browns

After an extended ice fishing season it was nice to finally hit the streams again. After three trips the fishing has been fairly tough with not alot of trout caught. My first excursion I tried rapalas first with no success and after switching to a Super Bow spinner managed to catch two trout, one nice 16 incher and a small one. Had two other fish swirl without hooking up. My second outing I encountered muddy water (alot of snow melting) and had absolutely no success. I quit fishing after an hour as the stream got dirtier as I fished.
Yesterday I entered the water in the afternoon and proceeded to catch a few small browns mostly around the 10 to 12 inch mark. The fish all seemed to be holding in the rapids as I didn’t hook up with any fish in the pool sections of the stream. All fish were caught on Super Bow spinners and Rapalas. Late afternoon I arrived at “Walter’s home”, a pool where my buddy and I have lost a nice brown for the last two years, it seems he always had our number. I cast the back end of the pool without success but when I cast my rapala into the rapids the water exploded. After a brief struggle I finally got a chance to meet my nemisis, Walter, a 22 inch brown. I did not have my camera so sorry for no picture.
So far this year I’ve been disapointed in the small numbers of 14 to 20 inch fish. Seems to be alot of smaller trout but very few of those 16 inchers. I’ve been fishing for the most part portions of streams miles below their “trout water” designation.