Annoying Gnats and Beautiful Brookies

[jifigz]

I went today with my mountain bike, fly rod, and a box of flies to one of my favorite native brook trout streams. This kind of fishing reminds me of just how beautiful little mountain stream brook trout are and just how annoying gnats can be. I hooked about 40 fish but only managed to bring about 15 or so to hand. They voraciously attacked my flies and one fish even totally cleared the water while smashing a size 12 royal wulff which was pretty damn cool. All fish were caught on a royal wulff or a foam beetle. One of them was a very nice fish for the stream and considerably larger than the others. I also managed to catch about 30 gnats in my eyes and at times audibly curse at how frustrated I was with those little suckers.

I love this stream and I imagine that it sees virtually no pressure due to the fact that isn't a road that really runs its length. I could be wrong, but either way it is polluted with Brook Trout.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Nice fish jifigz

 

[geebee]

nice. #4 is a wild brown no ?

btw a headnet from EMS for $5.99 and a wide brimmed hat will keep the gants out of your eyes - they'll crawl all over the netting though.

 

[jifigz]

geebee wrote:
nice. #4 is a wild brown no ?

btw a headnet from EMS for $5.99 and a wide brimmed hat will keep the gants out of your eyes - they'll crawl all over the netting though.

I was honestly questioning the fish's identity in picture #4 as well and I was also leaning towards it being a Brown when I caught it. I have never caught anything but a brook trout from this stream in the mountains but it is possible that Browns could be colonizing it. It isn't stocked by the state and it isn't listed as a Class A stream (although it would probably meet the guidelines to be a Class A brookie stream) but there is a very small fishing derby held in the lower reaches that is for kids only. They stock Brown and Brook trout for that derby. Technically, they legally aren't allowed to stock the stream since it is already not an approved trout water but the PFBC kind of turns their heads. So it is possible that Browns could be colonizing the stream. The ENITRE stream is prime brook trout habitat though. Pocket water, high gradient, cold water, and no pressure.

 

[jifigz]

The bug net is a great idea that I might have to invest in as well...good idea.

 

[sarce]

Easy way to tell brown from brookie: browns have black spots, brookies have yellow/pale spots. Both also have red spots. The brown pictured appears to be wild. Most brookie streams have a handful of browns too, even ones listed as class A brook trout.

Great looking stream and nice fish.

 

[jifigz]

Good tip Sarce. It is usually no problem telling the species apart. No.doubt in my mind it was a wild trout and I was leaning towards a Brown. The wild Brown trout population had to have come from the Derby stocking.

 

[troutbert]

jifigz wrote:

The wild Brown trout population had to have come from the Derby stocking.

I don't know what stream it is. But brown trout were introduced into PA in the 1800s and there have been wild populations of them in our streams ever since.

They are very commonly distributed in freestone streams, as well as limestone streams.

They may have been in that stream for more than a century.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

i think the eaiest way to tell young brown and bbrook trout apart is that wild brown trout always have a bright red adipose fin, brookies always have a clear adipose fin. for me this has always been fail proof

 

[BillPress]

Another trick for gnats is to visit the local drugstore. There, you can buy a small bottle of oil of citronella for a couple bucks. It smells nice and seems to envelope your head in a cloud of vapor with only a couple drops smeared on your head, hat and face. The bugs seem to run when they get a whiff. No clouds of bugs in your face...........

It's organic(??) which is better than spraying yourself on the face with toxic chemicals.

 

[jifigz]

troutbert wrote:

jifigz wrote:

The wild Brown trout population had to have come from the Derby stocking.

I don't know what stream it is. But brown trout were introduced into PA in the 1800s and there have been wild populations of them in our streams ever since.

They are very commonly distributed in freestone streams, as well as limestone streams.

They may have been in that stream for more than a century.

I am very aware of the history of fish in the state and realize that browns were spread around the country in the late 1800's. So it is possible they could be in there from those days but I doubt it with this stream.

 

[jifigz]

All I know for sure is that it is a beautiful steam with a lot of trout that is off the beaten path just a little.

 

[geebee]

BillPress wrote:
Another trick for gnats is to visit the local drugstore. There, you can buy a small bottle of oil of citronella for a couple bucks. It smells nice and seems to envelope your head in a cloud of vapor with only a couple drops smeared on your head, hat and face. The bugs seem to run when they get a whiff. No clouds of bugs in your face...........

It's organic(??) which is better than spraying yourself on the face with toxic chemicals.

yup. or use lavender oil.

mossies can't stand cedar oil.

 

[wildtrout2]

lycoflyfisher wrote:
i think the eaiest way to tell young brown and bbrook trout apart is that wild brown trout always have a bright red adipose fin...

This is not ALWAYS the case with wild browns, which the one in the pic certainly is, but I have caught a few that didn't have red on the adipose that were wild.
The never fail distinction between brookies and browns is simple, only brookies have vermiculations (squiggly markings) on their back. Browns do not.

I never go fishing without a couple of headnets, never.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Since we're picking nits, I've caught wild browns with a phenotypic mutation that gave them vermiculations.

Brookies have light markings on a dark background, browns have dark markings on a light background.

 

[wildtrout2]

BrookieChaser wrote:
Since we're picking nits, I've caught wild browns with a phenotypic mutation that gave them vermiculations.

Sounds interesting, do you have some pics?

 

[Maurice]

BrookieChaser wrote:

Brookies have light markings on a dark background, browns have dark markings on a light background.

^^^ This is all u have to remember.

End of story!

 

[BrookieChaser]

wildtrout2 wrote:

BrookieChaser wrote:
Since we're picking nits, I've caught wild browns with a phenotypic mutation that gave them vermiculations.

Sounds interesting, do you have some pics?

Yes I have pictures. Unfortunately I don't know how to get them from my phone to the forum while using the internet on my phone.

I've seen similar pictures on here. I'll try to dig up a picture.

 

[troutbert]

Maurice wrote:

BrookieChaser wrote:

Brookies have light markings on a dark background, browns have dark markings on a light background.

^^^ This is all u have to remember.

End of story!

Agreed. If you learn that, you will be able to tell browns from brookies correctly every time.

 

[streamerguy1]

I too have caught browns with vermiculations, but only PFBC hatchery browns. Mostly fall stockies, but some spring stockies as well. Never caught wild browns with them.

Here's two pics I have from a day back in October. I actually had a biologist from the PFBC look at these since I was curious about all the weird markings on browns I(and many others, I've seen many similar pics on here) have been catching, and believe it or not he said they were tigers. Even though they quite raising them years ago he said every once in a while one is accidentally produced in the hatcheries. I still remain skeptical and think it's just weird genetics or something............but coming from a biologist I'm not sure now...