" If someone asks me whether I prefer fly fishing with a "dry" fly or a "wet" fly, I answer simply that I prefer fly fishing and put the accent somewhat suavely on the word "fly".
Malcolm Whitman
My first stream born trout was caught when I was about 11 years old because this old retired farmer told me how he used to catch small brookies (natives he called them) from this little trickle out in the woods. Yes, I did take a can of red wigglers and managed to land two native trout which set me on the course that I've been on for decades. These fish were 'natives" and not survivors from some hatchery dump. This stream was a rarity because it was not intersected by any roads, not even an old cart road, just a footpath that was rapidly growing over and it would not be visited by a stocking truck.
I fished this stream yearly and then would add another little gem to my secret collection every so often. I still go back to these gems just to keep me grounded in reality. Beavers have taken over my babbling brook but the brookies are bigger and more numerous.
Chasing bows and "survivor" trout (native brookies are the REAL survivor strain) has a tendency to knock you off the rails so to speak. It's good to get back to what trout fishing used to be.
Conditions
Yes, we got rain and the streams are high but are around their average flow for this time of year. We needed the rain!!
Ken
13 comments:
So true Ken. Those little trickles, and the amazing little fish that eek out a living in them are a gift!
I'll never forget my first native brookie it took a hopper dry in september and the colors just popped on this fish he was about 9 or 10 inches but had a kipe jaw and broad shoulders a healthy mature fish and about as big as they come from that stream. Lately wild fish from small streams has been my main target. I think a lot of folks would be surprised as to where they can find brookies and even a few wild browns in MA you just have to look
Love blue lines and wild native brookies. They will fight you all the way to your hand, and they are glorious to look at.
I think we have more brookies now than 30-40 years ago because of beavers. Some fly fishers hate beavers but they build ponds that keep the water table up and provide hiding places for BT.
KEN
I almost exclusively fish for natives when I'm trout fishing and I've seen the exact opposite with beavers. When they block a river it tends to increase water temps and prevent upstream travel for spawning. Water quality also goes down from being stagnant. I just fished a river on Sunday that I hadn't been to in years and the beavers made quite a large pond on it, I caught a few fish above the pond and didn't even see a fish in or below the pond.
Ryan5193,
A wildlife scientist from Maine once said, on this blog, that if beavers were bad for brook trout then there would be no brook trout in Maine. Beavers IMPROVE the habitat for brook trout BUT may lessen the fishing potential for them. Gone are the sterile babbling brooks which are easier to fish and they are replaced by slow moving ponded areas that IMPROVE the brookie habitat but are harder to fish. The point is we need more places where brook trout want to live and fewer places that are easier to fish!! I've seen explosions in BT populations AFTER the beavers moved in. Maybe a better bait fishing situation than a fly fishing situation but it's better for the BT.
Ken
It may depend on whether or not the pond(s)interfere with the spawning habitat.
I love this blog. Beaver talk. Impoundment Talk. Habitat talk. These are all important discussions. Habitat. Biology. Science. The all need to be part of the ecology and conservation discussion. Citizen Science is a good discussion to have and ANY Brook Trout discussion is a good discussion!
This blog is a lot more than "where did you catch em " site As you know issues are important>>
Ken
Anonymous,
Ponds don't interfere with BT spawning. My favorite BT streams have beaver ponds.
Ken
I remember my first native brook trout - Mormon Hollow Brook, a tributary to the Millers in Wendell, back in the 60’s when the Millers was in very sad shape. I revisited Mormon Hollow two years ago and caught a small native on the fly - brought back many fond memories!!
farleykid.....I grew up in Millers Falls. I caught a few native Brook Trout in the next Millers trib downstream - Lyons Brook. In the 70's, we would walk the B&M railroad tracks from downtown Millers Falls a mile or two east and catch the prettiest 6" to 12" beauties. We did harvest a few as kids (over 10") but we know back then to let the little ones go to grow up. Imagine that - walking 1-2 miles on RR tracks to catch a few brook trout (on worms...that we dug up).
Brian Miner,
That's the way a boy should grow up. I know adult men who are afraid to walk on a railroad track!!
Ken
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