Probably the craftiest of all trout is the brutish brown trout. Its uncanny ability to elude anglers and turn sure-fire trout fishing tips on their head has always amazed me, for even in heavily fished waters there will emerge a giant specimen local anglers never dreamed was there.
And, the big guys don’t always pick out big water to live in. The fellow who took first prize year after year in our home town left me incredulous when he pointed out the little stream his prize trout came from.
Beauteous brown trout up to 9 & 3/4 pounds he lugged into the judges, a number in the 3 to 6-pound class, and for where he caught them, those aren’t to be snorted at. And, man oh man, the tall stories that went around concerning how he was taking those trout!
What’s more, despite the fact this angler could have cleaned out that stream in one season, he wisely brought in one just big enough to win the contest each season. He put plenty back for seed.
And, he generously showed a number of his friends where he was taking these giants. But, he never revealed what lure he was taking them on until several years after pollution unquestionably had done what he refrained from doing — eradicated the brown trout.
What was his irresistible lure that made him the envy of every local trout fisherman, a lure that none of them had the imagination to use? Live mice!
Ah, but there was much more to it than that. You see, this studious angler found the remains of a field mouse in the stomach of a brown trout. So, he trapped some mice.
And, being reluctant to stick a hook through the little critters, he made a clever rubber harness that could be slipped off one, and onto another.
Fishing only at night, when the big brown trout are characteristically on the prowl, he would dunk a mouse into a deep hole and let it paddle around. When the mouse became tired, back it would go for a rest into the cage and a fresh recruit would take over.
Whatever those mice had, the big brown trout went for it. And that typifies trout fishing for you. Once you hit the right combination, you’re a trout fisherman — at least for that particular day. The next day, and plenty thereafter, your magic combination probably will draw a complete blank. So, always examine the stomach content of your first trout and fish accordingly, if possible.
If the first trout isn’t available, then start looking around on the banks, under rocks, or branches to see what food might be the current rage.
Never will I forget the day those browns were giving me a good letting alone. For three hours they gave it to me, while they sneered at every fly, spinner, spoon, bug and streamer in my bulging pockets.
So, I tried hellgrammites, grasshoppers and red worms. They weren’t having hellgrammites, grasshoppers or worms. Some luscious nightcrawlers from under a green chunk of sod failed. A small crawfish scurried backwards from my boot toe and landlocked himself. He or she wound up on the hook with the piece of nightcrawler which I was too disinterested to remove. That was it! Every hole yielded one or two trout, including a number I had previously fished.
I fervently vowed to reveal this potent combination to no one, for it would lead to a terrific slaughter! However, I would use it myself, with complete restraint, of course.
Mother Nature must have realized what a boner she pulled in letting me in on this secret of the ages for, you see, it never worked that way again. Oh, yes, the combination brought a few scattered trout but never that magical “trout in every hole” sequence.
But in that experience you have the answer to what makes a fisherman. It is those unforgettable moments when he has suddenly hit upon the right lure at the exact moment the fish are looking for it. After once tasting such thrilling potion, he forever seeks to find it again, with varying success.
Characteristics
Its ability to live in warmer waters and its night feeding habit enables the brown trout to exist in areas where other trouts can’t survive. Even in 80 degree Fahrenheit temperature, it seems to get along nicely.
Coloration is the main identifying characteristic, but this varies with water conditions and location. Usually the back is dark brown, shading into lighter brown sides. The back is dotted with black spots, while red and black spots adorn the sides. The scales are larger than those of a brook trout.
Older brown trout take on a resemblance to a salmon because the lower jaw tends to become elongated and hooks over the upper jaw, giving it a very vicious appearance. And it can be just as vicious as it looks when it goes on a feeding spree!
Other Names
Brownie, Von Behr Trout, Lock Leven Trout, English Brown Trout, European Brown Trout, German Brown Trout.
Range
We have the Europeans to thank for the original planting stocks of brown trout, and it was a far-sighted group of Americans who made the arrangements.
In 1833 the original shipment of eggs was secured from a Von Behr of the German Fisheries Society. This accounts for the name Von Behr trout, one which still persists in some sections today; also the name German brown trout.
Scotland supplied a sub species of brown trout in later years, known as Lock Leven trout, and these were transplanted in the West.
It was only natural that interbreeding of these two should follow, and with it came consequent confusion over the issue of “the true brown trout.”
The brown trout is a hardy, flexible rascal, and adapted itself to new waters so well that it is now found in all of our northern states and Canada. Outside transplantings have been so successful that it is practically world-wide now in its modern range.
Habitat
This fish likes the bigger, slower flowing waters. It can, however, if changing conditions demand, get along nicely in most any kind of water, so long as spawning conditions are near normal.
Look for it near cover, for here it can hide until a rush and snap of those gaping jaws spells doom for a smaller fish — or delight to a fisherman.
Preferred spots are sunken logs, lily pads, weed beds, rocky stretches, undercut banks, boulders, pilings, submerged brush piles, deep holes and similar spots.
Foods
Although insects, flies and larvae make up most of the brown trout’s menu, the larger ones dine on snails, crawfish, worms and minnows.
Artificial Lures
Smaller wiggling plugs, those designed for ultralight baitcasting or spinning, are deadly on brown trout, particularly the big boys. And it is real sport, although fly rod men will scowl at me for saying so!
Small spoons, spinner-and-fly combinations, streamer flies, large hair-body lures, surface bass bugs, and small surface plugs are steady producers.
Methods and Tackle
For most sport where smaller brown trout are available, the lighter fly rods are tops. An 8- to 9-foot rod in the 4- to 5-ounce class, using a D level or HDH taper line will do the job; leaders should match the weight of the average trout you are taking.
For larger trout, a fly rod in the 5 & 1/2- to 6 & 1/2-ounce class, with C level or HCH taper line, and corresponding leader, should be used. The rods should have a fast tip and powerful butt for all-around performance.
The brown trout is a willing surface feeder and dry flies are quite effective, in sizes from 10 to 18, depending upon the clarity of the water and temper of the fish. Probe the deeper holes thoroughly and don’t be bashful about banging the fly down hard occasionally.
Larger brown trout require larger flies on sizes 6, 4, 2, 1 and 1/0. Use heavy-bodied patterns that create a lot of drag. Large streamers, with spinners added when water is murky, are very effective.
Spinning outfits with the standard types of lures are naturals for fishing big trout. You can reach out into spots you never could come close to with a fly rod because you need no room for a back cast with a spinning rod.
Regular baitcasting outfits with 5-foot rod, level-winding reel and 10-pound test line and old standby lures have become mighty popular for latching onto granddaddy brown trout. Particularly after dark.
Also widely used are heavier 9- to 10-foot bait rods, large single action reels and 10-pound monofilament line. A nightcrawler or minnow is spat fished against the dropoffs or flipped into the deeper holes. A light fly rod should not be used for this type fishing, it’s much too light.
Biological Tidbits
The brown trout spawns much like the rainbow, the female makes a pit in the gravel longer and deeper than her body. She sheds the eggs in the nest while the male sheds sperm and fertilizes the eggs. Then the eggs are covered with a few inches of gravel. The incubation period varies, but at 57 degrees Fahrenheit, it usually takes 30 to 33 days for hatching.
By the end of the first summer, the small trout are 2 to 4 inches long. By the second fall they are 6 to 8 inches long. By the sixth year average growth is some 14 inches. Of course where an abundant food supply is present, growth will be more rapid. Maximum age is reputed to be about 10 to 12 years.
Remember This
When a big brown trout takes over a hole, it does so because it is bigger than the trout it ran out. And, it usually will stay in that hole until caught, or run out by a bigger trout.
So, once you locate a big one in a certain hole, pay it repeated visits, and try every lure you have available. If it refuses to cooperate, then try it after dark, for the brown trout does much of its feeding at night.
Slap your lure down hard on the surface of the water and then let it drift. And don’t use light tackle unless you want it torn up. Night fishing for brown trout can become habit forming, it’s rugged going, but you’ll say it’s well worth it the first time a big one scares your waders off by nearly jerking your rod out of your mitt!