PSUFishMenace
Member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2009
- Messages
- 733
Yesterday I had a day off so decided to find out where the brookies in my local stream go in the winter. Downstream (waayyyyy downstream) was the answer. Water was high but clear. I started off at a big plunge pool that always has a few. My olive bugger bumped one little brookie in the side but that was it. headed downstream and found nothing for the next mile.
Got to a section of stream with a lower gradient in a swampy area, stream loses some flow here and I think that was the key as less current means trout do not have to hold so tight to their lies to simply survive. I have only fished this point and downstream once before, in the summer when there was very little flow here. Snagged a tree branch and spooked a very small brookie retrieving the fly. Good sign. Next pool swung bugger downstream and it got nailed by a fat 7" brookie. The first trout of 2010! Not even an average fish for this stream but I got a great picture (with new camera not crappy cell phone) so I attached it below.
Spooked a bigger one in the next pool, the pool after that a 9"+ nailed it but I wasn't ready for it and missed. he retreated into and undercut and I couldn't bring him back out. The next pool is HUGE. 4 foot deep plunge pool with branches everywhere in the water. In summer this held 5 or 6 small brookies. My second cast, a big shape darted up from the bottom and inhaled the bugger. I set the hook, but not quite hard enough. The fish shook a few times, jumped and was gone. My previous best trout from this stream was 10" and this one was easily bigger than that, a MONSTER for this stream.
Now that I know where it lives, I'll be back to settle the score pretty soon. Now that I think about it, i have a couple fish i need to settle the score with! gonna be a fun year!
Enjoy the pic.
Got to a section of stream with a lower gradient in a swampy area, stream loses some flow here and I think that was the key as less current means trout do not have to hold so tight to their lies to simply survive. I have only fished this point and downstream once before, in the summer when there was very little flow here. Snagged a tree branch and spooked a very small brookie retrieving the fly. Good sign. Next pool swung bugger downstream and it got nailed by a fat 7" brookie. The first trout of 2010! Not even an average fish for this stream but I got a great picture (with new camera not crappy cell phone) so I attached it below.
Spooked a bigger one in the next pool, the pool after that a 9"+ nailed it but I wasn't ready for it and missed. he retreated into and undercut and I couldn't bring him back out. The next pool is HUGE. 4 foot deep plunge pool with branches everywhere in the water. In summer this held 5 or 6 small brookies. My second cast, a big shape darted up from the bottom and inhaled the bugger. I set the hook, but not quite hard enough. The fish shook a few times, jumped and was gone. My previous best trout from this stream was 10" and this one was easily bigger than that, a MONSTER for this stream.
Now that I know where it lives, I'll be back to settle the score pretty soon. Now that I think about it, i have a couple fish i need to settle the score with! gonna be a fun year!
Enjoy the pic.
