# First Time Brook Trout Fishing - Think I'm Addicted (6-19-18)



## Munuscool (Jan 12, 2016)

*Little lengthy but I'd say worth the read if you have the time

I'd always wanted to fish for brook trout, but I'd always been busy or made some kind of excuse to try and avoid the ticks. Tuesday that all changed.

I'd woken up early and gone fishing for whitefish from my canoe. For about three straight hours I got tons of bites but for the life of me couldn't get any hooked.

I packed up and went home.

Sometimes you really just want to catch a fish and that is how I was feeling.

I decided that today would be the day that I went and tried brook trout fishing. A buddy had recommended a stream a short drive from town for me to check out so I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

I threw my waders, bug-spray, fishing rod with a a #6 black panther martin, and some pliers in my car and took off. It was mid-day, but I knew there'd be some wild trout that'd be hungry.

I get to the stream and right away am greeted by the tall grass. I barrel through it and jump into the stream. The easiest going seems to be through the water and not around it.

Almost instantly I'm greeted by a shedded dragonfly larvae case stuck to a wooden post next to the water's edge. Pretty cool.










I start throwing the panther martin beneath riffles and pretty soon I hook into a couple of the little native rainbow parr.










Nothing I can keep, but some excitement at least.

I keep pushing further down the creek and find another big set of riffles. I tell myself that this spot guaranteed will have two fish under it.

I flip my panther martin in and in and almost instantly something jerks my rod hard! Fish!

I flip the first brook trout of the day - a 9 incher - onto the bank! Yes, my first ever brook trout!










I fire off a second cast and get another fish to commit - another juvenile rainbow. I knew there'd be at least 2 fish here I chuckle to myself.

I throw the brook trout on my stringer and keep pushing into the woods.

I find another good looking spot with some riffles and an opening for casting directly beneath them.

I throw a couple casts in with my spinner and I'm getting nothing.

I decide that I'll just double back in a second and drive to a different portion of the stream and fish that section of it.

Just as I say that thought to myself, a 10 inch brook trout grabs my spinner and starts thrashing on the surface!

No Way!

I land the little guy and throw him on my stringer. Two down, three to go.

That brook trout convinved me...to go further down the rabbit hole.

Quoting from the movie Inception "The only way to get out is to keep going down."

I climb, weave, and wade my way to another prime looking spot about a hundred feet further down the stream.

This has a fish, 100% I tell myself.

I wait till the mud clouds settle and pitch out my spinner.

A couple more repeated casts in and I just know there has to be a fish. Where is it?

SLAP

OH MY GOODNESS

A MASSIVE Brook Trout just charged my spinner and slapped it right in front of me! And by massive I mean pushing 11 inches. It didn't get hooked somehow.

I consider changing to a different spinner, but decide that I'll just keep casting my current one and see what happens.

One more pitch out and I realize that that was a great decision.

Whack! Fish On!

I crank up the 10.5 inch brook trout and flip him on the bank!

Alright! I just need 2 more brook trout and I'll have my limit  I got my first 3 within probably about 300 feet of stream from the first set of riffles I had stumbled upon. I should be able to get my limit pretty quickly then. Or so I thought.

For literally the NEXT MILE of stream it is a deadzone with absolutely ZERO Riffles. Like none at all. It was brutal.

There's a constant 2-3 blackflies that are hovering over my head and buzzing in my ears and an occasional assault from a handful of mosquitoes. Everytime this happens I just spray more bug spray on my hat, arms, and hands. This actually does wonders as all the flies leave me after the mile of empty water.

I push through some trees and round a bend.

No Way!

Do my eyes deceive me?

Up ahead is the 100% perfect riffle structure with a beautiful wide-open lane for casting a spinner. It's like a 7 foot wide log creating a cascading waterfall almost.

I thank the Lord and wade out just above the riffle. This spot guaranteed has at least 2 big brook trout beneath it.

Guaranteed.

My first cast with my spinner agrees with me.

My rod gets ripped down hard and my line is bolting and zig-zagging all over the stream! It's a biggin!

I fight the brook trout over the lumber fall and get it on the bank.

Yes! God is Good!

I'm at 4 brook trout and just need one more to complete my limit.

I wade back on top of the log breaking the water and fire off my second cast from this spot.

AN EVEN BIGGER BROOK TROUT SLAMS IT!!!!!!!

This one looks all of 11-12 inches!!!!

I battle it hard but it pops off.

Eh no biggie, just means I'll have to dive further into the jungle to finish my limit. Most of the brook trout are so aggressive that you really don't even have to set the hook. They hit the spinner so hard you basically just fling them onto the bank and you're set. Pliers are almost always needed since they are hooked so well.

I push onwards another quarter mile through stream.

Finally I start seeing some more riffles. I wade past rocks the size of volleyballs and tennis balls.

Now I just need to find an opening for me to cast from.

I fire off a couple casts in a couple stretches directly beneath the riffles. I know there's got to be a brook trout around here, but where is it?

I keep going and come across another spot with a little bit of riffles that is open enough to cast into. Sometimes you can fire off a cast at a new spot before the mud clouds your waders caused, float downstream and cloud up the water.

This is what I do. Gotta hit the water while it's mostly clear.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

OH MY GOODNESS

IT'S A MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The biggest brook trout of my life is tearing up the stream!!!!

WOW!!!!!

I flip it up onto the high bank and it is huge!!!

It's an 11.5 incher that absolutey choked my spinner!

What a way to finish my limit!










I jump up onto the bank with my limit in tow and feel amazing as I trek back to my car.

I'd never caught a brook trout till today and not only did I catch one, but I caught my limit.

I get home and guess what? Not a single tick!

I broil the brook trout with lemon pepper and uncle tony's creole seasoning and my goodness!

EASILY the best meal I have had ALL MONTH!!!!

No Joke! Brook Trout taste like HEAVEN!!!!

All fish were 9-11.5 inches long. The giant weighed a full pound! I found some caterpillars and snails in their stomachs so that was pretty neat.

I only covered about half of the stream containing riffles so I'm itching to get back out and explore the rest of it!

Fish On


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## Big Medicine (Oct 31, 2002)

Great story and nice fish - welcome to world of brook trout fishing -


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## Munuscool (Jan 12, 2016)

Big Medicine said:


> Great story and nice fish - welcome to world of brook trout fishing -


Thanks! Glad I jumped in


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Good luck wanting to fish much else for a while. Congrats on the success.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks for sharing.

Exploring a new stream is one of my favorite things about trout fishing. Especially when you're fishing for Brookies in a stream where a 12 incher is considered a giant. Sometimes those streams will surprise you and you'll luck into one that pushes 15+ but it's such a rarity that when it does happen, you'll be hard pressed to top the experience.

Good luck with the rest of the season.


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## Munuscool (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks guys! Yes for sure. I happened to notice that usually the bigger brook trout were in the deeper holes beneath the sizeable riffles. Maybe if I can stumble on an unusually deep hole under a mini waterfall or something I might find one of those 12+ inchers.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

You're doing it all wrong...
First ..You need to poke a hole in your waders right away.
Then you need to toss your spinner into a secure fork of a tree across the water.
Falling down is expected at least once per outing ,if not per fish. If on the fouled spinner in the tree trip ,even better. Bonus points if you jam your rod tip in brush and break the tip off when you pull it out and smack a branch on the back-swing.
Too late to let the first fish go to tell the others and make it more sporting , but maybe in time...

Congrats on the first! They are a very special fish....


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## upmounty (Sep 26, 2007)

atta boy!


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Fantastic!


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## OnHoPr (Jul 21, 2013)

They are tasty critters. Looks like you had a pretty good day.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

Thanks for posting your story. You are hooked for life!

It is you guys posting about fishing brookies that brings back so many memories of the times I fished them. Sadly these stories are the only way I can fish them any more due to health issues.

Keep the stories coming!


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

There you go you finally caught brook trout. I can tell you a couple of places to go if you want to pm me.


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## tito (Apr 27, 2012)

You can snip 2 of the hooks off and squeeze the barb down and still hardly loose a trout. Forceps work good in stead of pliers, now it wont be hard to get out. I use my same lures when bass are there. They are probly 50% hook spit out when they jump and shake with a single crushed barb hook though need to keep tight line. Never set a hook on either trout or bass. Would help with the bass I would guess


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Sounds like a great outing. Wishing you many happy returns.


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## Sprytle (Jan 8, 2005)

Thats Awesome! Congrats!


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

You'll continue to have that your favorite fish of ANY.. Peaceful and tasty is just 2 words that come to mind !! Most places I've brook trout fished you could just sit in the stream and not even fish and still be heaven on earth ! I myself can't do it anymore because this damn wheelchair can't get through what ya have too, ENJOY your addiction!


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## Munuscool (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks Guys!


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## MEL (Jul 17, 2005)

snortwheeze said:


> Peaceful and tasty is just 2 words that come to mind !! Most places I've brook trout fished you could just sit in the stream and not even fish and still be heaven on earth ! I myself can't do it anymore because this damn wheelchair can't get through what ya have too, ENJOY your addiction!


I like that, Heaven on earth. I dont think there has been anything in my adult life more peaceful then a couple hours on a trout stream. First of all, some of the most beautiful places ive seen are with trout streams. I dont know if its the water that rushes away all of lifes troubles and issues or just a couple hours of chasing one of Gods beautiful creatures, but it almost has its own healing powers for the soul.


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## arbutus (May 20, 2014)

Catching your limit the first time out will make that trip hard to top!

Thanks for sharing!


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

good stuff, thanks

I was wondering what you consider a "riffle" - some evidence of the water moving?

I consider a riffle a bit of white water on the surface - and I associate those with a likely spot for a Rainbow a little more so than a Brookie

flat water can hold Brookies too...but they like it deep

or, where you can't flip a spinner (not always easy to make casts in the east U.P.), getting a worm in underneath something can get some fish when they won't otherwise come out to get your hardware


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## Munuscool (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks, yeah mainly where water is broken up and you can see some of the oxygen being turned up in the water. So where I'm fishing if there is a stack of logs in the stream that is churning up some of the water behind them or something like that. Have caught quite a few rainbow trout parr as well in these areas. Like you said the more of a 'riffle' then the more likely there will be the parr than the brookie. Kind of hard to explain, but it's like a medium riffle that's not 100% one is where I seem to do best.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

A little tip for fishing worms. Use Aberdeen hooks. After tying the hook on your line. Lightly heat the bend with a lighter until you can feel the heat with your fingers. Throw them in the water to cool them. This will take some of the temper out of the hook allowing it to bend enough to come out of a sang. I have never lost a fish due to the hook bending doing this but have saved a lot of hooks.


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## Just A Girl (Sep 18, 2008)

Great story.....I want my first time to be like this!! Heading to munising this weekend.


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## subocto (Feb 21, 2003)

Awesome story! That big brookie is a beast! You’ve set the bar pretty high your first time out! Thanks for sharing.


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Munuscool said:


> Thanks, yeah mainly where water is broken up and you can see some of the oxygen being turned up in the water. So where I'm fishing if there is a stack of logs in the stream that is churning up some of the water behind them or something like that. Have caught quite a few rainbow trout parr as well in these areas. Like you said the more of a 'riffle' then the more likely there will be the parr than the brookie. Kind of hard to explain, but it's like a medium riffle that's not 100% one is where I seem to do best.


That is what I would probably call a "run". Another tip, if you throw hardware turn around and wade upstream. The fish always face into to current so they will not detect you as easily as when approaching them from upstream. Don't get me wrong, obviously fish can be had wading downriver, but if moving downstream and you are on public land, a soft approach via the bank may be a better option to increase you catch.

Trout fishing is a awesome pursuit, keep us posted on your adventures.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Trout King said:


> .....a soft approach via the bank may be a better option to increase you catch.


 Yes, I call this style leapfrogging. Back away from the stream, negotiate slowly to a spot that looks good, ease your way very slowly treading lightly with no abrupt moves wearing camo or dull colors to the stream edge & present your offering. Very cool storey & pics. Thank you for sharing this with all of us! Very good advice from everyone.


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## slowpaya (Oct 23, 2011)

leapfrogging works great on the switchbacks(if your stream is set up like this,some are,some aren't)hitting the curves(where the trout are)down one side of the stream,crossing,and hitting the other sides turns back upstream to parking.you can really be sneaky if your not following the bank.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I always thought it was pretty simple - Spinners up, Bait down. In terms of which direction of stream flow you are fishing. You can catch Trout with a spinner from upstream, though a lot depends on water clarity, depth, and positioning - corner off an Alder, etc., helps tremendously. Floating Rapalas are pretty good for fishing downstream too - float 'em down till they are headed into some wood, &/or you are out of line, then pull them back up-stream. In general though, you have to fish from farther away when headed downstream.


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