Native Brook Trout Action

Oliver Round and I planned on the trip for many weeks, since sometime in August, I think, when October 6 seemed that other world of fall. I thanked him when it finished, especially because he had selected a brook new to me. It certainly has native brook trout, although I'm unclear on whether or not any wild browns. It flows into Pohatcong Creek. That might make you wonder if any browns swim upstream, although the brook is very small. 

We did find a brook trout fully nine inches long or better--the mouth of a watersnake clamped on its tail. I grabbed the snake and held it in front of the active GoPro on my head and Oliver's phone. The snake dropped the trout before he could snap the shot, and I quickly flung the snake aside into the water, it's wide-open mouth having gone for my arm. That snake had very powerful jaws. The trout was sort of towing it around, but the snake would not let go.

I'll post the video on YouTube at a future date.

To add an interesting catch to the story, I had seen the trout duck under a crevice and I was setting up to target the fish--possibly I would wait it out until my presence became part of its environs--when suddenly that snake came out from underneath with it. I thought at first it was an eel.

Oliver caught his on a dry fly. I hooked one on a sinking ant with a little red on the body; Oliver got a good look at the fish and said it was bigger than his. I will never forget the flash of silver catching sunlight as it struck. 

One of the photos below shows a strange brook trout between a leaf and the clump of leaves. Must have been sick. Would not spook. 

After we thoroughly fished the range we had from where we had parked, we drove on downstream and found a very interesting spot. It was the only one, because private land upstream and down was an access problem. I caught seven or eight chubs; Oliver caught one. With polarizers, he sighted eight brook trout stacked underneath two logs. Repeatedly, we tried to get sinking flies to them, but although chubs kept hitting, the trout stayed put.

It makes sense that if you know about holes holding trout on a given stream, you can come prepared to stalk the fish very carefully and even sit and wait long before making the first cast. We were happy to do some exploring today instead.

The elongated grey patch is a brook trout.

 

Pohandusing Brook