October brookies

[dc410]

I had a few hours to burn on Wednesday afternoon, maybe should have been bowhunting (I could really use a new natural bucktail for tying and some burger in the freezer), however, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to hunt some October brookies.

I fished a very small, non-classified fairly decent gradient, brush-choked drainage on public land in Southcentral PA. The last time I fished this area was in July of 2009 and I caught some small native brookies with real nice color. I really wanted to see what these fish would look like in October. This water is extremely challanging to fish with a flyrod (in fact much of it is almost impossible to fish without spooking the fish). I had my 7 1/2' rod and if there is ever a reason to carry a 6' or shorter flyrod this place is it.

I caught 11 native brookies, missed or lost many others and probably spooked 100 times as many as I caught. Dappling flies over the top of log & debris jams and bow & arrow casts were the only real way to be productive in these extremely tight quarters. In two hours of fishing I literally only had the end of my fly line past the tip of my rod on several occasions. However, the beauty of these fish didn't let me down. Here are a few pictures. (Sorry about the quality of some of the cell phone pictures)

The nicest fish I saw lives under this undercut tree root. The only way to get a fly into this hole was to bow & arrow cast directly from where I took the picture, but to get close enough to pull it off without putting the fish down was impossible. He was a dandy!

We are so fortunate in PA to have many, many miles of streams like this all over the state for us to explore. I hope this thread motivates some folks to do some research, get out there and hit some of the out of the way spots that don't see a lot of fishing pressure. You never know what you will discover!. It's a whole lot of fun. Tight lines.

 

[Fishidiot]

Nice - some beautiful fish there.
The uppermost pic is an especially neat looking fella: clear, red tail, red flanks extending down over the belly with no black coloration on the belly.

Next time you wanna hit that creek, let me know.

 

[boychick]

Awesome report and great pics! Makes me want to move to the keystone state. You guys really are lucky!

 

[chubmaster]

Good stuff!!! I can't think of a fish more beautiful than a brookie.....the fight they give you is a bonus. Not to mention, you usually have the stream to yourself, and the scenery can't be beat. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Swattie87]

Very nice pics dc...great color on all those fish.

I think I recognize the stream from that undercut pic, not 100% sure though since the one I'm thinking of is on the nat repro list. If I'm right, I know the hole and possibly the fish you speak of though...I tried making an essentially blind cast from off to the left of your pic. Had a hit and missed the fish...couldn't get another good cast where I wanted it after that. Walked up and saw the fish dart under the undercut...it was 7-8" I'm guessing...but that was in April, so it stands to proabably be bigger now, if it is the same fish.

 

[dc410]

Swattie,

You are correct, it is on the natural Repro list, I was not aware that it was. Shoot me a PM, I will gladly let you know if your assumption is correct. However, I got a real good look at this fish and feel he was pushing 10 or 11", probably about as big a fish that a stream like this will support. TL

 

[irishlax7]

beautiful!

 

[ewall]

Beautiful brookies! Hunting for natives in small streams like that is challenging but rewarding!

 

[PatrickC]

Very nice and I'm very jealous

 

[osprey]

I've been telling folks for 30+ years now , the "real" trout season starts on Labor Day and only closes for two or three weeks around the second Saturday in April. Those are nice ones ya got there , one old boy looks spawned out already , the last one before the pic of the tree/log , i don't think he could be it just looks like he is , but MAN what a beaut , those colors , the hook jaw , the "tiger" lookin dorsal fin. The KING of the pool probly. One thing i gotta ask though , are you facing downstream when you took those pics or up stream
? The first pic looks like you are facing downstream , if that log is where you think the big one is , can you approach the pool from downstream?

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Preach it osprey! My favorite months to FF are Oct. and November, pre-spawn.

 

[wgmiller]

osprey wrote:
I've been telling folks for 30+ years now , the "real" trout season starts on Labor Day and only closes for two or three weeks around the second Saturday in April.

No doubt!

Chasing brookies can be very challenging and man, are they spooky! I'm amazed at how little water they can hide in and exactly where they will chase a food source from. I'd have to say that the limited brookie fishing I've done is by far the hardest, yet most rewarding fishing I've done. They are opportunists in every sense of the word, but don't let them even get a hint you are anywhere close or it's "game over"!

Nice fish!

 

[osprey]

If i was living down east , Liverpool / Mount Joy area i'd head north to Lykens for the next nice day and i'd fish the main stem and the branches ...............................n i'm talkin ALL day long. Out here in the Wild , Wild West , Jones Mill Run looked like my kind of stuff.

 

[dc410]

Osprey,

I was facing downstream on the first photo. On the undercut hole picture the left of the photo is upstream. The only way to get a fly into the hole is from the exact spot that I took the photo. I think my only way to possibly catch that fish would be if he was holding well back under the root, after dark, on a dark moon. Some thunder from an inpending storm to mask my footsteps would also be a help. In other words I feel he is real safe in his little world, but man, would that be an adventure! Here is another picture looking downstream from the other side of the log into the hole. See what I mean. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the pictures. They really are beautiful little creatures. Tight lines!

 

[osprey]

Those really are a bunch of nice brookies and anyone should be proud to be able to accomplish catchin a mess like that. Do you release them or do you take them home and eat them , give to someone , etc.? Where i would like a view of that pool is from DIRECTLY downstream , standing in the water directly downstream of the pool and i'd like to try it in the daytime , with a dry fly , wait till the wind blows and some leaves fall to slowly move into position , you probably would have to make the first cast count. NICE.....HAVE FUN.

 

[dc410]

I honestly can't remember the last trout that I killed. I am certainly not opposed to anyone harvesting and eating some trout, but to me it just takes away from the whole experience. My idea of enjoying some trout would be to packback in a small pan, some sterno and some potatoes and have a fresh streamside lunch of fish & chips. Other than that I really enjoy watching those little guys return to their hole after being released.

Directly downstream from that particular hole is socked in with heavy vegetation on both sides of the stream as well as overhanging the channel. It would be very difficult to even get into the stream without sounding like the proverbial "bull in the china shop". No backcast to be had, possibly a bow & arrow cast up into the hole but I think you would need to get too close to the hole to be able to pull it off. It is just a challenge all the way around. I really enjoy the challenge of fishing small creeks like these, I guess some holes just weren't meant to be fished. It really forces you to think outside the box and invent some very unique casting techniques. Good luck and get out there and get a look at some these fall beauties!

 

[osprey]

I don't kill them either , i used to keep a couple stockies for friends and family but i don't think i ever intentionally whacked a wild one of any of the trouts , a buddy took me to the Yough on his boat for walleye and he did up a quick lunch like you're talkin about , he had fried potatoes with onion and cole slaw for the side and it was good. I want to apologize for being pushy about a downstream approach being wrong , sometimes it's just the only way , but if i can approach from below i ALWAYS try that , when fishing for wild/native brookies i always fish upstream , trying to stay in that slice of the pie that they always show to depict a trouts window of visions "blind spot" but they don't need to see you , in reference to the "bull in the China shop" you're right. I love fishing small streams like that too and this time of year is the best. GOOD LUCK to you too. HAVE FUN

 

[dc410]

I have really enjoyed reading the posts and veiwing the brookie pictures that were submitted over the past week. They are so beautiful and each one is unique in its own way. As I stated in my original post, the stream that I fished last week seems to me to have some of the prettiest native brookies that I have ever caught. I have included some of the pictures of the other fish that I caught that day (they didn't make the first cut), but after organizing some of my pictures over the last few days I couldn't figure out why didn't share them with you as well. There is a lot of good brookie fishing to be had yet this fall. Keep those brookie stories and photos coming! Good luck to all.

 

[Fredrick]

 

[afishinado]

Fredrick wrote:

Is that Chaz at one of his big brookie hotspots?!