

Outlook on the 2012 Season

This 17" Brookie is in my mind a fish of a lifetime. This past summer a pair of 15 inchers had to suffice. My journey to finding another "Monster" Brookie will yet again be my main focus for the 2012 season. More importantly, I am once again looking forward to navigating my favorite trout streams to find solitude.

Role of the Blog

I will be uploading photos of Brook Trout caught throughout the 2012 season. I will try to update the blog at least a few times a week through September. I plan to include photos, a brief description of the fish I caught, and any tips or strategies that may benefit the spinning fisherman.