Secrets of Fishing For Brook Trout

A Brook Trout worth the Cold Hands

Image by James River Association via Flickr

Where are the Brook Trout?

Brook trout are looking for oxygen and water that is at least 53 degrees or colder. The stronger the current, or the more rapids there are, the more oxygen will be created in the water. As the seasons change, the these trout follow the cooler water.

Spring time, with fast flowing and cooler water, is a great time for catching brook trout. However, as summer comes and the water becomes warmer, the trout will migrate to cooler waters. Here is where you need to understand the waters where you fish.

As warmer surface water flows from the lakes to the rivers, the water becomes too warm for the brook trout. Typically they will migrate downstream where they find rocks as well as natural springs running into the river. Both of these cool the water. However, if the head water of a creek is fed by a spring fed lake, the trout will head up street to cooler waters. In the summer time, you will need to determine which way the cooler water is – upstream or downstream. That is where you will find your trout you are looking for.

What to Use for Bait and Lures?

Brook Trout will hit worms and natural insects They like grasshoppers and mayflies. They also like any artificial flies that mimic the natural bait.

A good bait to use is one that you can roll up into a round ball that resembles a salmon egg. Put this on your hook and see what you can catch. This type of bait comes in a small jar and molds just like Silly Putty, which makes it very convenient.

A 6 or 4 pound test line with small hooks is best for brook trout fishing.

Why can’t I catch Any Brook Trout?

One of the most difficult times to catch one is when the suckers are spawning. The Trout love to gorge themselves on these eggs. That means they will not be interested in what you have to offer them. If this is the case, you will need to go further up or down stream to find some Brook Trout that are hungry.

All trout are very sensitive to sound and smell. They can actually smell you, so leave your smell good stuff at home. They also scare easily, so if you go traipsing through the water making lots of noise and splash, they will hide from you. If you offend their senses, they will swim away to their favorite hiding places.

One more reason Brook Trout may be difficult for you to catch is because they often are at the base of a waterfall or rapids area. They like deep pools and bubbles but they may be in areas that are too deep for you to wade in thereby making them very difficult for you to reach.

Next, discover more about the lures, bait, and flies that will turn you into a successful trout fisherman.

Tips about trout fishing are found in this FREE mini-course - Secrets To Trout Fishing!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hank_Schmidlap

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Fly Fishing Chain Pickerel in New Brunswick

Chain pickerel (Esox niger).
Image via Wikipedia

I spent my childhood years in Ontario, back in the 1960s and was led to believe that walleye were called pickerel. It wasn’t until I was 30 and had moved to New Brunswick that I caught my first pickerel and learned they are not even the same species. What was that all about?

Pickerel also go by “federation pickerel” and in southeastern U.S. they are nicknamed “southern pike”.

Caught My First Chain Pickerel on The Fly

I feel lucky having hooked my first chain pickerel on the flyrod. Because it was a happy accident. A friend and I were actually fishing for brook trout on the fly.

Fishing A Flooded Forest on The Fly Rod

It seems like a very long time ago I had been visiting a flyfishing friend. Wayne was going to show me a little spot he wants to keep quiet about. He told me we would land some large brook trout on the fly.

When we arrived I could hardly believe that he expected me to actually use a fly fishing rod in there. The place was a stand of trees that had been flooded a couple of years before after busy beavers had blocked the flow of water and flooded a large patch of woods.

Wayne told me there were 16″ brookies living there. I didn’t call him a liar nevertheless I’d been considering it. However I became a believer soon after he landed the first 16″ brookie.

Fishing in trees was a brand new experience. I’d fished rivers and lakes for brookies using my fly rod, had even learned to deal with trees behind me but not a forest all about me.

I spent most of my time avoiding trees but did get some brookies. As usual when it comes time to leave I always have to get a few more casts. The second I lifted the fly off the surface for my final cast a pencil like 10 inch fish came flying out of the water and grabbed that dry fly.

I couldn’t imagine how intense that tiny fish was. That is the day I discovered the difference between a walleye and a pickerel.

Today I fish pickerel any chance I can. My personal best continues to grow from that first 10″ chain pickerel to 25 inches.

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An Introduction to Fly Fishing For Smallmouth Bass

Casting
Image by neutralSurface via Flickr

When I started fly fishing more than 30 years ago the sport of fly fishing seemed to be all about catching salmon and trout.

Today the list of fish to fly fish for has become almost endless, whether it’s casting those artificial flies for fresh water fly fishing or saltwater.

Now fly fishing for smallmouth and largemuth bass has become extremely popular all over the world. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the quality of the fight a bass gives you.

I have fought bass on the fly that fought harder than salmon double their size. Bass just think they are bigger than they are. It’s a great sport and releasing them back into their home makes for better fishing in the future, so our kids will thank us.

I think because the bass body is more flat on the sides than round they have a lot of drag in the water and really hold their own.

Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing Technique

Smallmouth bass are found in rivers and streams. With fishing rivers and streams, quite often there are trees and bush lining the river or stream, and therefore not enough room behind you to make a full overhead cast. Therefore learning to roll cast is recommended. Take a look at the following fly fishing casting techniques introduction for more information on roll casting. Another option is wading deep into the stream or river which would provide you with sufficient room for overhead casting.

When fly fishing rivers and streams its also important to know how to mend the line. The different speeds of the various currents within a river or stream may push the fly line ahead of the fly, or may push the fly ahead of the line. A bass may detect this unnatural drift of the line, and may be scared away. The process of lifting and moving a part of the line to re-align it with the drift of the fly is called mending. Smallmouth bass mostly sit and wait for prey in the small pools in the river which are formed by submerged rocks, trees, or other objects. Target these pools when casting for smallmouth bass. With smallmouth bass fly fishing, using streamers that look like crayfish or small baitfish often produce good results.

Largemouth Bass Fly Fishing Technique

Largemouth bass are found mostly in ponds and lakes. Flies used for largemouth bass fly fishing tend to be quite large. Poppers are commonly used, and deer hair flies are extremely popular. Terrestrial flies (flies which resemble land based insects that land on the water by accident) are also quite effective. When casting dry flies for largemouth bass, its a good idea to land your fly near to weeds, rocks, lilies or other underwater objects where largemouth bass love to hide when stalking prey. Let the dry fly float on top of the water for a few minutes after casting. Make the fly twitch on the water, then slowly retrieve the line. Often the bass will strike the fly as it hits the water.

Bass Fly Fishing Equipment

You can use the same equipment for bass fly fishing that you would use for trout fly fishing. With bass fly fishing a 6 to 9 weight fly fishing rod is normally used, along with a fly line with a matching weight. It’s not necessary to have an expensive rod and reel for bass fly fishing, and a good fly rod for someone starting out in the sport of bass fly fishing is the fairly priced St Croix Triumph Fly Fishing Rod. You can use the same double-tapered line used for trout fly fishing, but its recommended that you use a weight-forward line for bass fly fishing. Although you can catch bass with normal trout flies, you will have more success with bass specific flies.

Additional flt fishing information, tips, techniques, and fly fishing equipment reviews can be found at the Feedage.com Fly Fishing Elite news feed.

Classic Atlantic Salmon Flies

I used a yellow winged butterfly with a red butt
Atlantic Salmon Caught on a Yellow Winged Butterfly

When I walk into a fly fishing shop here in New Brunswick it’s usually all about the Atlantic salmon and the selection just blows me away. I can spend hours just staring at them.

I have a few books on tying artificial flies but the selection is limited and most are trout flies. Not really what I am looking for when Atlantic salmon fishing, although I have caught some nice salmon on tiny trout flies.

Mickey Finn Streamers For Spring Salmon

I like using streamers in the early spring when the black salmon are moving, right up until the fresh run salmon move into the system and then I change flies.

My brother-in-law introduced me to the Mickey Finn streamer and I would have to say the Mickey Finn is the fly I use the most during the spring.

I guess that’s because it’s the one that produces the most salmon for me, otherwise I would have ditched that fly years ago.

Yellow Winged Red Butt Butterflies

Almost any time of year I get out my butterflies, especially those with a red butt, they just seem to work better for me.

Just a few weeks ago I took a friend Atlantic salmon fishing on the Caines and in less than an hour I had a salmon landed and it was on a yellow winged red butt butterfly.

It’s a fly I have great confidence in and the salmon love to slam it with all the power they have.

The two flies I mentioned above have caught a lot of salmon over the years and that’s just two flies. Imagine what you could do with 4 flies?

All About Good Fly Fishing Flies

Fly Fishing The Colorado
Image by 50%ChanceofRain via Flickr

Fly fishing is one of the most recognized and distinct methods of catching fish or angling. There is nothing quite like casting your fly out on the water and have it explode immediately.

This method has been popularly used to catch trout and salmon but I also fly fish for smallmouth bass and chain pickerel. What a blast.

There is no limit to the species of fish you can catch fly fishing.

There is different equipment used to make the process a success. One of the most important are the artificial flies you use while fly fishing.

The fly rod and fly reel you use isn’t all that important as I have used inexpensive rods and reels for years but I do buy good fly line and leader. It really sucks to lose a good fish, even if you practice catch and release.

An Overview On Fly Fishing Flies

Artificial fly fishing flies are commonly used. There are many companies that make them. This is to say that they are widely available in the market all over the world.  The following is just an overview of what goes into making these fishing flies. They come in great varieties with respect to size, shape and even colour. Fur, feathers, hairs and other materials are used in the making of fly fishing flies. These materials can either be natural or synthetic. A fly fishing lesson will reveal some of these aspects of flies. The flies are created by tying the materials onto a thread and hook.

Fly fishing flies are made with the aquatic appearance of local fish and insects in mind. This is because there must be a match that will be attractive and similar for success in angling to be achieved. They are also customized with regard to colour, and patterns to create fly fishing flies that are suitable. Creating the fly flies is an art and in different places in the world, experts who are gifted and skilled are employed to create flies that suit different specifications. It is a pleasurable and exciting art that continues to prevail. Synthetic materials are more popular when it comes to creating flies.

For many, fly fishing is a sport that employs the use of different varieties of fly fishing flies. To produce the variety, many companies have emerged to create or make fishing flies. These are a few most popular kinds of fly fishing flies. There are dry flies, wet, trout, nymph and UK trout flies. These are some of the most recognized. However, different cultures or communities will have their very own flies which have been in their society for a long time. This is the case for many angling communities.

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Top Water Action With Ice Still in The Lake

Old Town being lifted over beaver dam at Manit...Image via Wikipedia

I really didn’t know what to expect. I had never even heard of this lake. The good thing was that if you didn’t have a 4-wheel drive you weren’t getting to this lake without a long long walk.

My little Susuki Samaria was up for the task as we drove through water holds that came up past the bottom of the doors. It’s was really cool because to this point I had not taken my little Samaria into anything this deep and muddy.

It took us a few trips to get the canoes and all the equipment in to the lake but well worth it.

We got to the lake and were totally surprised to find a cottage on the lake. The owners were home but they hadn’t fished the lake yet at the time we were there.

Now what was really strange was as we paddled our canoes up the lake to where we planned to pitch our tent we saw a canoe just floating around.

At first we figured it was the people from the cottage. We took the canoe in tow and were going to take it back down the lake after we were set up and maybe had a few hours of fishing.

Only a minute or two after we found the canoe we heard voices. As we came around this small island there were two guys sitting on a big rock in the middle of this icy cold lake. They were about as loaded as any two guys I had seen in a while and they had lost their canoe.

Man what would they have done if we hadn’t come along. I am sure that as the sun went down and they sobered up the people in the cottage might have heard them screaming for help.

We gave them their canoe back. They barely were able to climb in it, but they did and off they went. I am one that firmly believes in NOT mixing alchohol and water.

Nothing much happened that day other than meeting a couple of drunks. We fished hard and moved a lot but nothing much until it got dusk.

The wind stopped and it got calm like I love it so I grabbed my fly rod and started chasing rings in the water as the trout started coming to the surface.

I was in my canoe alone so I moved around and was catching 13 inch brook trout one after the other. Unfortunately my two buddies couldn’t agree on whether to continue fishing spinner baits or to switch to dry fly and follow the rings.

Well I continued fly fishing and catching while they stayed only the edges of the islands and catch little 8 inch brookies.

That night we had a huge thunder and lightening storm that lit up the forest like it was a bright sunny day. We sat in our warm dry tent and watched it for hours, while we drank and laughed ourselves to sleep.

I plan to take a trip like that this year and can hardly wait. I think I will get my fly rod and equipment ready now. It’s only about 4 months before I can get in there.

Ahhhhh memories of fishing with friends.

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Choosing Fly Fishing Flies

Flying FishImage by T Hall via Flickr

Choosing Fly Fishing Flies by Michelle Bery

Throughout the longstanding history of fly fishing, fisherman who practiced it – or anglers, as they are known – have always understood the importance of bringing skill, technique, and grace to the sport. But successful anglers have equally understood the comparable importance of superior equipment in order to be their most effective. And when it comes to fly fishing, some of the most important equipment is fly fishing flies – those small but significant items for which the sport is named.

The selection of fly fishing flies is extensive and is often broken down by wet and dry fly fishing. Fly fishing is considered ?dry? when the fly is cast over the water. The angler works to make the fly dance above the water, hoping to attract the attention of the fish below it. Such fly fishing flies are designed to replicate mosquitoes and other insects to which the particular fish may be attracted.

Fly fishing is considered ?wet? when the fly fishing flies are actually submerged under the water – where their design allows them to sink to the bottom if necessary – in order to entice fish beneath the surface. The wet fly fishing flies are made with the use of soft hackling which gives them mobility below the water?s surface. In the case of wet fly fishing, often the angler will use multiple fly fishing flies at once in order to improve their chance of success.

Some anglers choose to design and construct their own fly fishing flies – using a variety of materials of natural and synthetic origins. But still others choose to purchase their flies in accordance with the type of fish they are looking to retrieve. Fly fishing flies can be purchased at any number of different locations. For skilled, knowledgeable guidance regarding a choice of fly fishing flies, it is best to visit a retailer that is focused solely on fly fishing. There are also a number of Internet resources where anglers can browse and purchase their fly fishing flies online and have them shipped right to their door.

For easy to understand, in depth information about fly fishing flies visit our ezGuide 2 Fishing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Bery http://EzineArticles.com/?Choosing-Fly-Fishing-Flies&id=619413

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