What’s not to love about trout fishing?

Two beautiful brook trout: A big lake fish (left) and a dark river brookie.                           

Why are 10-inch brook trout prizes to be cherished? Why should anyone spend hard-earned money to buy fine tackle just to catch a trout?

They were a few idle thoughts that occasionally creep into my brain without warning. Here are some personal answers that often apply to al trout fishermen.

Looking for trout in all the right places puts  a big smile on my face.

*These beautiful, colorful and fragile game fish act as a barometer of our times. What hurts trout hurts the environment and humans, and when these species have disappear, our civilization can’t be far behind?

*Brook trout are the prettiest of all. They come in three sizes: tiny, small and lunker, each with a spotted beauty that hints of wild places. With tiny blue spots, and white lines along the outside edges of orange fins, brookies are No. 1 trout in my beauty pageant.
Hey, I know they are char but let’s not make this confusing. Nobody has hear of brook char.

*Trout respond well to a careful approach and a delicate delivery. Fancy waders and top-of-the-line rods, reels, waders and nets fail to impress them. They feed when hungry, fast when not, and nothing we do can or will change this pattern.

*Trout inhabit some of Michigan's most beautiful places. Towering pines, impenetrable cedar swamps where black bears prowl, sparkling streams, gurgling meadow brooks, remote Upper Peninsula rivers dotted with waterfalls, and some streams in the southwest Lower Peninsula -- all are home to stream trout, and humans are only infrequent and worshipful visitors to their world.

As such, it begs us to put back more than we take. Conservation of wild trout means joining and backing such organizations as Trout Unlimited that fight for our fish and the special environment in which they live.

Fishing for wild trout means going to wild places. Fewer people that way,

*I fish because for wild brook trout because of their dimpling rises, blanket hatches, selective trout, wild places, stream-side camaraderie, wild fish and the true romance of trout fishing, which has endured for many centuries.

*One last trout bastion are Michigan’s many inland trout  lakes. Such waters produce robust fish, and for those who learn lake-fishing secrets, the rewards can be great. Huge trout can be caught that seldom, if ever, have seen a bait, fly or lure.
Some of these lake-dwelling trout grow to very large sizes but few people fish for them,

*My familiarity with brook trout forces me to fight for them and to fish for them in a way that gives each fish an advantage and chance to escape.

*Seldom are these trout kept. They deserve to be caught more than once, and on occasion I may keep a few for the frying pan. My thoughts are that big trout should be allowed to spawn and reproduce, and small ones should be released as gently as possible to avoid causing any harm.

There are many good reasons to put fish back, gently & without handling them,

*I have a problem with those folks who regard trout fishing as a social event. The fish are not impressed by our homes or the cost of our cars, so why clutter a stream with people who are there only to impress clients or other fishermen.

*People go through three trout fishing phases. The first is to catch as many as possible; the second is to catch the largest trout possible; the third is to exact a challenge from trout and tackle while giving the fish every chance to get away.

*I'm in Stage No. 3, but can remember as a kid passing through stages 1 and 2. It's easy to remember the heavy catches, huge fish and the bragging of yesteryear, and I'm ashamed by the number of trout once taken.

*For 10 years, guiding trout fishermen was my life. The hours were long and hard, the weather sometimes bitterly cold, and although memories still linger, they foster no strong feelings of desires to return to that way of life. It was a tough way to make a living and some of my clients were not much fun to be with.

*I fish for trout now because I want to, not to prove anything to myself or anyone else. I fish because of the enjoyment it gives\s me, and the challenge of hooking trout from difficult places with tackle that gives every edge to the fish.

That's me. A guy with simple trout fishing ideals that always make me exquisitely happy.

Title: What’s not to love about trout fishing?

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, beaver-ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, jump-across, creeks, all, trout,))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors