Thank you for the multitude of comments over the last few months. This blog has been averaging close to a 100 comments for every 10 posts AND the vast majority have been from readers (not from me) AND they are REAL comments about technique, flies, places to fish and not sugar coated "what a pretty fish" or sounds like a great day" filler. THANK YOU!!! - Ken
The brown trout is my favorite trout for a few good reasons. 1. It is able to survive those hot and dry summers on our freestones such as the Millers and if left alone with good water quality and an ample supply of groceries will grow to the gargantuan sizes that you see in the Swift and on this blog. The Swift is a great example of what this fish can do without any genetic manipulations that you hear about elsewhere. These fish are FAT and not skinny like eels by virtue of the fact that they are the unchallenged apex predator on the Swift. I almost feel bad for the brookies that feed these beasts!!
How to fish for them
First, they are everywhere. Browns in the 20+ inch range are all over the river. A 6 lb brown was caught just above the route 9 bridge about 2 weeks ago. I caught one about 22 inches and fished over one that was closing in on 30 inches.
The fantasy is to hit the swift at night with mouse patterns. That's not necessary. Pick a very early morning or a cloudy day or a half hour after sunset and fish something BIG and subsurface such as an outsized wooley bugger or a deceiver that you would use for good sized schoolies.
Mouse patterns can be problematic. You had better be a very good caster and that means being able to get this big fly airborne without having it hitting the water on multiple falsecasts. One "splat" is ok but more than one will spook an old brown trout.
Another fly that could very well work would be the old standard bass bug either made of deer hair or balsa. I remember a few decades or so ago that fly fishers were catching monster bows in one Alaska /river with balsa poppers. If it worked on bows it will work on browns!!
The Rivers
The Millers and the EB are ok now and will continue that way as long as we get weekly rain. Remember, very early mornings or sundown and after.
The Swift
The fish are stocked but they seem to have developed lock jaw. Fear not, they will get hungry!!
Book A Trip
Want to know more about the Swift?? How about an evening on the Millers (I've had over 35 years of them). Just email me and set up a time!!
Ken
2 comments:
A couple of months ago, when I was wading out of the river above Route 9, I followed a brown that was in the 20-inch range. He was about 6 feet in front of me, afraid of nothing, and cruising upstream as if he were a great white. He knew he owned the place.
Charles,
There just seems to be more and more of them or maybe we are just starting to look more.
Ken
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