# brook trout?



## Guest

i do little trout fishing, but love reading the posts and seeing the pics of them. i have a serious question, though. what is the fascination with catching small brookies from small streams. i have friends who are addicted to this, but i can't understand why. is it being far off the beaten path with a tiny rod? they are beautiful fish, for sure, but they all seem so tiny. again, this question is not to ruffle feathers, i really would like to know the fascination. thanks, rap


----------



## fishinnick

I'll give you some info tomorrow as I'm heading out to catch them now.lol


----------



## Guest

good luck to you.


----------



## icingdeath

This is how we roll!!

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## steelheader007

icingdeath said:


> This is how we roll!!
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


I have to ask are you catching these in Ohio? Please also tell me these are pen raised fish?


----------



## Steelhead Fever

steelheader007 said:


> I have to ask are you catching these in Ohio? Please also tell me these are pen raised fish?


and I agree steel. that def. illegal in ohio, and im not sure about pa!

seriously dude? i hope that is downloaded!


----------



## icingdeath

Ohio?? Nope.Pa.my daugher caught these at Toms Run.were up here now and she may hit it later on the way home.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## copperdon

Brook trout are completely legal to fish for in PA, unless otherwise noted at certain locations that might be sanctuary... but there are many streams that all hold healthy populations of both native and stocked brookies, (as well as rainbows and browns) that are totally legal to fish for and even possess as long as they meet the regulation creel and size requirements.

To my knowledge, *Brook Trout are illegal to fish for in all of Ohio. * 

There are some natives that have been found in some waters in Northern Ohio, but in all cases they are protected as an endangered species. The only exception to this_ might _be Castalia, where they hold the lottery every year to fish... and I'm not sure that brookies are even among the species at that location anyway.


----------



## Steelhead Fever

I just wasnt sure if they are protected to KEEP in certain areas, were they stocked?


----------



## Thesilverback

Everyone wants to be the ogf police, 

_The Silverback_


----------



## steelheader007

Thesilverback said:


> Everyone wants to be the ogf police,
> 
> _The Silverback_


it has nothing to do with OGF other than the fact he posted here and I saw the dead fish! hoping they were not from Ohio and they are not yipeeee!


----------



## steelheader007

icingdeath said:


> Ohio?? Nope.Pa.my daugher caught these at Toms Run.were up here now and she may hit it later on the way home.
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


..lol.. i'm glad they are in Pa .. your are forgiven..lol..


----------



## Rod Hawg

We're fishing for em in Canada next year. They got a 6lbr. in June. We'll see what happens.


----------



## sbreech

I think the folks that focus on large minnow sized trout are more in it for the nature than the actual fishing & trophy fish. Me - I like to catch any fish that I can, and any chance I can get. I prefer to be out of touch from civilization when I'm fishing, but I'm also not going to spend $2000 on a flyryod, hike 15 miles to a stream 3 feet wide, and target that elusive population of 6 inch fish. THAT'S not my thing. But we must not criticize those that like to do it. Everyone has their own thing.

What I DO find funny is when people try to match the hatch exactly to try to catch the rising trout, and then the kid across the way with his Scooby Doo rod and reel throws a metallic inline spinner and catches the same fish repeatedly. There is a certain level of absurdity involved - especially when those that pursue in that most pure way project snobbery towards those that fish in a more modern fashion. And for the most part, I haven't seen that type of attitude on OGF (well, maybe a couple) as much as on dedicated fly fishing forums.


----------



## KWaller

I got this one out of castalia 3 years ago, is it a brook? It was my first ever trout and my PB at 8.2lbs


Kyle
HPT
CP

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## Thesilverback

steelheader007 said:


> ..lol.. i'm glad they are in Pa .. your are forgiven..lol..


See he was guilty before you knew the facts, just like our justice system! LOL

_The Silverback_


----------



## steelheader007

Thesilverback said:


> See he was guilty before you knew the facts, just like our justice system! LOL
> 
> _The Silverback_


..lol.. well what can i say... I already said it ..lol..


----------



## dcfisherman

KWaller said:


> I got this one out of castalia 3 years ago, is it a brook? It was my first ever trout and my PB at 8.2lbs
> 
> 
> Kyle
> HPT
> CP
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


that looks like a brown to me


----------



## sbreech

Nice Fish, Kyle!


----------



## LilSiman/Medina

I didn't catch it but the stringer of fish from PA are most likely stocked into a creek. We fish up there in the spring and catch em' that color out of Tionesta. The native wild ones we hook every once in a while are more colored and have a huge head compared to stockies! I can't wait to get up there in April!


----------



## fishinnick

There's just something about brookies. Being out in nature with no cell signal and the chance to see deer, bear, turkey, eagles, and other wildlife, taking rough dirt roads to get to the stream, taking a few spills, and the scenery can be breathtaking. Yeah most of the fish are small, but beautiful and very fun to catch, and when the water is low it can be a challenge, but they are eager to hit anything if you don't spook them.


----------



## fishinnick

and in PA youre allowed to keep brook trout over seven inches even wild ones as long as their not in a special regs stream.


----------



## LilSiman/Medina

it's even funner when you catch a native in the tionesta thats about 8'' and has the beautiful coloring and oversized head


----------



## Steel Cranium

Head to the western U.P. of Michigan if you want to have a crack at some nice native brookies. Fly into Green Bay or Marquette to cut some of the drive. I fish a stream up there with lots of brookies - many over a foot - that was never stocked. Fish lower in the river system in the spring and up in the feeders near the springs in the summer. Much different than anything around here - an eight mile float from one logging bridge to another without any access points or bridges crossing the stream except for a few snowmobile trails. Hard to think of fishing PA after spending a week stream-hopping up there. Best part is the difference in trespassing laws with regards to the stream bottom between Wisconsin / Michigan and Ohio. Don't have to worry about trespassing issues up there when wading and/or floating a remote stream.


----------



## fontinalis

rapman said:


> i do little trout fishing, but love reading the posts and seeing the pics of them. i have a serious question, though. what is the fascination with catching small brookies from small streams. i have friends who are addicted to this, but i can't understand why. is it being far off the beaten path with a tiny rod? they are beautiful fish, for sure, but they all seem so tiny. again, this question is not to ruffle feathers, i really would like to know the fascination. thanks, rap


If you have to ask, you wouldnt understand


----------



## fontinalis

copperdon said:


> Brook trout are completely legal to fish for in PA, unless otherwise noted at certain locations that might be sanctuary... but there are many streams that all hold healthy populations of both native and stocked brookies, (as well as rainbows and browns) that are totally legal to fish for and even possess as long as they meet the regulation creel and size requirements.
> 
> To my knowledge, *Brook Trout are illegal to fish for in all of Ohio. *
> 
> There are some natives that have been found in some waters in Northern Ohio, but in all cases they are protected as an endangered species. The only exception to this_ might _be Castalia, where they hold the lottery every year to fish... and I'm not sure that brookies are even among the species at that location anyway.



It is not illegal to fish for brook trout anywhere in ohio, Some un named waterways have a no possession regulation as they should. But the places like cold creek, wolf run, cedar creek, etc it is perfeclty legal to harvest them there. Sadly they are not on the state endangered species list, they are listed as game fish. I dont agree with it, but thats how it is.


----------



## fontinalis

LilSiman/Medina said:


> it's even funner when you catch a native in the tionesta thats about 8'' and has the beautiful coloring and oversized head


tionesta is a little too warm, might be natives but probably stockers. the natives are hiding up in the cricks that flow into the tionesta. but i suppose in the wintertime they might trickle down into the tio.


----------



## steelheader007

fontinalis said:


> It is not illegal to fish for brook trout anywhere in ohio, Some un named waterways have a no possession regulation as they should. But the places like cold creek, wolf run, cedar creek, etc it is perfeclty legal to harvest them there. Sadly they are not on the state endangered species list, they are listed as game fish. I dont agree with it, but thats how it is.


Some places in Ohio located in local park systems it is illegal to fish for them my friend.


----------



## TheCream

fontinalis said:


> If you have to ask, you wouldnt understand


In a way, I think this is the most accurate comment from someone who brookie fishes, as I know fontinalis does. It is something different, for sure. I'll try to explain why it has gotten into my blood so heavily. Early on, fishing in WV for trout, I went to all the major stocked streams. At first it was fun, then I started to hate it. The fish don't act like "real trout" to me, at least not when they first get dumped into their new home. What really turned me off was the crowd, though. Not just the number of people, which was crazy high everywhere I went, but their general attitude towards fishing and the streams. No, not everyone was a bad seed, but there were enough of them to sour me on those spots. Finding litter all over the place, rude/unsportsmanlike fishing practices, combat fishing, I'd catch a fish and then 3 guys would walk up and stand next to me...all for what? A chance to keep a 14" pellet fed rainbow? For the people that like that kind of fishing, you can have it, I don't want it! 

I started fishing the smaller streams for wild trout, a mix of rainbows and brookies, and it is a night and day difference from the stocked rivers. For one, I hardly ever saw another fisherman, and I like the peace and serenity. I go to WV to get away, not to go stand by other fishermen and jockey for a spot to fish. The main draw, to me, is the adventure aspect. There are so many places where you can hike for miles, so many streams to fish, and fishing a new stream is always exciting to me. So many of those small streams look like a trickle where you start hiking/fishing, then as you go upstream you find huge pools, waterfalls, and great fishing water full of trout.

As for the whole match the hatch thing, it's really not necessary on the small stream trout, but that doesn't mean they can't be picky. It usually revolves around the water conditions, in my experience. Good, fast flows mean you can use a large attractor pattern, like a stimulator, that resembles nothing in particular. When the water is low and slow, it takes a soft landing of a tiny dry to not spook fish and to get a strike. I love fishing a #22 Griffith's Gnat in those conditions. I almost never try to match a hatch perfectly, but sometimes it takes switching flies a time or two to find something a fish wants. I like challenges, so the low flow times are one of my favorite times to go, even though your catch numbers are usually lower. You have to work hard for every fish.

It's not for everyone, for sure, but small stream brookies can get in your blood in a lot of ways. It sure has for me!


----------



## copperdon

fontinalis said:


> tionesta is a little too warm, might be natives but probably stockers. the natives are hiding up in the cricks that flow into the tionesta. but i suppose in the wintertime they might trickle down into the tio.


I've had luck on the Tionesta hitting what I was pretty sure were native speckies, but it's been early in the season, late May at the latest. After that it's definitely stockers.

Most of my luck has been in the smaller feeder creeks like Blue Jay,
(_Not giving up any big secret here, it's a very popular little creek and is fished pretty heavy when the water down below gets too warm_).
using tiny #20 - #22 midges and gnats...some patterns are so small I can't really see them, I just wait for the rise and splash.


As far as why? - well - there's something about fishing that cold, clear water - water that is pristine, in settings that are like something out of a National Geographic photo essay - and catching those fish that in my opinion are the most beautiful fresh water fish in the world. It's not about size.
It's about _where_ you are, and what _they_ are. 

It's about fooling them, and being fooled by them. I've had some pretty loud laughs up there on those little streams watching them watching me.


----------



## fishinnick

I've never had experience with brookies in Tionesta Creek, but a lot of people do catch some stocked brookies there that apparently swim down from Bluejay, Salmon(not a secret either), and some other tribs because those streams have acidity problems. Tionesta's only stocked with bows and browns. Most of the other tribs to the Tionesta do have wild fish, so when the water is cold in the spring some wild fish might swim down also.


----------



## Andrew S

Timely (in light of this discussion) article by Ted Williams on the practice of stocking non-native trout into brook trout waters in West Virginia:

http://www.flyrodreel.com/blogs/tedwilliams/2011/august/polluting-the-best


----------



## icingdeath

Its amazing. I post a pic of my girls fish and im totally made out like i hav no morals and im a poacher.five brookies in ohio streams in one day?i cant believe some of you.and u was in Pa.Its a section of stream they stock for kids and handicapped only.it is stocked by Marienville rod and gun club.they do an excellent job on providing opportunities for kids.next pic i post will be a stringer of bass.then i can really be the enemy.judge not and ye shall not be judged.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## fallen513

The only thing you did wrong was post a picture of a bunch of dead trout in a thread that was praising them for how beautiful they were. 



Dead fish don't make a good picture.


----------



## steelheader007

icingdeath said:


> Its amazing. I post a pic of my girls fish and im totally made out like i hav no morals and im a poacher.five brookies in ohio streams in one day?i cant believe some of you.and u was in Pa.Its a section of stream they stock for kids and handicapped only.it is stocked by Marienville rod and gun club.they do an excellent job on providing opportunities for kids.next pic i post will be a stringer of bass.then i can really be the enemy.judge not and ye shall not be judged.
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


No problem, anything I can do to help!..lol..


----------



## icingdeath

Wrong my @$$.who are you to judge what is wrong or not about that?what about all the pics of coolers full of perch or walleyes on a nail board?those fish made a fine meal too.everyone has a choice on catch and release or keep.we keep.thats how my grandfather was raised and how he raised us.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## PapawSmith

fallen513 said:


> The only thing you did wrong was post a picture of a bunch of dead trout in a thread that was praising them for how beautiful they were.
> Dead fish don't make a good picture.


This thread was started by the OP as a question as to what the "fascination" might be for others regarding brook trout, not a praise of their beauty. To some, like me, the "fascination" is not only they are a beautiful fish and outstanding fighter, but exceptional table fare. I have brook trout fished Michigan most of my life and personally consumed hundreds. There is a HUGE difference between Michigan and Ohio trout waters and would personally not ever keep any Ohio brookies but this guys catch was an entirely different story. These were stocked fish meant to be fished and kept. Some of you guys need to slow up a little with your condemnations of others practices. Just because you do it a certain way does not make it the only acceptable way.


----------



## TheCream

Stocked trout are a put-and-take fishery the vast majority of the time. Do what you want with them. I have kept them and eaten them, and honestly thought they tasted like something Kroger's threw out for the raccoons after they couldn't sell it. I've got no issues with people legally keeping fish, even though I haven't done it in several years. To each his/her own.

But I will agree, dead fish make for bad photos.


----------



## fallen513

Welcome to the internet, icingdeath. 


Lighten up. You can throw endangered brookies on the bank for all I care. Post pics of the gut pile, their heads on stakes...just don't act shocked when people jump your case about it, it's the internet.


----------



## LilSiman/Medina

Who cares? seriously he posted a pic of trout his little girl caught. In april I posted a picture of 15-20 dead brook trout including one brown. They were all stocked and 2 hours after we took the picture we ate the trout with 50 others. And they were freakin' good! I have no problem with your pics!

Brooke trout are not stocked in the tionesta, no trout are. All the little tribs by Tionesta Lake and the creek are stocked and are full. fishing is best after rain when all the stocked fish get flushed out by water into the deep holes of the Tionesta. Its easy to limit out and keep catching and releasing.


----------



## icingdeath

fallen513 said:


> Welcome to the internet, icingdeath.
> 
> 
> Lighten up. You can throw endangered brookies on the bank for all I care. Post pics of the gut pile, their heads on stakes...just don't act shocked when people jump your case about it, it's the internet.


Heck man!!al i did was post my girls trophy and i be made and feel like a hardened criminsl!lol!!

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## fishinnick

> Brooke trout are not stocked in the tionesta, no trout are


Brown and rainbow trout are stocked in Tionesta Creek. Brookies are stocked in some of its tribs. 

http://pfbc.state.pa.us/pfbc_webgis/TroutStockingDetails.aspx


----------



## LilSiman/Medina

fishinnick said:


> Brown and rainbow trout are stocked in Tionesta Creek. Brookies are stocked in some of its tribs.
> 
> http://pfbc.state.pa.us/pfbc_webgis/TroutStockingDetails.aspx


Alright thanks man. I learned something new today. The people I go with (cousins husbands family) told me what I posted and I had every right to believe them since they've been fishing it all year and they caught 60 plus brooks last spring(let all of them go)! except of 5 of course. Thanks for the info though!


----------



## fishinnick

No problem, I never knew Tionesta wasn't stocked with brookies until recently I learned they come from the tribs and go into the tionesta.


----------



## fallen513

icingdeath said:


> Heck man!!al i did was post my girls trophy and i be made and feel like a hardened criminsl!lol!!
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine





You didn't do anything "wrong". I feel the same way about smallmouth. If people want to eat them, more power to them. If you post pics of stringered smallmouth on the net, you're going to get reamed because a large portion of the anglers chasing them do not want to see them killed.

If you want a positive response on internet forums, shoot some pics of the fish while they're still alive. In my humble opinion, it makes a much better photo & it also avoids having other people's opinions forced on you. 



More important is the fact you are taking your daughter fishing. Way to be a good dad.


----------



## LilSiman/Medina

Yea we sure do catch alot of brookies for them just swimming into there. ever heard of the 'brookie hole"? Its about a mile down from thee big bridge and camprground. Thats where we catch all our brookes. I've never caught a rainbow or brown and fished there the last 2 years only bringing in brookies. Next year I'm gonna go up the tribs and look for a palamino or big brown and try to get him. Any suggestiobs for unique lures that could land one of these guys?


----------



## fishinnick

PM on the way


----------



## creekcrawler

Brook trout are very pretty fish.
Here's some live ones (and no, you can't fish in my tank)-








And before anyone says a thing, these aren't natives, got them from a hatchery when they were about an inch long.


----------



## creekcrawler

I'd love to hit Pa for a day trip and try for some brookies.
Can someone point me in just a general direction?
Looking for something close to the Ohio side, don't mind hiking and crawling to get there. Should I just look for some small tribs?


----------



## icingdeath

Tell us about the tank.i gotsta know!!!

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## icingdeath

Oh....pm sent.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## creekcrawler

150 Gallons and about 300# of rock.I've always kept natives darters and such for a long time, but wanted something "different".
I picked up a chiller unit from a commercial lobster tank on Ebay a few years ago (got lucky and snagged it for $50). Water is pumped from the tank through the chiller. I can bring the tank down to 45 deg in the winter! Right now its @65 during the day and 60 at night.
One main pump and two power heads pumping @ 1100 gph.
I got the trout from a hatchery last year, they were around 1 -1 1/4" long. The biggest one is now close to 8"!
I didn't expect them to grow that fast!
I always expected brookies to be timid little forest creatures. They are not! Very territorial. They act like piranhas at feeding time, have to kepp the top screened off so they don't jump out.


----------



## fishinnick

Icingdeath probably gave you some good info, but pm coming from me also.


----------



## copperdon

what's the big issue?

The guy took his daughter fishing, they caught some nice stockers that were placed there for the purpose of catch and keep. It's no different than what they do up at Castalia.

Some people like the taste of brook trout, some don't, to each their own.

He followed all regulations, obeyed all limits and laws.

No foul.


----------



## Andrew S

copperdon said:


> what's the big issue?
> 
> The guy took his daughter fishing, they caught some nice stockers that were placed there for the purpose of catch and keep. It's no different than what they do up at Castalia.
> 
> Some people like the taste of brook trout, some don't, to each their own.
> 
> He followed all regulations, obeyed all limits and laws.
> 
> No foul.


I think in light of the subsequent posts, you're absolutely right. When I read the original post, which had the photo of the dead fish in a thread about how pretty they were, with the line "This is how we roll", I really interpreted it to be meant to be an "in your face" response to the previous posters. It doesn't look like that's what he meant, but if others interpreted it the same way, that might explain some of the responses.


----------



## steelheader007

creekcrawler said:


> Brook trout are very pretty fish.
> Here's some live ones (and no, you can't fish in my tank)-
> 
> 08 11 trout - YouTube
> 
> 
> 
> And before anyone says a thing, these aren't natives, got them from a hatchery when they were about an inch long.


its acts like a Jack Russel with gills ..lol..


----------



## Guest

fontinalis said:


> If you have to ask, you wouldnt understand


why would you say something like that? i want to understand. the fish are beautiful and so is the scenery. but they are so small. i want to understand the draw. 

font, not a good reply from you. usually you are pretty helpful.


----------



## Andrew S

rapman said:


> why would you say something like that? i want to understand. the fish are beautiful and so is the scenery. but they are so small. i want to understand the draw.
> 
> font, not a good reply from you. usually you are pretty helpful.


I agree - I didn't think it was a terribly fair reply.

I also happen to have little interest in brookies that size, which is not to say I don't like them or appreciate them, I just don't have much interest in _fishing_ for them. To me, at that size, they're really interesting, but in the same way that just about any tiny fish is - the biologist in me is intrigued, but the fisherman in me moves on to bigger fish!


----------



## Guest

God forbid that one of my kids, my wife or a friend asks me a question and that is my reply. i would attempt to explain it the best i could and maybe stimulate other questions. i guess i started this thread with an honest question but it has turned into a series of trainwrecks. 

that being said, these char are a beautiful fish. i have seen pix of large brookies caught in vermont and michigan and cannot get over the beauty.


----------



## fallen513

It wasn't that bad rapman.  

I'm interested in chasing some wild trout soon, I think I'm going to go to upper Michigan. I have a great fall trip planned with a friend for some big swimmers in NY in November also. 

I want some of the hard pulling ones!


----------



## Steelhead Fever

First off. I want to apologize, I took it the wrong way, I was thinking about what andrew said-


Andrew S said:


> When I read the original post, which had the photo of the dead fish in a thread about how pretty they were, with the line "This is how we roll", I really interpreted it to be meant to be an "in your face" response to the previous posters.
> 
> I also thought that these were not stockers, so I figured you went to a native stream and killed those fish, have at the stockers...also, maybe you could have excluded the pic on THIS PARTICULAR THREAD...catching my drift? again, I jumped all over it, and didnt mean to! MY BAD! good fishin guys!


----------



## Patricio

mmm, brook trout are delicious. the only trout/char/salmon species I eat.

much like steel, I go to the UP. lots of wild fish there. 

I think the issue on keeping brook trout arises because they can be such a delicate fish. fisherman can easily wipe out a brook trout stream in a season if all the fish are kept. on top of that, fishing for them in the summer can also have devastating effects as these trout are struggling to survive in lower oxygenated and warmer waters. even if the fish are released. this is mostly true for lower states, such as PA, Maryland and such. not so true for maine or michigan.


----------



## icingdeath

TheCream couldnt have explained it better.When we were kids in Pa we wuld ride our quads back in the mountains and fish these streams all day.we used whatever we had because we would fry em up when we camped out.thats part of the experiencr and i wish i could do those days all over again.the stuff you stumble upon back in the mountains!!

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## ARReflections

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, the other day I caught some nice beautiful catfish, horseheads, drums and carp. I handled them real gently so they would not die and lovingly put them back so I could catch these magnificent fish another day and to allow future generations to catch them again in their muddy habitat.

Then I caught some annoying brook and cutthroat trout. Man, I don't know what it was but they must have been hungry trying to gobble down the LIVE worm I was using to catch my beloved sucker fish. I threw those annoying trout onto the bank to make sure they don't overcrowd the carp population that I love to fish. And the brown trout are the worst! Ugly looking critters with all that slimy coating. You know how many times I have to wipe my hands trying to get that slimy stuff off those trout? And their scales just get everywhere. Messy little fish that I just cut up to use for catfish bait.

Easy now.... In all seriousness, the man with his pictures of a few trout on the stringer was fine. His family was going to eat them and I hope they enjoyed them. I see no difference between this and photos of walleye on the Lake Erie trophy racks of fame. I am sure some of you blasting the photo of the trout have had a walleye rack picture too. So what is the difference? Did this man's photo upset some pastoral image in our trout fisherman's mind? Please... Is it because the population of trout is far less than the walleye or deer population?

It is not the trout that needs saving, it is ourselves. No matter how much we stock trout, it is a losing battle unless we restore the environment these fish live in. The picture of the dead fish has no association with the decline of the natural environment in which those trout were caught. The reason there are restrictions on wild natural trout is silly unless the environment which would allow reproduction is resolved. A lot of trout fisherman are trying to fix the symptom and not the disease. It is ironic but the gear that alot of the "save the trout" fishermen utilizes is equally guilty of ruining the environment. That gear comes from some natural resource from somewhere and even if some manufacturer says we do this in an eco friendly process, well then I have a bridge to sell you my friend. Also, that house you live in may have been built on a wetlands that was drained. Where have all the strypers gone? I think those locks and dams may have something to do with it so ships could travel along the Ohio river to deliver commercial resources. 

So, before we blast some guy for showing pics of a few dead trout destined for the frying pan, maybe we should count the number of fly rods and reels we possess that are not truly needs but wants.


----------



## fallen513

Too many drama queens. Nobody is blasting anybody. Read the thread again.


----------



## fallen513

And to rapman, I believe you got your answer.

They are pretty, and tasty!


----------



## fontinalis

icingdeath said:


> Wrong my @$$.who are you to judge what is wrong or not about that?what about all the pics of coolers full of perch or walleyes on a nail board?those fish made a fine meal too.everyone has a choice on catch and release or keep.we keep.thats how my grandfather was raised and how he raised us.
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


i think those pics suck too. Im not against eating fish, i do it all the time. I just think that pucs of dead, stiff, bleached out stale fish suck. They simply dont look good.


----------



## fontinalis

rapman said:


> why would you say something like that? i want to understand. the fish are beautiful and so is the scenery. but they are so small. i want to understand the draw.
> 
> font, not a good reply from you. usually you are pretty helpful.


ok, this may be a little more helpful
they are small because they live in small water
brookie streams are usualy not very fertile, at least not like a limestoner or spring creek
food is limited


The draw is
They are the only trout native to this area
They are silly for dry flies
I rarely encounter other fisherman when targeting them
they are beautiful
They live in a critical habitat(easily damaged)
they are intolerant of crappy water
the list goes on forever.

I did not mean for the post to be rude, its just the way it is. Its hard to explain. You either get it or you dont. 
Me personnaly i dont get the attraction to bass fishing, it just doesnt strike my fancy. 


So after reading that, do you "understand" or are we still weirdos for chasing little fish?


----------



## fontinalis

and they arent all small, go to alaska, maine, or labrador. There are brookers there that will eat your average sized bass.
But this is a big one for me, aint it purty? They have been living in the little trickle i caught it in since the last ice age. 










Sorry if i offended anyone with my rant. it is over now, i will go back to my cave.


----------



## Guest

font, i just wondered what made fly fishermen trek miles back in the woods for such small fish. i didn't know if they were harder to catch and therein lay the challenge. they are beautiful fish, i will give you. to me, the prettiest of all fresh water fish.

as for the cave, don't do it. your posts have a lot of teaching in them.


----------



## Andrew S

fontinalis said:


> They have been living in the little trickle i caught it in since the last ice age.


To me, that's definitely one of the attractions of catching any kind of native fish - the idea that what they're doing here they've been doing a long time.

One of the reasons I like to fish for anadromous fish, like stripers, that have these seasonal cycles is that there's something neat about seeing the yearly arrival of fish in an area, and knowing that this cycles has been going on a veerrrrrry long time.


----------



## fontinalis

Andrew S said:


> To me, that's definitely one of the attractions of catching any kind of native fish - the idea that what they're doing here they've been doing a long time.
> 
> One of the reasons I like to fish for anadromous fish, like stripers, that have these seasonal cycles is that there's something neat about seeing the yearly arrival of fish in an area, and knowing that this cycles has been going on a veerrrrrry long time.


my little vrother just got stationed in norfolk va, so hopefuly i will get to confirm the striper thing very soon. looking forward to it.


----------



## fallen513

From brook trout to Morone saxatilis! NOW YOU'RE TALKIN'!


----------



## fallen513

fontinalis said:


> my little vrother just got stationed in norfolk va, so hopefuly i will get to confirm the striper thing very soon. looking forward to it.


You need to get on a flats boat during trophy season & hunt the cowsssss.


----------



## BlueDun

Like a few others on this thread, brookies are my favorite for several reasons. The environment in which they live is isolated and pristine. I go to the northern part of MI's lower peninsula to find them. I can stay out on a stream all day and never see another person, hear a car, etc... The scenery is beautiful and clean. Brookies are also fiesty for their size. A small brookie on a small wt rod feels like a monster.


----------



## steelheader007

fontinalis said:


> my little vrother just got stationed in norfolk va, so hopefuly i will get to confirm the striper thing very soon. looking forward to it.


Hmm good old NOB ..lol.. wow the memories!


----------



## Rod Hawg

I caught a few Dolly Varden in Alaska. They kinda look like Brookies. Both fish are gorgeous looking


----------



## Guest

never said anything about being weird. i love all fishing. big, small, native or stocked. any kind of fish. my buds go miles in country to fish small streams all the time. i'd love to try but my knees will not take the pounding. i am just curious as to what motivates people to pursue different things. same with muskies. but as i said, i love the pics and love the stories. in the end. life can suck but fishing should not. peace.


----------



## Rod Hawg

I fish for 6in. Gills in the dead of winter in a small open water spot on our lake just for the enjoyment of of having something else tugging on my line.


----------



## Guest

i did the same last night at pymy with a 5wt and sneaky petes. those little piranhas
hate sneaky petes. lol. man, i am so happy anytime i am fishing.


----------



## Rod Hawg

I caught a 5lb. Dolly Varden. Looked just like a Brookie. They're a pretty fish thats for sure.


----------



## troutdude

Caught a beauty this weekend while in PA.


----------



## fishmerf

Troutdude- beautiful fish! I love when those brookies start to sport their spawning colors. Looking forward to getting back to PA soon.


----------



## retiredfisherman

I'm fortunate enough to get up to Ontario around the Thunder Bay are a couple of times a year and fish for Brook Trout on native waters where they are natural and also on to stocked remote lakes where they are there for Catch and Eat and the reason for those lakes is to take the pressure off the native waters and streams. I also fish the Nipigon River which is world known Blue Ribbon water and where the record Brook trout came from Caught by Dr. Cook around Cameron Falls. When I first got into fishing there I had the chance to fish with a gentleman who is proobrably the most knowladgeable person about the river and Brook trout. He has probrably caught well over 2,000 Brookies and has released them all after taking measurements and tagged them for the DNR up there. I have fish with Randy many times over the year, including this past summer where we caught and landed 22 fish between 5-10lbs and lost another 10 fish, again all fish were released. You are allowed 1 fish a day with a 22 inch minimum length. I belong to the NSSA (North Shore Steelhead Assoction) up there and have learnned much about Steelhead(Rainbow) Trout from this group. People hear about a run going on and think of a stream or river so full of fish that you can walk acrooss the backs of them to get to the otherside. When there may only be 50-200 fish in the whole length of the river. If everyone kept just one fish you could destroy a fishery in a matter of days and therefore the need for tight regulations on some species. I have also seen Smallmouth take over a lake in a matter of years because everyone believed they were only a sportfish and not an eating fish. Now people are startting to eat them to help keep the population down. We are talking of lakes where 4-5-6 lbers are common.
If the rules and laws are kept I'm all for someone keeping fish to eat.


----------



## thephildo0916




----------



## bruceride

fontinalis said:


> If you have to ask, you wouldnt understand


Caught my first two brookies this weekend with some (OK, lots of) coaching from my bro-in-law... Way cool 

Love the idea that we were fishing a small stream, had to target a fish and had to basically stalk them. Oh, and pretty fish and surroundings!!!


----------



## fishinnick

thphildo0916, Sweet!

bruceride, welcome to the addiction!


----------



## TheCream

thephildo0916 said:


>


This spot looks verrrrrrrry familiar. Either that, or it looks just like a section of a larger stream I fish in WV.


----------



## On the Fly

I just want to throw out my 10 cents worth on the brook trout. I recently went to Colarado for a wedding and used this opportunity to hit the streams. The Brookies were small there too. The draw for me is the challenge to get the Brookies to bite, compounded by the fight they provide on a 3 wt. rod. They are very spunky and like to jump at times. I like fishing variety. I sometimes will put the fly rod down and go Carp fishing just to have a fish take the drag out of my line. For me, variety is the spice of fishing.

Fly


----------



## On the Fly

I just want to throw out my 10 cents worth on the brook trout. I recently went to Colarado for a wedding and used this opportunity to hit the streams. The Brookies were small there too. The draw for me is the challenge to get the Brookies to bite, compounded by the fight they provide on a 3 wt. rod. They are very spunky and like to jump at times. I like fishing variety. I sometimes will put the fly rod down and go Carp fishing just to have a fish take the drag out of my line. For me, variety is the spice of fishing.

Fly


----------



## zippo

For me the allure of Brookies is, In some groups there considered a 'trash' fish because they are not a true trout but a sub species of char. and for the relative lack of size, the fact that since they are a lesser liked fish I want to catch them just to be an odd ball. Also because the first fish i ever caught on a fly rod was a Brookie, and because like many others said, its more abut getting away from every thing then it is the actual fish. And because they are a beautiful fish any time of the year but even more so when they spawn. Its an additional addiction to an already very additive sport. Try for them one time and you will see what we mean. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee has some very good Brookie fishing. (Also the main reason there so small Is because they need a very specific habitat to live in, and that habitat is normally found in the Higher Streams where the water is small and theres not a lot of food to grow on.


----------



## kingofamberley

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I thought I would post a pic of these guys that I saw at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. I was told they are Ohio natives, captured in the wild as fry.








The only brookies I've caught were in the Nantahala river in North Carolina, years ago on a boyscout trip. One day I hope to be able to target them again. They are a truly beautiful fish!


----------



## Shortdrift

Caught this Tiger Trout (cross between Brown & Brookie) in a small stream that emptys into Erie. The area I was fishing was known to be a native brookie area years ago. I doubt that anyone would figure out where it is and much less even know it exists as it is well hidden as it trickles under a lakeshore highway. This tiny stream has some beautiful insect hatches also.

The stream will flood during heavy rains and some steelhead migrate into it and then get trapped as the water receeds. I was fishing for steel when I caught this Tiger and also lost another one. Took a picture and turned it loose then had a replica made. Contacted ODNR and they were very interested in doing a study on the stream. We figured Browns stocked in PA entered this stream from Erie and crossed with the native Brookies. As there are not any trout clubs nearby or withinn 75 to 100 miles, we felt this had to be a wild cross.


----------



## OnTheFly

Man this thread has me thinkin about summer. As many have said brookies tend to be small in most streams but I still get a kick out of how beautiful they are no matter what size, and they are quite the fighters especially when you can get a good sized one. Here are a few pictures of some specks and the places i go to catch them. 

















Small but pretty


----------



## fishinnick

kingofamberly, yeah you're right they are wild OH brookies. I also heard they may use them to help repopulate some of the streams. 

Shortdrift, cool catch! So this stream is somehow connected to PA water? I know the PFBC quit raising tigers, but some private hatcheries do and if they stocked them in a PA stream in the watershed thenn I guess that is a possibility. Even when brookies and browns are abundant in the same stream, wild tigers are still extremely rare. Definitely a cool catch(if it's wild, well even if it's a stocked fish that's cool too!) 

Ok since this thread has risen from the dead I'll post a few wild brookie pics tomorrow(well, I guess later today lol) from PA and CO. Never get tired of catching and taking pics of them!


----------



## fishinnick

Here's some from 2012....
























Surprise from a mainly stocked stream with wild browns..








Non-native from a CO cutty stream


----------



## trout4u

Shortdrift said:


> Caught this Tiger Trout (cross between Brown & Brookie) in a small stream that emptys into Erie. The area I was fishing was known to be a native brookie area years ago. I doubt that anyone would figure out where it is and much less even know it exists as it is well hidden as it trickles under a lakeshore highway. This tiny stream has some beautiful insect hatches also.
> 
> The stream will flood during heavy rains and some steelhead migrate into it and then get trapped as the water receeds. I was fishing for steel when I caught this Tiger and also lost another one. Took a picture and turned it loose then had a replica made. Contacted ODNR and they were very interested in doing a study on the stream. We figured Browns stocked in PA entered this stream from Erie and crossed with the native Brookies. As there are not any trout clubs nearby or withinn 75 to 100 miles, we felt this had to be a wild cross.



Nice tiger trout. Your thoughts about tigers are resonable, but rather unlikely. Tigers are kind of like coydogs, they can only successfully occur in captivity. Coyotes kill or eat domestic dogs, and brown trout kill and eat brook trout. There is no courtship, just lunch. Now, please do not get angry with my opinions, they are only based on thirty plus years of raising tigers/brooks/browns/rainbows and a couple other hybrids. I would stake my life on this fish being an escapee from a private club. still a beautiful fish, my opinion. Tight lines.
Dan
Little Pickerel Creek Farm
Castalia, Ohio


----------



## Shortdrift

trout4u said:


> Nice tiger trout. Your thoughts about tigers are resonable, but rather unlikely. Tigers are kind of like coydogs, they can only successfully occur in captivity. Coyotes kill or eat domestic dogs, and brown trout kill and eat brook trout. There is no courtship, just lunch. Now, please do not get angry with my opinions, they are only based on thirty plus years of raising tigers/brooks/browns/rainbows and a couple other hybrids. I would stake my life on this fish being an escapee from a private club. still a beautiful fish, my opinion. Tight lines.
> Dan
> Little Pickerel Creek Farm
> Castalia, Ohio


Understand your expertise having raised trout but isn't it possible that randon fertilization could occure and the fry survive?
As an additional comment, I spoke with the interested person at the ODNR regarding the possibility of this being a native fish. I was advised that it is rare but can and does happen as he had observed in some of the streams out West. I can also add that the stream I caught it in is spring fed.
Now that this thread has got me all fired up I just might see if I could get back there to try and catch a few brroks and maybe another tiger. It is a long hike back but I just might give it a try.


----------



## fishinnick

Yes it can and does happen in the wild, but it's extremely rare. I've seen pics of wild tigers caught in PA, but then there's people who have been fishing wild brookie streams with wild browns all there lives and have never caught one. On a PA forum I frequent there is a biologist who has electrofished TONS of little wild trout streams and has only come across less than 5(I forget exactly, but very few) wild tigers in his entire career. It happens, but not very often. 

Since you said you lost another one that same day, and the one you caught is a nice sized fish, my guess would be stocked(by who idk)......but anything can happen.


----------



## trout4u

Shortdrift,
Nick is certainly correct, as everything in life is but a matter of perception and perspective. Still a very nice fish, either way. Please let me know if you indeed catch yet another. I chair the Aquatic Animal health Advisory Committee at ODA and sit on the Brook Trout Advisory Committee, so I have a strong interest in brooks and their offspring.
D


----------



## Lewzer

I don't understand why people chase these either. But, I chase carp and other rough fish for the enjoyment not to eat here's a Cold Creek fish. I thought it was a brook but someone commented in my gallery that it's a brown.


----------

