Six-Gun
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 427
It might not be feasible for all but the most westerly Pennsylvanians, but I gotta say, I was thoroughly impressed by my trip out Brookville, IN this past Wednesday. Never in my life did Indiana cross my mind as a trout destination, but the action was good enough that I can recommend it for a long weekender for those willing to make a fairly stout drive.I took a trip out the East Fork of the Whitewater River, a tailwater fishery under Brookville lake managed by the Army Corp of Engineers. It's one of the only viable trout streams in that area as a result of the cool dam flow.
Trying to avoid the crowds, I took Wednesday off to fish it on the advice of my local Orvis shop rep. Incredibly, despite going out on a midweek day, there were at least 8 other anglers within eyeshot and who knows how many downstream. Looking at the low water and crowding like I'm not accustomed to seeing, it didn't appear like a very good day was ahead. But, I had driven 1.5 hours, so I was going to fish it.
Despite the low water, there was a encouraging amount of surface feeding going on in my stretch of water. Another angler and I crossed paths on the way downstream and agreed to share one particular, longer hole that showed an even notably higher volume of surface feeders. As it turned out, we could not have picked a better spot. As the sun rose and shone through the water, we realized that we were surrounded by well over 100 trout, a mix of browns and rainbows. It ended up being a blast shared with a total stranger who became a fishing buddy as the day progressed. We hooked at least 40 fish between the two of us and discussed some other places we might end up trying together.
Make no mistake: these fish are still quite picky due to the pressure this water receives, but the numbers make up for it. You can expect average sizes in the 10-12" range and larger fish pushing 15-16". Below are some catch pics from the stream.
A short vid of what the stream looked like when the sun came up:
http://vid1139.photobucket.com/albums/n545/lplozada/Fishing/E%20Fork%20Whitewater%20River%20Brookville%20IN%2016%20Jul%202014/IMG_1940_zps8fe4ff4c.mp4
Typical browns from this river:
First fish I've ever hooked and landed on 8x tippet; yes, these fish are a bit picky:
A larger rainbow from the same stretch of water - it took 7x tippet to get this one to take:
We caught fish like these all day long. If you go here, definitely bring your lighter tippets as these fish have definitely seen pressure. The guy I was with was initially have trouble getting fish to take. I told him to turn the tippet down from 5x to 7x and he immediately got results. Small flies and midges also worked well with a few streamer hits mixed in. Also be sure to check the dam release schedule for the Brookville dam. A unexpected surge release could spoil an otherwise great day of fishing or, worse, an entire trip.
Trying to avoid the crowds, I took Wednesday off to fish it on the advice of my local Orvis shop rep. Incredibly, despite going out on a midweek day, there were at least 8 other anglers within eyeshot and who knows how many downstream. Looking at the low water and crowding like I'm not accustomed to seeing, it didn't appear like a very good day was ahead. But, I had driven 1.5 hours, so I was going to fish it.
Despite the low water, there was a encouraging amount of surface feeding going on in my stretch of water. Another angler and I crossed paths on the way downstream and agreed to share one particular, longer hole that showed an even notably higher volume of surface feeders. As it turned out, we could not have picked a better spot. As the sun rose and shone through the water, we realized that we were surrounded by well over 100 trout, a mix of browns and rainbows. It ended up being a blast shared with a total stranger who became a fishing buddy as the day progressed. We hooked at least 40 fish between the two of us and discussed some other places we might end up trying together.
Make no mistake: these fish are still quite picky due to the pressure this water receives, but the numbers make up for it. You can expect average sizes in the 10-12" range and larger fish pushing 15-16". Below are some catch pics from the stream.
A short vid of what the stream looked like when the sun came up:
http://vid1139.photobucket.com/albums/n545/lplozada/Fishing/E%20Fork%20Whitewater%20River%20Brookville%20IN%2016%20Jul%202014/IMG_1940_zps8fe4ff4c.mp4
Typical browns from this river:
First fish I've ever hooked and landed on 8x tippet; yes, these fish are a bit picky:
A larger rainbow from the same stretch of water - it took 7x tippet to get this one to take:
We caught fish like these all day long. If you go here, definitely bring your lighter tippets as these fish have definitely seen pressure. The guy I was with was initially have trouble getting fish to take. I told him to turn the tippet down from 5x to 7x and he immediately got results. Small flies and midges also worked well with a few streamer hits mixed in. Also be sure to check the dam release schedule for the Brookville dam. A unexpected surge release could spoil an otherwise great day of fishing or, worse, an entire trip.
