12" Freestone Wild Brookie Thread

[sarce]

Some comments in the "historical brookie populations" thread got me thinking about what my biggest freestone brookies are. I think it was Swattie who made a good point that there may have only been a very small number (if any) pictures of legitimate 12" freestone brookies posted on this site. So if anyone's got 'em, or very close, post 'em!

I haven't hit the 12" mark in any freestone stream...but these 6 were all 11-11.5". I've seen 5 more that I think were 12"+ fish. I hooked and lost one, one had the fly stolen by a brown trout before he got to it :-x , and the rest I spooked.

Of these 6 really nice but not huge brookies, 1 was from Central PA and 5 from SE PA. SE PA streams have low density populatons but higher fertility/good forage base and shorter, milder winters. Note the dates and flies used. 4/6 (maybe 5/6) in the month of May, 4/6 on black woolly buggers. I've found that big brookies come in waves on these streams. Some years they just aren't there.

Also threw in a pic of the pool that produced the biggest of these fish.

 

[evw659]

Heres a link to a thread I posted a couple years ago. The brookie in the last 2 pictures was just a hair shy of 12" (measured). I'll call it 11 and 7/8". It wouldnt surprise me at all if I never caught another freestone brookie of that size the rest of my life.http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/Open-Forums/Paflyfish-General-Forum/saturday-brookie-outing/2,25872,373108.html#forumpost373108

 

[evw659]

Doesn't seem like the link works, so here's a pic. Wonder how many people will say it's stocked...

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Ruler included for reference. Squatch arms and hands make everything look small.

Almost everything...

 

[Mike]

Mentioned by the op...""big brookies come in waves in these streams."

The most likely biological explanation for this observation is that the "waves" or pulses of bigger fish are most likely related to year class strength five years earlier. Plus, brookies in freestoners that are of the 12" size are typically very close to the end of their natural lives, so it is unlikely that the same fish will be present the following year, creating a void if, for instance, there are few if any members of a succeeding weak year class. It often happens that a strong year class is followed by an average or weak one. A misinterpretation of this natural phenomenon may lead anglers to believe that the larger trout have been overharvested.

I would note that even in nearly unfished mining streams with an abundance of larger than average brook trout, fair alkalinities, good big fish habitat, and more constant temps than the typical freestoner, populations of brook trout fall of precipitously after twelve inches. While 11-12 inch fish may be fairly abundant, those over 12" are sparse.

 

[Swattie87]

Original thread with the story and discussion of my big girl. The hole it came from I've fished a half dozen or so times in the 4 years since. It's produced a couple nice, normal sized, 8 inch Brookies and plenty of dinks since, but no more real pool bosses yet. Still can't get over those fins.

Shark Fins

Very nice lookin' Brookies, and forearms, above fellas.

Edit: Common theme emerging perhaps. Lots of apparent Winter or Spring caught, slate colored, what appear to be females. Any explanation to that Mike?

 

[icyguides]

This is probably my biggest brookie from a freestone stream. I didn't measure it but i'd guess it's somewhere around 12. I think i caught it in january or february on a black bugger.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Swattie87 wrote:

Edit: Common theme emerging perhaps. Lots of apparent Winter or Spring caught, slate colored, what appear to be females. Any explanation to that Mike?

Mine were caught in July (the long skinny one) and early September, believe it or not. The coloring of my 2nd one I attribute to the stream. Still a recovering AMD river.

 

[sarce]

icey - gorgeous fish, pretty unique dark coloration!

Swattie- I remember that thread but had forgotten about that beast. Great fish. I think all of my fish except the 2013 one were females.

Squatch your second fish has to be over 12 right? I don't think the color is unusual for a large brookie.

Evw, I'm not seeing a pic

 

[evw659]

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Yeah I think it is a little over 12", and maybe the first one is a 1/4" shy of 12", so the average may work itself out.

Both of these were on dries, by the way, which makes it all the more sweeter. Hard to believe I'll catch a larger freestoner than the second one.

 

[Acristickid]

 

[albatross]

Caught in a pond fed by a freestone stream. There is a mix of wild brooks and rainbows at this location which is very unusual. The brookeis topped out about 14 inches and the rainbows about 16.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I love seeing these fish.

 

[Mike]

I never checked, but perhaps there is a shift in sex ratio at that size.

 

[evw659]

last attempt....hopefully the link works
brookie

 

[Chaz]

I didn't catch this fish, I took the Picture. This brookie was laying next to another brookie that was bigger than this one. The guy that caught this fish didn't catch the other. I caught a 14 inch brookie that Dwight has a photo of somewhere. These fish are from freestone streams. The pictured fish probably migrated up a creek from a large NE PA reservoir.
Assuming like most fly rods of the short persuasion have a 10 inch but, this fish was between 14 and 15 inches.

 

[dc410]

Ok, I added catching a 12" freestone brookie to the list of things to do this year. I more than likely will not accomplish it, but it sure will be a lot of fun trying. Any wild brook trout that I have ever caught that was even close to 12 inches have all been out of limestone creeks or at least creeks with significant limestone influence.

 

[Chaz]

dc410 wrote:
Ok, I added catching a 12" freestone brookie to the list of things to do this year. I more than likely will not accomplish it, but it sure will be a lot of fun trying. Any wild brook trout that I have ever caught that was even close to 12 inches have all been out of limestone creeks or at least creeks with significant limestone influence.

Find a stream that has a reservoir on it, they are usually water supplies because they have the best water quality. Fish upstream and downstream from the reservoir. Or find a fertile stream that flows into a large stream or river. The streams should be mostly brookies not mixed populations. Or you can find a stream that has AMD and is under the radar as far as fishing goes.

 

[wildtrout2]

Here's one of three 11" natives I caught last season. I usually get one or two every year, but it's that 12"+ fish that eludes me. Since I've been fishing my 3 best are a 12", 12.5", and a 13.5". I think I may have a pic of one of these, I have to check. If you fish the right streams you can catch sizable natives, just not many of them. lol