This Rifle is great for big browns.

Browns like this hook-jaw guy are fun. Angler casts on Rifle River.

It’s a fishing dream that sinks its claws in your soul, and on occasion it becomes tugs so powerfully that hardcore want to get away, find a great stream and hopefully go forthto do battle with one of these hook-jawed cannibals.

There any number of streams that produce the occasional big brown trout. Fishing during the Hex hatch can be a good bet, and other hatches can produce a good fish.

The difference between a good fish at 18 inches, and one of those with a bloated belly and a hooked bottom jaw that sticks up like a crooked little finger, can be a matter of faith. One such stream that produces good fish, and some big ones, is the Rifle River. This stream is home to some very big fish, but it takes luck or skill to catch one.

This river is good but there are others equally as good for browns.

Numerous small streams empty into the Rifle River between Rose City and M-55, and tiny waters like Houghton and Klacking creeks often harbor some huge browns as well. Anglers should be advised that land along these streams is private, and permission must be granted before crossing private land to fish.

Fly fishing can be productive, and anglers can match prevailing hatches during the day. At night, big bushy flies, such as the Buzz Saw, Sofa Pillow or hairy white deer hair bass bugs can elicit tremendous strikes.

Use a reasonably heavy (8-pound or heavier) leader, and splat the fly down on the surface near shore and allow the current to carry it along. They meaty sound of a big fly hitting the water often triggers savage line-jerking strikes.

This minnow-fishing technique works quite well.

Another technique is to hook a three-inch shiner with two No. 10 treble hooks. Insert the front hook under the minnow’s chin and the back hook just forward of the tail. Add one small splitshot if needed for casting weight or to take the bait down, and cast it quartering across and downstream. Allow it to sink and swing across the current on a tight line, and set the hook hard if a fish strikes.

Be methodical. Attempt to cover all portions of a hole or run, and sometimes the tail-out is a hotspot for feeding brown trout.

The witching hour for browns often occurs about 11 p.m. as the fish settle into a feeding schedule. A careful angler, wading quietly and slowly downstream without splashing the water, may hear feeding fish if they stop often to listen. Once located, fish very carefully to avoid spooking the trout.

Wade into casting position, and work the area thoroughly. Do not use lights, and take two or three casts before moving a step or two downstream. Big brown trout require an accurate and artful presentation, and success often hinges on a very quiet approach.

The Rifle River is much more than a spring sucker stream. It produces some truly huge brown trout, but anglers are advised to wade down through a fishing area in the daylight to prevent wading into a dangerous situation after dark.

Learn where the holes are, where to wade and where to get out of the water, and determine where soft-bottomed mucky areas are. It’s no fun getting stuck knee-deep water and be unable to safely wade out to safety.

Wait for darkness to fall, listen for moving fish, and fish hard.

This used to be one of my favorite  places to fish when I lived in Oscoda many years ago. I fished it again about five years ago, and hooked two fish one night and landed one of them. It was a beautifully spotted seven-pounder with a hooked jaw that stuck up like a crooked finger.

I fished it again one day after that during a heavy rain, and landed a nice 6-pound brown off Klacking Creek during a downpour. The fish was holding in a narrow seam of fast water near a log jam.  That day I was casting a Buzz Saw quartering across, and stripping it hard and fast just under the surface.

That fish almost tore the rod from my hand, and I managed to set the hook and manhandle it away from the log jam. We fought our battle in open water, and finally I eased the trophy brown trout up onto a marshy sandbar, unhooked and released that fish.

This river has always held good brown trout, and with a slow and quiet approach and an accurate cast, on occasion it’s possible catch a native brown trout  of chunky proportions with spotted skin that will make your heart skip a beat.

One thing about this soirt: the fishing isn’t easy, and  at times it appears too difficult to hook a good fish, but stick with it and one day you’ll be on the river when the fish feed like crazy. That will make all the fishless nights seem worthwhile.


Title: This Rifle is great for big browns.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, big, brown, trout, Rifle, River, Buzz, Saw, Sofa, Pillow, minnow))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors