Brook Trout in the mid-Atlantic states inhabit small, cascading streams, where calliopes feed miniature pools. These streams are beautiful, and in them lives a beautiful species of fish. Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are trout that inhabit cold streams and lakes from along the eastern coast of the United States and up into the Canadian Labrador, and select streams in the Rocky Mountain states.
Brook Trout Description
Brook trout have greenish gray backs, darker on top, with white and yellow markings. Their sides are greenish yellow, littered by brilliant yellow and blue (with red centers) spots. Their upper bellies are red, with a black stripe below, and white on the very bottom. Although these trout average about eight inches in length in small mountain streams, they can grow to nearly fifteen pounds in larger bodies of water.
Dry Flies and Hatches
These fish congregate in the upstream side of pools. There they wait for mayfly nymphs (the larval stage of mayflies), or any other underwater foods. When a hatch is on, brook trout usually partake in the surface feeding. Mayflies and caddisflies are their main food, but midges and golden stoneflies also make up part of their diet. These trout are, like many of the species, very selective, and at times they may only feed on particular insects that are present at the time, rejecting all artificial imitations of other creatures.
Nymphs and Other Wet Flies
When the fish are not feeding on the surface, fishing a size 16 prince nymph may be the best way to entice brook trout. A prince nymph resembles any basic mayfly nymph, which is the main ingredient in the brook trout's diet. It cannot hurt to try a few other flies if the prince is not working, such as a hare's ear nymph, copper john, woolly bugger, or maybe a small damselfly nymph pattern to find out what the fish are feeding on. Brook trout will eat other creatures as well, such as hellgrammites, crayfish, sculpins, baitfish, and worms, so flies that look like any of these tasty morsels can be productive at times when fly fishing for brook trout.
Terrestrials and Droppers
At times, terrestrial flies (such as grasshopper, cricket, and beetle imitations) work well for these trout, but only in the warmer summer months. To fish these flies, cast them along the shore, or edge of the water, and simply let them drift. In some states, it is illegal to fish "droppers," (a wet fly, like a nymph, tied onto a piece of tippet behind the larger floating fly, so that the terrestrial or dry fly floats, and below it is a nymph), but where legal, fishing a dropper can at times yield more results, as this setup entices fish feeding on the surface, and those eating below it.
Brook trout are generally smaller than most other species of gamefish, but they are at least as rewarding to catch. They offer anglers with all of the characteristics of a prime fly fishing target, and they are indisputably among the prettiest fish in the world.
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