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Brown Trout

Introduction

Originally from Europe and North Africa, the brown trout (Salmo trutta) was introduced to North America in 1882. Of the thousands of eggs imported to Massachusetts, the three surviving fish were the source of today's North American brown trout fishery. Like other members of the trout species, brown trout (called speckled carp by early anglers) are cannibals. Still, brown trout are one of the trout species most likely to strike an artificial fly. For this reason, the brown trout has remained an all-time favourite of dedicated fly fishermen since the fifteenth century.

This hardy fish can tolerate water temperatures from five to more than ten degrees warmer than can other trout species, as well as inhabit semi-polluted waters and rivers with lower-than-average oxygen levels. Brown trout are territorial, and weathered anglers use this knowledge when they find a seemingly empty region of a river. Instead of bypassing the barren stretch, anglers should assume that this stretch is the territory of a large brown trout that has successfully defended its homeland and eaten smaller intruders.

Behaviour

Light sensitive, trout feed under shade-providing brush piles and after dark. The obstruction-filled waters inhabited by brown trout hamper most attempts at presenting any lures, baits, or flies to the protected fish. In open water, too, the fish has a tendency to swim directly for underwater cover and grasp a submerged object until finally opening its mouth to breathe.

Unlike brook and rainbow trout, brown trout prefer natural-looking artificial flies to blatantly fake red, white, or blue flies. Trout have impressive faculties of vision, smell, and hearing, able to focus on two objects placed at different distances at once in dim, cloudy waters.

Like other trout, browns spawn in gravel nests dug on the river bottom or over shore gravel bars in lake waters between seven and fifteen feet deep. The fish spawn from September to December, as dictated by the climate and water conditions. Predatory minnows and crawfish eat a large portion - around 95 per cent - of the eggs and hatched fry. In three to five weeks, the vulnerable fry hatch from the surviving eggs.

River Techniques

Brown trout are a territorial species that prefer staking out a protected homeland near the edges of fast currents. Any obstruction in the water that may provide cover for the light-sensitive fish is a good area to cast. Fish for browns in the same waters as described for rainbow and brook trout, but remember that the warm water/low-oxygen tolerant browns may be overlooked by anglers that bypass the slow, deep pools in the river. As like the largemouth, cast for big browns near rock piles, brush mounds, and submerged logs. The larger predatory browns are sometimes indiscriminate feeders, known to eat water snakes, ten-inch brook trout, young muskrats, and birds.

Cast crawfish, night crawlers, and average-sized minnows at dusk, night, and during overcast days and in shaded spots. The light-sensitive browns most readily take the weighted bait when it is presented within a few feet of the fish. Use medium-weight spinning or bait casting tackle and thread the minnow on a No. 4 hook. Tie the hook directly to the fishing line (usually eight-pound test line), and add enough weight a foot-and-a-half above the hook to bring the minnow to the river bottom in a fast current. Cast upstream from where the suspected fish reside, letting the current carry the bait. Direct the bait by lifting the rod tip to avoid hang-ups. If the bait gets caught and the line must be cut, the fishing spot is generally ruined for the rest of the day. Once the bait reaches the suspected fish's hideout, let it sit for as long as patience allows.

Presenting spinning lures and spoons is not an easy task, especially since the fish prefer protected brushy areas in rivers. Gold-finished spinning lures and spoons, fished slowly downstream, consistently catch the larger browns. If a fish approaches the lure but is hesitant to strike, try resting the lure for ten to twenty minutes. Next, tie a streamer fly directly to the lure's tail hook with a foot of ten-pound test monofilament and recast the lure as close to the sheltered areas as possible.

In large, open rivers with few obvious obstructions for the trout, the fish will likely reside in the deepest water holes behind rocks or other breaks in the river current. Undercut banks and other objects providing cover for the light-sensitive browns are productive fishing grounds. Cast weighted lures (lead-head jigs, tailed with an optional minnow, night crawlers, or crawfish) upstream and hold the rod diagonal to the current. The slower the lure moves across the bottom floor the better; motionless jigs in fast currents attract attention, and work better than the faster-worked spinning lures and spoons. In high and discoloured waters - especially after a downpour - black or brown jigs appear a non-threat to cautious trout. In low and clear water, brighter white or yellow jigs are more natural-looking lures.

Fly-fishing for brown trout is very difficult in certain areas, but is that much more rewarding. The brown's obstruction-filled habitat frustrates many anglers who must contend with brush piles and tree branches to present the dry flies upstream (for a natural presentation). In some open rivers, large hatches of aquatic insects increase the fly angler's odds of catching larger-than-average browns on dry flies. Consult the local fishermen and shops to find which size, colour, and presentation of the flies most resemble the local river insects. A generally dependable fly is a brown Muddler Minnow with a gold coloured body. In areas where the trout are not actively feeding on the surface, large weighted nymphs and streamers are consistent producers.

Night Techniques

At night under the protective cover of darkness, brown trout lose their daylight wariness. Before casting, listen for the thrashing of browns in shallow pools as they chase smaller fish. Fish only familiar stretches of rivers and streams at night; night fishing is dangerous at the edges of eroded banks and moving currents.

In the darkness, fly colour and presentation are not as important as the size and texture of the flies. Fish the large, fuzzy flies downstream in big pools using a ten-pound test tippet. Bait casting equipment and large bass plugs are also popular among night anglers, as are top water cranks during hot summer months. When changing lures, shield the flashlight from the water, otherwise the light will frighten away the browns.

Lake Techniques

The browns that inhabit smaller lakes and ponds are extremely alert and difficult to catch during the day. Casting in the shallows will often spook the huge fish, but some browns overcome their initial caution and will strike a live minnow dropped to the bottom of the deepest water and left to sit. At night anglers may have better luck landing a big fish with a bass plug.

The Great Lakes boast the best brown fishing in North America, if not in the world. Extensive stockings of browns in the seventies have remained underfished because the fish are sensitive to the vibrations from boats and the fish do not respond to the trolling tactics most anglers use for salmon and lake trout. To catch the sensitive big browns, use six or eight-pound test line and troll a silver spoon or wobbling crank bait around 200 feet behind the boat. At this line length, the lure will remain in the oxygen-rich thermocline layer between thirty and sixty feet deep, without spooking the wary browns.

Anglers may cast for Great Lake big browns in both the spring and fall, and any other tributary streams that carry spawning browns from smaller lakes and ponds. In the spring, wade the shoreline and cast small silver spoons with light spinning tackle at the mouth of the feeder streams where the smelt and alewives run. Spring fishing is even better after a rain when the water is discoloured and the brown trout move into shallow water (three feet deep or shallower) to feed. The fish will roll in the cold water, like spawning carp, but will rarely jump out of the water. Once a brown takes a lure, it will swim for deep water. Use a spinning reel with at least 300 yards of line; the spring brown trout range from an average of ten to over thirty pounds, and need extra line to run or they will break the line.

In spring and fall when the browns feed throughout the day, try trolling without a down rigger in clear water at ten or fifteen feet deep. Again, use 150 feet of line to ensure the fish are not disturbed by the surface commotion. Or, use ultra-light spinning tackle with four-pound test line and cast small blue or white lead-head jigs along the shore drop-offs and shaded rocky areas. Polarized sunglasses help anglers see the fish, but casting to individual fish is a challenging art. In the large impoundments of the southern and southwestern U.S., use the same technique to cast to brown trout along the shore in the winter. Whichever method an angler uses, be as quiet as possible.

In the Great Lakes, most of the brown trout population is the result of extensive stocking. However, in other areas where the fish propagate on their own, all spawning fish must be returned unharmed to their native waters. Taking spawning fish from areas where the population depends on natural reproduction does severe damage to the brown population.

Some of the world's best brown trout fishing is in North America's Great Lakes. Local fish and game departments can provide anglers with information about fishing locations, accommodations, rentals, and planning a fishing excursion without traveling to another continent. The age-old favourite brown trout is a relatively new discovery of Great Lake anglers, and the "fishing potential for lunker brown trout in the Great Lakes is unlimited."

Spring Techniques

For most people, trolling for spring brown trout means the beginning of big water trolling for the year. Taking off shortly after ice-out, trolling for browns is a great way to kick off the season and often allows small boat fishermen to get into the action as well. Not to mention, cold water browns are excellent on the table!

When to start fishing

The start of this season will change, depending on your location, the severity of the winter, and how hard spring kicks in. Farther south, they will start fishing much earlier than up north. In mid Michigan, we are usually chasing browns by early April, sometimes as early as February. As soon as the ice is blown out and you can launch a boat, there are browns to be had. Usually the fishing will improve as the water temp gets into the low 40's F.

Prime Locations

Browns will be scattered along the shoreline this time of year, searching for food. River mouths, harbors, creeks, and points all seem to hold fish early in the year. The biggest factor will be finding warm water. River mouths and harbors will usually have warmer water than the main lake, and probably will produce the earliest baitfish. This in turn will attract the larger predators. A degree temperature change is huge this time of year and can make the difference between catching fish and just fishing. When fishing the shoreline, try the shallow sandbars and troughs. Cover water depths of 4 to 15 feet of water. This shallow water will warm up faster than the deeper water and usually will hold early browns.

Lure Selection

Early in the season, small body baits seem to be the ticket. Anything from Raps to Rouges to Bombers, they all seem to take their fish. And everyone seems to have a preference. The key is to learn what speed your body bait works best at. In colder water, a slightly slower speed seems to be the ticket. Natural colors such as black/gold, black/silver, and perch seem to be top producers this time of year. Most places, there isn't a lot of baitfish near shore early in the season and browns will target sculpin and gobies. Colors that imitate these fish will produce.

As the water temp warms up and the smelt and alewives move in, larger body baits become more effective. Brighter colors also seem to move up on the list. Colors such as chartreuse, fire tiger, pink, and orange become more effective than the neutral colors used earlier in the year. Your trolling speed may also need to increase. A faster troll will do two things for you. First, it will allow you to cover more water and encounter more fish. Second, it will make the fish react to your bait faster. They won't have as much time to inspect your bait and cause them to make an instinctive decision. Either eat it, or let it go. When food is hard to come by, most of the time the decision ends with a hook up.

Spoons also become more effective as the water temperature warms up. Smaller spoons such as Stingers, Dream Weaver SS, 4DW and LD, and Northern King 4D and C5. These are just examples of the styles and brands I have found productive, but start out with what you are comfortable with. A lot of times, some of your favorite salmon and steelhead colors will be productive early in the year for browns as well. And although smaller spoons seem to be most productive, magnum sized spoons can be very effective if the baitfish are running large.

Helpful Tips

When fishing shallow water for browns, light line and stealth presentation can be very important. Light line or light leaders should be used for a more natural presentation. Also, the use of planer boards or inline planers will improve your odds. This will also allow you to run more lines and cover a wider spread to intercept more fish. If running lines off the back of the boat, lengthen out your leads to get your bait farther away from the noise of the boat.

Spring Techniques, by Chris Brandt

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