I have a great love for this species of Salmonid, and for many good reasons. It was the Brown trout that provided me with my first introduction to fly fishing back in the 1950s. It was also the Brown trout that historically generated the interest of man to cast a feathered creation to deceive the rising fish.
In 1883, the first batch of 80,000 Brown trout eggs landed on US soil, delivered to the NY State hatchery at Cold Spring. The eggs were divided between Cold Spring, a NY hatchery at Caledonia and the remainder US Fish commission's hatchery at Northville Michigan.
The initial batch of eggs comprised of 60,000 eggs from the German Seeforelle strain found in lake systems and 20,000 eggs taken from streams found in that country. Further eggs were obtained from England and Scotland. Those taken from Loch Leven were the strain that was introduced into the lake systems found in the Yellowstone park area, and in all probability the only source from where the true genetic strain of Loch Levens may be found.
The different strains of Brown trout introduced into the country were mixed and cultured within the hatchery system and from that point were introduced around the country. The first actual stocking of Brown trout took place when 4,900 newly hatched fry were taken from the Michigan hatchery, loaded into a fish car and stocked into the Baldwin River, a tributary of the Pere Marquette River, which flows into Lake Michigan. Brown trout are now established in some 40 States.
We now accept the Brown trout as a most worthy species but that was not so much the case in the past. Brown trout were responsible for the demise of other species on streams to which they were introduced, and were not accepted as a worthwhile fish.
That was also the case for the White river system in the early days. For a number of years after Browns were introduced, the AGFC curtailed stocking of Browns. They were considered too aggressive toward the Rainbow trout.
Brown trout differ in many ways. For one they are the more difficult of the species to catch. They are very selective in feeding habits and are wary, presenting the fly fisherman a greater challenge than Rainbow and Cutthroat trout. They are by nature a very territorial species. They will seek a location that provides them both with good resting lies and cover, and one in which they can secure adequate food sources.
Typically, the larger the fish the more a prime location is established.
They are blessed with incredible senses of awareness, acute senses of sight and smell and the ability to detect unseen prey by detection of movement. Their eyes allow for the species to detect prey during days of diminished light and during hours of darkness. For given periods of the year, they will become nocturnal, which is the case for the majority of the food base.
As summer ends and colder nights arrive, Browns instinctively change their behavior for two reasons. The first is to move upstream to source shallow gravel substrate to spawn. The second is they know that the abundance of food base will decline during the winter period.
They know that after the rituals of spawning which typically takes place during November and early December; it will not be until the spring that food becomes available again.
This is the time of the year, that the wary Brown trout losses some of the caution it normally possesses. They also develop a very aggressive behavior toward lesser forms of life, and are more likely to attack anything they see as a threat.
It is prime time to work the shorelines and shallows looking for a trophy fish. To catch trophy browns, you have to think as they do and understand the ways of the species.
I will add only this footnote. I will not fish for Browns when they are established on redds, where they are attempting to spawn. At that time, l do not consider them a worthy quarry. They should be left in peace to do so. Wading in those zones further destroys the chances for the eggs to incubate for the periods of 20 or more days that they require.
Davy
American International Schools of Fly Fishing
Outfitter and guide services
Custom flies-Flyfish-How to-DVDs
