It's About Time (report with pictures)

[The Average Joe Fisherman]

Is it me or have the bigger trout been MIA this year? I have spent significant time on the water this season and have caught lots of fish; however the larger trout have been very elusive. Last season I was fortunate to catch several large trout including the one that I wrote about in the post titled, “It Took Me 25 Years, But I Did It.” This season both brook trout and brown trout, up to twelve inches, have been very eager to participate and I am very appreciative for the trout I have caught no matter what the size. I do, however, like to catch a few pigs each year. Let me rephrase that, being an Average Joe Fisherman, I TRY to catch a few pigs each year. You know what I am talking about. The kind of brown trout that comes out of is lair to look at your fly or spinner looking like a black submarine, a trout so big that it looks out of place in a tiny stream, so big that it causes your heart to skip a beat. The kind of trout that is so big, if you are lucky enough to tangle with it, the battle leaves you trembling afterward. Unfortunately this year I have been skunked in the pig department… until yesterday. =)

Yesterday I left work with the sun shining brightly. Once my truck was pointed north, I saw some clouds in the distance but thought nothing of them. The forecast was for rain after midnight and truth be told, I was planning on fishing in the sun catching smaller trout. That is what I had mentally prepared for all day while at work. When I arrived at my destination the conditions had deteriorated to a cloudy sky with the smell of rain in the air. I couldn’t have been happier. I would be pig hunting!

I “geared up” as quickly as I could and began walking along the bank of a larger river. It was not the larger river I was interested in this day, but a small little stream that flowed into it. I realize that my chances to catch a large trout were probably greater on the larger river, but I really do prefer smaller streams and the challenges they present.

The fishing started off great. The catching however was relatively slow. I must confess that I had visions of last week’s three hour effort, without seeing a fish, repeating itself. Finally I caught a respectable brown trout, then another, then another. There were fish everywhere they were supposed to be. About an hour into the trip I fought and landed a nice seventeen inch brown trout. Yes, that is an accurate measurement. Are you accusing a fisherman of stretching the truth? Anyway, I measured its length before I let it go. When it was all said and done, in addition to landing the seventeen inch pig, I landed several other fish in the thirteen inch class. I saw two other larger brown trout that gave serious consideration to my offering but ultimately turned it down. One I would bet my left you-know-what that it was easily twenty inches and the other I would safely say was two feet. It charged out of a dark undercut, saw me, and proceeded to haul a$$ upstream.

On the long walk back to the Silverado I found to my surprise that I no longer felt like an Average Joe Fisherman, but a wise, accomplished trout fisherman with a dash of “I am the man” thrown in. After sleeping on it, I realize that I am and always will be an Average Joe Fisherman, but every once in a great while, whether it is due to the stars aligning, the moon’s cycle, or God just throwing me a bone, it all comes together and I have a day like yesterday. I’m going to try for a repeat performance this Saturday. I’ll let you know how it goes.











http://averagejoefisherman.blogspot.com/

[steve-m]

ace report.
i used to love fishing small brooks and rivers.
other than the odd brown trout the main catch was dace.
We used to freeline maggot or caster or even bread down stream after stalking the shoals of fish.
Could end up walking miles some days.