30 inch Maryland Brown

[Tucker733]

http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/recreational/Anglers_log.aspx


Maybe someone here knows more about this, the second entry is a 30 " 13# Brown. I don't know much about Loch Raven but I believe the upper Gunpowder feeds it and has wild browns.This looks like a wild fish and could be one that makes a run in the fall.

 

[Dave_W]

A very nice fish indeed.
As I've mentioned before, in four decades of FFing in PA I have never personally witnessed what I would consider an honest 30" brown trout.

Loch Raven has some cold depths like many reservoirs in PA and they can hold some big trout. They're not caught often as most anglers are targeting warm water species. Once in awhile they'll go over a dam and a fly fisher will hook up, but it's rare.

It wouldn't surprise me to see a fish like this out of Raystown, Allegheny, or Wallenpaupack.

 

[redietz]

The fish could be wild (there are certainly plenty of wild browns in the Gunpowder) but the part of the river below Monkton and above Loch Raven is pretty much a put and take fishery. It's heavily stocked and summer water temps are too warm for hold overs.

The big boys do sometimes come up stream into the special regs water at spawning time, though, so there's some movement through the warm water barrier.

I've heard tales of huge rainbows in that reservoir as well.

 

[geebee]

wow that is some fish.

unless he killed it, that's terrible handling of it in the first photo.

 

[sarce]

Saw that too. FI has it right, the lake is very, very deep and I've heard of people targeting large brown trout there in 60' of water much like you would fish for Lake Trout. Catching one from shore is pretty rare, that is an amazing fish.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Damn bait slob is holding that sob like Roland Martin

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

A friend of mine is a bass fisherman, and every year it seems, he winds up catching a couple enormous wild browns from the Susky on jerk baits. He caught one a couple years back that may have gone 30+". It looked like a freaking striper.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

There used to be trout like that running up Clark's Creek from Dehart Dam. I don't know if that is still the case as it has been years since I have fished there. I have caught browns in the 20-24" range there that were lake-run fish back in the day, and very hit or miss.

 

[ryansheehan]

redietz wrote:

I've heard tales of huge rainbows in that reservoir as well.

Same. Tucker, when I saw 30+ brown next to your name I thought you nailed one of the big boys out of the branch.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

Wild trouter.

I’m sure there still is but very far n few between. I go up every year bc I live close. The past few years the water was a trickle. Last year was ok but it’s mostly taking a rod for a walk. Saw 2 fish last year out of 10 trips. More so a waste of time. Not so much a secret anymore. All kinds of people there looking.

 

[pete41]

For what little it might be worth-- based on my 30 years living and fishing in Montana--for a 13 pound brown to be ONLY 30 inches it's a football shaped big water or under a dam type- I SAW [not caught] a 17 pounder caught out of the missouri from under a Dam--.
In my experience of catching 501 trout [90% browns ] 4 pound or better a healthy female brown in pre spawning condition between 4 and 41/2 pounds tend to run between 26 and 28 inches.However age may have dimmed my memory so I stand corrected if some one wants to say that's B.S..

 

[ryansheehan]

Pete,
I don't want to call B.S. BUT(everything before the but is B.S.)i think your recollection might be off a little. That being said you can see how much just a half inch makes in this chart. I do believe you're right though that the brown in question my have exceeded 30 inches.

chart

 

[Tucker733]

Haha Ryan, I'm still trying, I'm happy with half of 30" for now. There could be one around there filling up on brookies.

 

[salvelinus]

Wild_Trouter wrote:
There used to be trout like that running up Clark's Creek from Dehart Dam. I don't know if that is still the case as it has been years since I have fished there. I have caught browns in the 20-24" range there that were lake-run fish back in the day, and very hit or miss.

I remember years ago Jack Stepanski, the Dauphin Co. WCO, telling me if I wanted to catch big browns, fish Clark's above the lake in the fall. I never did but it's good to hear you did.

 

[krayfish2]

I've made quite a few walks on upper Clark's. I'll echo the same..... it's pretty much a waste of time. The creek is so low coming in that the fish can't get out of the lake or it's completely blown out of it. In 10 years, I've seen one fish and it wasn't anything to get excited about. A side note will be that there's quite a few bluegills and Sonny's that will come up into the mouth which are always fun to catch except the cash thing is damn near impossible.

That big brown from MD surely looks like a lake fish....too chunky for a river / stream fish.

 

[jifigz]

That is a beautiful fish for sure. Raystown Lake turns up some monster browns from time to time. There is a specific reservoir in central PA that I've been meaning to fish for years that I feel quite confident about it producing some monster browns..I really should take the time to get there and explore.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Looks like the fishing hole from leave it to beaver.

 

[Brown71]

Spectacular Brown!!! Great to see. Sounds like an interesting place. Very heavy fish too, none of my Local 30"+ browns have weighed near that. Usually have ran 10 to 11.5 lb. I imagine due to the fisheries where I catch them.