Big Native Brook Trout

[Fish Sticks]

it seems like there is no time of year except winter when something with a foam body size 16-10 like a hopper or small stonefly might not be around. And then even with none around they will still eat those flies dead of winter sometimes.

 

[troutbert]

There are times when brookies will hit just about any fly with equal eagerness. So, that's where the common idea comes from that flies don't matter with brookies.

But there are other times when fly choice makes a very big difference when brookie fishing. I've seen that many, many times. So, it's good to carry a variety of flies.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

^I've seen brookies key in on Quill Gordons, March Browns, Sulphurs, Lime Sallies, Caddis, Inchworms. Everyone is correct...they are opportunists for the most part. Avoid spooking them and get a good presentation is usually money. Once in a while, you may run into a hatch and more selective trout- it happens. It also depends on how much fishing pressure your quarry see. A brookie on the Savage River tailwater will be more picky about matching the hatch (say Sulphurs) then a brookie on a freestoner where something similar in yellow will do. For Class A tribs, I try to carry patterns that mimic many different insects. Doing so cuts down on carrying too many flies while affording you max coverage for what might be flying around. The more you fish this way, the more you learn that keeping things simple really is best.

 

[silverfox]

^I've seen brookies key in on Quill Gordons, March Browns, Sulphurs, Lime Sallies, Caddis, Inchworms. Everyone is correct...they are opportunists for the most part. Avoid spooking them and get a good presentation is usually money. Once in a while, you may run into a hatch and more selective trout- it happens. It also depends on how much fishing pressure your quarry see. A brookie on the Savage River tailwater will be more picky about matching the hatch (say Sulphurs) then a brookie on a freestoner where something similar in yellow will do. For Class A tribs, I try to carry patterns that mimic many different insects. Doing so cuts down on carrying too many flies while affording you max coverage for what might be flying around. The more you fish this way, the more you learn that keeping things simple really is best.

I was going to say something earlier about the brookies in the Savage tailwater. I've gotten to know where the biggest concentrations of them are. You usually get one shot at them. Ironically, the browns there seem less spooky than the brookies do.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I was going to say something earlier about the brookies in the Savage tailwater. I've gotten to know where the biggest concentrations of them are. You usually get one shot at them. Ironically, the browns there seem less spooky than the brookies do.

1000% Agree with this. My catch rate for brookies on Savage tailwater is much lower than it is for browns.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

There are times when brookies will hit just about any fly with equal eagerness. So, that's where the common idea comes from that flies don't matter with brookies.

But there are other times when fly choice makes a very big difference when brookie fishing. I've seen that many, many times. So, it's good to carry a variety of flies.

Yeah, you are correct.
I'm being very general on my comments and I think 99 percent of the time on 99 percent of watersheds I'm right.

Go to Big Spring in the ditch when they are on midges and fish something else and you won't catch a thing.

Actually fish midges and you usually don't also 😂

 

[Bamboozle]

Yeah, you are correct.
I'm being very general on my comments and I think 99 percent of the time on 99 percent of watersheds I'm right.

Go to Big Spring in the ditch when they are on midges and fish something else and you won't catch a thing.

Actually fish midges and you usually don't also 😂

I've caught them in the Ditch when they are on midges on a Tenkara rod fishing a Purple & Snipe, but hey...

..that's me.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Big fishing creek in narrows is another area where despite it having brookies its a place your bot going to through with a stimulator and have a 30 fish day

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I've caught them in the Ditch when they are on midges on a Tenkara rod fishing a Purple & Snipe, but hey...

..that's me.

Oh, I assumed they would be fly fishing though 🤣

 

[Mikey2006]

I was going to fly fish a local limestoner this weekend since it was supposed to be really cold but they changed the forecast again and the temperature won’t be to bad so I guess I’ll be targeting brookies, probably with my fly rod. I tied a bunch of flies I’ll send photos, which ones would pretty much guarantee me at least one brookie if I fly fished all day? (I’ve only been tying flies for a month or two so yeah I know they aren’t that good, I literally used hair from my cat for a couple of them 😂)

 

[hooker-of-men]

Every fly in pic #1 will catch brook trout this time of year.

No offense, but stop asking how to do it and go do it. It's cold AF and fish don't want to move; fish those flies low and slow. If you get one, you're doing good work.

 

[Mikey2006]

Every fly in pic #1 will catch brook trout this time of year.

No offense, but stop asking how to do it and go do it. It's cold AF and fish don't want to move; fish those flies low and slow. If you get one, you're doing good work.

I’ve tried 3 times now with no luck so just going out and doing it with a fly rod is easier said than done at least for me

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I’ve tried 3 times now with no luck so just going out and doing it with a fly rod is easier said than done at least for me

I'd use the first olive in pic #3

 

[hooker-of-men]

I’ve tried 3 times now with no luck so just going out and doing it with a fly rod is easier said than done at least for me

Didn't mean to be short (🍺🍺). Sorry

Tie the first beaded bugger on, and then alternate those smaller nymphs on a dropper 18" or so below the bugger. Fish them drifted slow under an indicator rather than stripping the bugger (or you might also jig/strip it at the end of your drift to do double duty).

But still the harsh truth is you're just not going to go to pound town every outing in February. It's tough out there.

 

[silverfox]

Brookies love pink worms. Anything pink really. I don't know if it was mentioned or not, but the most important thing w/ brookies (regardless of season or place) is not spooking them. They'll likely eat anything that looks like food (or not) as long as you didn't spook the pool before you cast. That includes not spooking any fish that might be in the tailout as you approach the pool. The moment they see other fish zipping for cover the pool is shot.

Also, as hooker-of-men said, with the cold temps they're less likely to chase things. Slow rolling the buggers should work well. Just get them deep and slowly jig them back to you and repeat. If you know there's fish in the pool, keep casting until you catch one. I was out the other day and the water was freezing from snow melt. I probably put 20 casts or so (olive wooly bugger) through a pool before I hooked up. If they aren't chasing then drop back to the san juan worms under an indicator.

 

[troutbert]

The flies look good. Don't burn yourself out fishing when it's cold.

I love brook trout fishing, but don't do it this time of year, unless there is a really unusual warm spell, i.e. air temps close to 60F.

Brook trout fishing usually starts getting really good in May.

 

[Fish Sticks]

When ya don’t have a ton of flies fishing a drop shot rig with the split shot below the flies can help you really roll the bottom without snagging it all the time too

 

[Fish Sticks]

I was going to fly fish a local limestoner this weekend since it was supposed to be really cold but they changed the forecast again and the temperature won’t be to bad so I guess I’ll be targeting brookies, probably with my fly rod. I tied a bunch of flies I’ll send photos, which ones would pretty much guarantee me at least one brookie if I fly fished all day? (I’ve only been tying flies for a month or two so yeah I know they aren’t that good, I literally used hair from my cat for a couple of them 😂)View attachment 1641228757View attachment 1641228758View attachment 1641228759

All those flies will catch fish they look pretty good for just starting out. If your having issues with crowding the eye of the hook can’t stress enough thread thread thread.

If its to bulky can’t tie small flies and huge cone shaped ball of thread at the eye unravels while fishing and fly falls apart.

If threat is to weak and breaks when fixing stuff to the shank, elk hair caddis wings spine turn sideways on the shank and thread unravels.

Getting a few different diameters of siemper fly nanno silk thread will let you tie without crowding heads or breaking off when torquing down those dumbell eyes or deer hair/elk hair in caddis and conparaduns.

Tie yourself some foam chubby Chernobyl’s for dry dropper for warmer days abd just use a Dorsey yarn indicator when ice cold days and you want to adjust depth of your nymphs(order 1/4” orthodontic rubber bands). If your naking chubbys do a super light layer of dubbing and dab a tiny bit of super glue on it before lashing down your foam body with the thread(it won’t spin on the hook!)

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Mikey not sure where you are located, but there are some streams that are very tough to fish in the winter. It can be a challenge in the clear water to sneak to a position and get a heavy fly in the water without spooking the pool. There are is a particular watershed in NCPA that I have tried fishing every year in late winter and am happy to catch 1 fish on the tribs if fishing a couple hours. If I come back in decent conditions in May/June it is quite common for me to catch 30 to 50 fish on these same streams.

Maybe I suck at winter fishing, but conditions can be incredibly important to have a good day during the winter.

 

[Mikey2006]

Mikey not sure where you are located, but there are some streams that are very tough to fish in the winter. It can be a challenge in the clear water to sneak to a position and get a heavy fly in the water without spooking the pool. There are is a particular watershed in NCPA that I have tried fishing every year in late winter and am happy to catch 1 fish on the tribs if fishing a couple hours. If I come back in decent conditions in May/June it is quite common for me to catch 30 to 50 fish on these same streams.

Maybe I suck at winter fishing, but conditions can be incredibly important to have a good day during the winter.

I’m in south central pa, I can go pretty much anywhere year round and catch wild trout on spinners where legal. Ive been fishing a couple small class A brookie streams this way and I’ll see dozens of trout and get probably 10-20 bites even on cold days. As for fly fishing though, I can’t seem to get anything but that’s mostly due to inexperience and spooking fish. Summer will probably be better. If I were better at it I could fly fish the many limestone spring creeks in my area and catch trout all winter long but those are obviously extremely difficult for beginners