My Pet Brown Trout

[BillsTheBassMan]

a smaller husky jerk, or x rap.

 

This reminds me, I forgot to mention in my original post that I have unsuccessfully fished for this guy with an XR7 (twice) - generic silver minnow. I'll almost always go back to it. I don't want to get TOO far away from conventional means.

[Rice Laker]

This Pet Fish question reminded me of the following true story:

 

A man was stopped by a Conservation Officer in Northern Algonquin Park recently with two buckets of fish leaving a lake well known for its fishing

The C.O. asked the man, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?" The man replied to the C.O., "No, sir. These are my pet fish."

 

"Pet fish?!" the C.O. replied. "Yes, sir, every night I take these here fish down to the lake and let them swim around for a while. I whistle and they jump back into their buckets, and I take em home."

 

"That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that!"

 

The man looked at the C.O. for a moment, and then said, "Here, I'll show you. It really works."

 

"O.K. I've GOT to see this!" The C.O. was curious.

 

The man poured the fish in to the river and stood and waited. After several minutes, the C.O. turned to the man and said, "Well?"

 

"Well, what?" the man responded.

 

"When are you going to call them back?" the C.O. prompted.

 

"Call who back?" the man asked.

 

"The FISH"

 

"What fish?" the man asked...........

[GoneFishin]

CRAYFISH

 

I can second that!

I remember fishing a stubborn brown. After spooking her I found a cray fish and it was gone before it made it 4inches from the top of the water!

 

I love coming back to stubborn fish, good luck hope yeah get him.

[fish_finder]

On the three times I have seen this fish

 

1) When I had him on the spinner it was the only time I saw him.

2) When I had him knock the EGB it was the only time I saw him

3) Today, when he chased my rap, it was the only time I saw him.

 

You only get one chance with this guy, and not even one sighting per trip. I don't suspect he leaves home for everything, all the time.

 

I bought 4 mouse lures tonight of varying sizes and colours. I'll fish them when the conditions permit. I think it is something good to have in the tackle box.

 

I almost stepped on two frogs when I was approaching him today - I'll need a gentle presentation without a whole lot of metal.

 

I'm going to watch him. I've considered doing it before, but took the "Ill just fish for him approach." I'll probably fish for him a few more times first

 

Thats typical of the big buggers. But, hanging out at that hole during dawn or dusk hours you may actually see him in the middle of the stream feeding on bugs and such. When the opportunity arises and he sees a bigger meal aka mouse, frog, minnow...he'll obviously slam them as they are worth much more energy for the amount of energy that he needs to exert. Nymphs and surface flies probably get eaten quite a bit as well, but big fish need big meals...thats how they got that way to begin with!

 

With your mouse and frog lures, look for some deer hair flies/lures. Mouse and frog flies are big and probably heavy enough to cast with your spinning gear. Especially once they are a little wet.

 

With the mouse, try to cast it downstream and across from you, then try to guide it across the stream and slightly towards you. A mouse would have trouble swimming upstream if there is any current, so pulling it across the stream makes is look like it is struggling with the current.

 

Cast the frog onto the beaver lodge and twitch it off into the water just beside it.

[Toronto_Angler]

This Pet Fish question reminded me of the following true story:

 

A man was stopped by a Conservation Officer in Northern Algonquin Park recently with two buckets of fish leaving a lake well known for its fishing

The C.O. asked the man, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?" The man replied to the C.O., "No, sir. These are my pet fish."

 

"Pet fish?!" the C.O. replied. "Yes, sir, every night I take these here fish down to the lake and let them swim around for a while. I whistle and they jump back into their buckets, and I take em home."

 

"That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that!"

 

The man looked at the C.O. for a moment, and then said, "Here, I'll show you. It really works."

 

"O.K. I've GOT to see this!" The C.O. was curious.

 

The man poured the fish in to the river and stood and waited. After several minutes, the C.O. turned to the man and said, "Well?"

 

"Well, what?" the man responded.

 

"When are you going to call them back?" the C.O. prompted.

 

"Call who back?" the man asked.

 

"The FISH"

 

"What fish?" the man asked...........

 

HAHAHA! Good one!

[BillsTheBassMan]

A few updates:

 

1) I was there again today and saw the same old bugger brown chase my ugly duckling chub-coloured sinking crankbait. I've learned a few things about him - he's not really feeding in these hours, but he's definitely territorial all day long. He's simply chasing other fish away from his house.

 

2) I traveled upstream after I bid adieux for another day to my buddy in the beaver lodge and found another old pesky brown. I was fishing a small panther martin silver spinner. It was sunny, but shaded, and this was a beaver lodge near a rock pile. I cast for 10 minutes at the beaver lodge, caught a chub.

 

I kept casting and then clouds took over the sky. On the first cast during overcast conditions, the brown hit the spinner and I landed it. Not as big as my pet, but around 20 inches and built like a Wilson Football. I was mid-river with rod in hand and couldn't get a photo, so he went back to be caught by me another day. You could tell by its appearance that it was an older fish. These guys will clearly hit spinners. Seems to me it was an annoyance strike.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Thats typical of the big buggers. But, hanging out at that hole during dawn or dusk hours you may actually see him in the middle of the stream feeding on bugs and such. When the opportunity arises and he sees a bigger meal aka mouse, frog, minnow...he'll obviously slam them as they are worth much more energy for the amount of energy that he needs to exert. Nymphs and surface flies probably get eaten quite a bit as well, but big fish need big meals...thats how they got that way to begin with!

 

With your mouse and frog lures, look for some deer hair flies/lures. Mouse and frog flies are big and probably heavy enough to cast with your spinning gear. Especially once they are a little wet.

 

With the mouse, try to cast it downstream and across from you, then try to guide it across the stream and slightly towards you. A mouse would have trouble swimming upstream if there is any current, so pulling it across the stream makes is look like it is struggling with the current.

 

Cast the frog onto the beaver lodge and twitch it off into the water just beside it.

 

Yeah, that seems like a good way to fish the terrestrials. The (weedless) frog on the lodge is a good approach. I snapped a few pictures of frogs today on the water and I'll try to match to the best of my ability. I'm still waiting for the right hours to fish the mouse. I'm more willing to fish the frog at any time. I'm really looking forward to fishing this guy during feeding hours.

 

Re: Crayfish.

 

I'll try the crayfish as well with this guy. He's going to hit something . . . he already hit a spinner. I agree that fish this size are looking for a meal, and a crayfish is definitely a meal.

 

Thanks for the posts.

[BillM]

Have you put an unweighted nightcrawler past his nose?

[torco]

Sounds like you have had some success in getting him to bite. I'd say make sure your hooks are razor sharp.

 

Also if you get the flyrod out a nice sized streamer could produce a strike.

[FlyGuy5]

I would catch him the same way I caught these ones!!! wolley bugger, hairs ear, phanset tail.

[FlyGuy5]

Gotta love browns on the fly

[BillsTheBassMan]

Gotta love browns on the fly

 

I fly fish (extremely poorly granted, as I just started), but the two spots I've found in this location that are holding BIG browns (22" and beyond) are next to impossible to properly present a fly at if the fish are holding to their cover. Regardless, my friend Timmeh, was with me when I got the 20-22" and he said even before I got it that you couldn't really present a fly properly in this fishes home.

 

The 22" fish I caught on Friday night was back on the prowl though last night and he was just rising and eating flies the entire time I was there. I actually saw the bugger swim up to the exact lure I caught him with on Friday and laugh at it. I don't think I'll get him on that little panther martin again.

 

I'd say fly-fishing is the best way to fish for browns only when conditions permit.

[Nipfisher]

Update??????

[BillsTheBassMan]

Update??????

 

I've fished his hole 3 more times since posting. I saw him once (chased a chub minnow imitation out of his area), once was abandoned due to a mosquito convention and no bug spray, and once he was a no show.

 

I haven't got the opportunity to properly fish him in awhile and will be going after him again this week.

[BillsTheBassMan]

UPDATE:

 

Torco and I met up tonight and went to fish @ the same spot where this fish lives. He was rising and as always there were no other fish in his area.

 

I got fed up with running a lure by his face and decided it was perfect time for the mouse that many of you suggested. It was windy, overcast, and it had just briefly rained I tied it on, put it into the current, let it drift over top of the general area the fish was rising in, and then skittered it across the top of the water. It looked extremely lifelike (from the surface - the hook underneath probably doesn't look that lifelike). 4-5 casts and nothing. Next cast, the surface explodes under my mouse, water is splashing, and due to over-excitement I pull the mouse away too soon After a profanity or two and two in-vain casts, we moved upstream.

 

Nice to see the beast is still around after having not targeted him in a few weeks.

[alexcba]

1" tube jig bro, earthy tone.. he'll be on the hook in a second.

[fish_finder]

UPDATE:

 

Torco and I met up tonight and went to fish @ the same spot where this fish lives. He was rising and as always there were no other fish in his area.

 

I got fed up with running a lure by his face and decided it was perfect time for the mouse that many of you suggested. It was windy, overcast, and it had just briefly rained I tied it on, put it into the current, let it drift over top of the general area the fish was rising in, and then skittered it across the top of the water. It looked extremely lifelike (from the surface - the hook underneath probably doesn't look that lifelike). 4-5 casts and nothing. Next cast, the surface explodes under my mouse, water is splashing, and due to over-excitement I pull the mouse away too soon After a profanity or two and two in-vain casts, we moved upstream.

 

Nice to see the beast is still around after having not targeted him in a few weeks.

 

Yeah Buddy!! I bet you'll get him next time man! Most times when a brown grabs something like that, he'll do the work in hooking himself as he'll smash the lure and turn away from you with it in its mouth.

[wallacio]

Ah - so close! Have you tried a large streamer yet? When I say large, I'm talking about at least 5-6"...giant Browns can't resist them. Anything that moves naturally in the water like a Zonker pattern in olive, brown, black and even white should do the trick.

Edited June 17, 2010 by wallacio

[BillsTheBassMan]

Yeah Buddy!! I bet you'll get him next time man! Most times when a brown grabs something like that, he'll do the work in hooking himself as he'll smash the lure and turn away from you with it in its mouth.

 

Yeah, it was pretty intense (although brief). He approached it from the side and I could see him in a "U" shape. I've heard that this doesn't necessarily mean they are about to hit your presentation, and that sometimes it means they have checked it out and are swimming away. Regardless, in this situation, judging by the direction he approached from, and the amount of commotion it caused, it was most certainly a strike.

 

Also Fish Finder - sidenote - I checked out that site in your signature. It looks really good so I signed up!

 

Cheers,

Ryan

[torco]

It was so close last night. Thanks for meeting up with me Ryan, I had a great time.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Ah - so close! Have you tried a large streamer yet? When I say large, I'm talking about at least 5-6"...giant Browns can't resist them. Anything that moves naturally in the water like a Zonker pattern in olive, brown, black and even white should do the trick.

 

I'll run a huge streamer at him next time (unless he's on the rise again).

 

Ryan

[BillsTheBassMan]

It was so close last night. Thanks for meeting up with me Ryan, I had a great time.

 

It was close, but I've been 'close' so many times with that one . . .

 

Yep, good times indeed Mark. I'm sure we'll meet again in bass season.

[fish_finder]

Also Fish Finder - sidenote - I checked out that site in your signature. It looks really good so I signed up!

 

Cheers,

Ryan

 

Lots of advise to be found on there for big trout buddy! People are usually tight lipped about locations, but the advice is golden man!

[Paully]

A big juicy worm.. Its like a big mac in front of a fat guy!