The Legend of the World Record Brook Trout

[jeffroey]

Had this article pop up in my feed this evening and I thought I'd share.

The Legendary World Record Brook Trout Caught by Dr. J.W. Cook

The pursuit of an unattainable, ultimate goal—a quest for something so extraordinary that it feels almost mythical—drives many passionate individuals across professions and hobbies. For fly fishermen, the ultimate prize is the pursuit of the World Record Brook Trout, a Grail that stands as a...

jahenryusa.com

I wasn't tracking the story of the WR Brookie and it reminded me of a story I once heard (or read) about a record brown trout caught by Joe Humphreys that some said came out of the basement of a flooded house during Agnes . . . or something close to that.

Regardless, interesting Brook Trout article and anyone have any details/corroboration about the Humphreys story . . . Or did I make that up?

 

[GoldenRfly]

Had this article pop up in my feed this evening and I thought I'd share.

The Legendary World Record Brook Trout Caught by Dr. J.W. Cook

The pursuit of an unattainable, ultimate goal—a quest for something so extraordinary that it feels almost mythical—drives many passionate individuals across professions and hobbies. For fly fishermen, the ultimate prize is the pursuit of the World Record Brook Trout, a Grail that stands as a...

jahenryusa.com

I wasn't tracking the story of the WR Brookie and it reminded me of a story I once heard (or read) about a record brown trout caught by Joe Humphreys that some said came out of the basement of a flooded house during Agnes . . . or something close to that.

Regardless, interesting Brook Trout article and anyone have any details/corroboration about the Humphreys story . . . Or did I make that up?

There’s a movie/documentary about his life on YouTube. About “19 minutes in” the story of his record is discussed. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. I’ll try to paste the link. If it doesn’t past successfully, search “Live The Stream.”

 

[Bamboozle]

...I wasn't tracking the story of the WR Brookie and it reminded me of a story I once heard (or read) about a record brown trout caught by Joe Humphreys that some said came out of the basement of a flooded house during Agnes . . . or something close to that...

I don't know how many record brown trout Joe has caught, but Joe's 34" PA record brownie was caught in August of 1977 (post Agnes) and on open water.

It may be a small consolation (despite also being not during Agnes), but once as kid I caught about 20 leopard frogs in the flooded basement of an abandoned house along Yarnell Run in Chester County. 😉

 

[Dave_W]

There were rumors that a PA state record brown trout (prior to Joe's fish) had been a captive fish.

I believe Joe's fish still has the distinction of being the largest fly caught BT in PA.

 

[Dave_W]

I still think the classic story of Daniel Webster catching the giant brook trout in, of all places, Long Island is perhaps America's greatest fish story (and likely one with a grain of truth).

"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!" Webster, 1830

 

[troutbert]

There’s a movie/documentary about his life on YouTube. About “19 minutes in” the story of his record is discussed. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. I’ll try to paste the link. If it doesn’t past successfully, search “Live The Stream.”

The video has a sub-title saying Fishing Creek 1974.

Just below the Tylersville hatchery there is a very large pool that flyfishers call the Humphreys Hole.

What I've been told is that the Hurricane Agnes flood in 1972 flooded the hatchery and washed big brood trout into the stream. I was told that 3 brood trout over 30 inches were caught, the largest being the one Joe Humphreys caught.

I've heard some alternative stories, but I think that version is probably accurate.

 

[salmo]

It’s hard to believe but Manhattan used to be a trout paradise. Where Canal Street is now (just blocks away from the fallen World Trade Center) used to be a stream filled with brook trout. https://www.brooktroutfishingguide.com/manhattan-as-a-paradise-for-trout-and-fly-fishing/
Give its location near New York Harbor it was probably loaded with sea run brookies.

 

[wildtrout2]

The video has a sub-title saying Fishing Creek 1974.

Just below the Tylersville hatchery there is a very large pool that flyfishers call the Humphreys Hole.

What I've been told is that the Hurricane Agnes flood in 1972 flooded the hatchery and washed big brood trout into the stream. I was told that 3 brood trout over 30 inches were caught, the largest being the one Joe Humphreys caught.

I've heard some alternative stories, but I think that version is probably accurate.

So, Humphrey's big brown was a stocker? I'm disappointed to hear that.

 

[Bamboozle]

So, Humphrey's big brown was a stocker? I'm disappointed to hear that.

I'd take those "stories" with a grain of ax grinding salt...

For the record and documented in his book, "Trout Tactics" and elsewhere, the 34" brown trout was caught in August of 1977, after Agnes but hardly right after Agnes which was June of 1972.

If someone can positively document that brood fish were washed out of a hatchery in 1972 and more than 5 years later one of those fish grabbed Joe's fly on that August evening, I might be a little disappointed and inclined to scream "stocked" every time I see a photo of that fish.

Until such time I'll just chalk it up to the disdain some folks have for Joe Humphreys because he fished club waters...

 

[wildtrout2]

I'd take those "stories" with a grain of ax grinding salt...

For the record and documented in his book, "Trout Tactics" and elsewhere, the 34" brown trout was caught in August of 1977, after Agnes but hardly right after Agnes which was June of 1972.

If someone can positively document that brood fish were washed out of a hatchery in 1972 and more than 5 years later one of those fish grabbed Joe's fly on that August evening, I might be a little disappointed and inclined to scream "stocked" every time I see a photo of that fish.

Until such time I'll just chalk it up to the disdain some folks have for Joe Humphreys because he fished club waters...

I was certainly hoping it was a wild trout. This is the first time I read that it wasn't. Thanks for that info, I feel better about it now.

 

[Jmac]

I was certainly hoping it was a wild trout. This is the first time I read that it wasn't. Thanks for that info, I feel better about it now.

I have been to the cabin pool where I have heard Joe caught the big one. I have been skeptical the habitat up in that section of BFC could grow such a leviathan naturally. Every now and then bass fishermen catch big brown trout in the susquehanna and they are never 34 inches. I have always just wondered why there?

 

[troutbert]

Trout, Brook (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Vonada Ranck, Watsontown, PA
7 lb.
Fishing Creek, Clinton Co.
1996

The state record brook trout was also caught in Fishing Creek. And in the SAME POOL. The first pool below the hatchery discharge. Maybe some of you would like to believe that it was a wild brookie? 🙂

Both of these trout were caught on open waters, so they were legitimate state records. There's nothing wrong with them being hatchery trout.

Many of the really big trout caught in PA are hatchery trout. In Fishing Creek I once caught a rainbow about the same size as a typical Lake Erie run steelhead.

Big trout used to commonly escape PFBC hatcheries, but not so much anymore. On Spring Creek, many large trout were caught near the hatchery at Fishermans Paradise and the Benner Spring hatcheries.

Back in the day, there was no water treatment at all at these hatcheries. They were "straight through" systems.

But after a DEP crackdown, water treatment facilities have been installed to treat the discharges. Settling ponds were built, then later micro-filters were installed. These improved water quality and trout cannot get through microfilters.

 

[bigjohn358]

I'd take those "stories" with a grain of ax grinding salt...

For the record and documented in his book, "Trout Tactics" and elsewhere, the 34" brown trout was caught in August of 1977, after Agnes but hardly right after Agnes which was June of 1972.

If someone can positively document that brood fish were washed out of a hatchery in 1972 and more than 5 years later one of those fish grabbed Joe's fly on that August evening, I might be a little disappointed and inclined to scream "stocked" every time I see a photo of that fish.

Until such time I'll just chalk it up to the disdain some folks have for Joe Humphreys because he fished club waters...

I've fished that area quite a bit over the years even though I don't venture into the Narrows often. When I was a kid in the 90s there were always hatchery escapies in there. I can remember throwing into the fish muck coming from the hatchery and catching big rainbows. Whether you want to believe it or not but I'm willing to bet the vast majority of large trout in PA are all stocked or were once stocked and not born in the waters they were caught in. There's that rare wild fish that gets 25"+ but thats an extremely rare fish! Fishing Creek seems to max out at 24" for wilds.

 

[troutbert]

I have been to the cabin pool where I have heard Joe caught the big one. I have been skeptical the habitat up in that section of BFC could grow such a leviathan naturally. Every now and then bass fishermen catch big brown trout in the susquehanna and they are never 34 inches. I have always just wondered why there?

Exactly. Fishing Creek does not grow wild browns of that size.

 

[Jmac]

I've fished that area quite a bit over the years even though I don't venture into the Narrows often. When I was a kid in the 90s there were always hatchery escapies in there. I can remember throwing into the fish muck coming from the hatchery and catching big rainbows. Whether you want to believe it or not but I'm willing to bet the vast majority of large trout in PA are all stocked or were once stocked and not born in the waters they were caught in. There's that rare wild fish that gets 25"+ but thats an extremely rare fish! Fishing Creek seems to max out at 24" for wilds.

I would have to agree with this. It makes a lot of sense. There was a craze about five years ago with some fly fishermen calling big brown trout over twenty inches “migratory browns” that were caught in downstream larger waters. People tried to say they were a separate strain called loch leven. Seemed baseless. think they migrated from the stocking truck as you say.

 

[troutbert]

I would have to agree with this. It makes a lot of sense. There was a craze about five years ago with some fly fishermen calling big brown trout over twenty inches “migratory browns” that were caught in downstream larger waters. People tried to say they were a separate strain called loch leven. Seemed baseless. think they migrated from the stocking truck as you say.

It depends where you are at. In some places there are big migratory browns.

 

[Jmac]

It depends where you are at. In some places there are big migratory browns.

It makes sense to me that the trout would move for food, seasonal, or other reasons. It just seems like it would be a high bar to clear to say they were not keystone select fish or hold over stockers that grew large. The reason I say this is, I could be wrong, because hatcheries choose to breed trout to grow fast so they can stock bigger fish younger. So after decades of breeding for growth it would make sense intuitively to me the biggest fish caught downstream would have a better chance of being stocked not wild. I’m sure there are no absolutes as you say.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

It depends where you are at. In some places there are big migratory browns.

Agree with that 100pct

 

[caddisflyer]

Trout, Brook (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Vonada Ranck, Watsontown, PA
7 lb.
Fishing Creek, Clinton Co.
1996

The state record brook trout was also caught in Fishing Creek. And in the SAME POOL. The first pool below the hatchery discharge. Maybe some of you would like to believe that it was a wild brookie? 🙂

Both of these trout were caught on open waters, so they were legitimate state records. There's nothing wrong with them being hatchery trout.

Many of the really big trout caught in PA are hatchery trout. In Fishing Creek I once caught a rainbow about the same size as a typical Lake Erie run steelhead.

Big trout used to commonly escape PFBC hatcheries, but not so much anymore. On Spring Creek, many large trout were caught near the hatchery at Fishermans Paradise and the Benner Spring hatcheries.

Back in the day, there was no water treatment at all at these hatcheries. They were "straight through" systems.

But after a DEP crackdown, water treatment facilities have been installed to treat the discharges. Settling ponds were built, then later micro-filters were installed. These improved water quality and trout cannot get through microfilters.

I don't know about Tylersville escapees but I know for a fact big fish were escaping from the federal hatchery at Lamar because I caught some of them. I would guess that MANY of the bigger fish guys caught years ago in Fishing Creek and Penns were hatchery fish. Less stocking of big fish and tightened escape proof raceways have changed a lot of that. It's one reason you don't hear of as many big ones in some of these creeks like you used to.

 

[Jmac]

I don't know about Tylersville escapees but I know for a fact big fish were escaping from the federal hatchery at Lamar because I caught some of them. I would guess that MANY of the bigger fish guys caught years ago in Fishing Creek and Penns were hatchery fish. Less stocking of big fish and tightened escape proof raceways have changed a lot of that. It's one reason you don't hear of as many big ones in some of these creeks like you used to.

Honestly this makes a lot of sense. Big wild brown trout exist I am sure but not to the extent many believe or enough to make a fishery specifically for them that many could utilize relative to licenses sold if I am making my best guest. I suspect many folks PB wild fish are hold overs that colored up real nice. However, I don’t see it as any less of an accomplishment. Was a fish stocked or did it come from a stocked fish 10 generations ago? These questions don’t keep me up at night. With browns we know the first ones released were stocked and all there after came from that pool so moral of the story is they are all stocker stock so I just enjoy em all.