I finally caught my first 20 inch wild brown trout of the year!!
Last weekend I went streamer fishing during a rain storm in search of a big wild brown trout. Fly fishing during the winter can be frustrating, and this video is meant to show both the struggles and the triumphs of a winter's day in the Appalachian mountains.
I didn’t really have a plan for this particular day of fishing. I Just wanted to get out of the house after an awful string of winter weather. I sort of felt like streamer fishing but with the snow melt and overly cold water temperatures I wasn’t sure if it was the best idea. You see for the past week or two we had gotten sub zero temperatures and over a foot of snow, something that almost surely shut the fish down. So I started the day throwing around a jig streamer trying to gauge how active the fish were.
I caught 2 wild rainbow trout in one little section of water but that was about it. The scattered rain showers were making sure that what little snow was left was getting washed into the creeks. At some point during the day I just decided I’d rather risk not catching anymore fish at all and go for a bigger brown trout than I would continue down the path I was headed… which was that of a sub par day with nothing much being caught. Despite the cold weather the water levels were outstanding… they were just the right clarity to give me confidence that if I could find a big active brown trout I might stand a chance at getting him to eat. But finding one of these big fish that is willing to eat in 35 degree water temperatures isn’t that easy… So out came the 8 wt and the articulated streamer box.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’d rather be lucky than good. But I think a lot of times what I equate to luck is really just perseverance. I mean sure I get lucky, but I wouldn’t get lucky if I didn’t spend so much time on the water. And because so much time is spent on the water I’ve got years of experience about how the weather, water levels, and water temperature effect fish and where they might be hanging out. There is no substitute for time on the water, no amount of reading, no amount of youtube videos, and no amount of podcasts will make you put a big fish in the net for you. So get out there and enjoy some time on the water.
