1-22-2006: Battling with January lake run brown trout.

New year and I promised myself I would make more time to get out fishing.

Trip #1:

The inaugural blog after the first outing with my fly rod in 2006. This was a great day. I met and became fast friends with Mr. Butler of Chicago. He is a great person and never without anything to say, fishing related or otherwise. His tales did help pass a cold afternoon at Colonial Park on the Root River in Racine, Wisconsin. The air was cold but the sun shined and Friday’s heavy wet snow was falling from the trees as the rays became warmer. Not a perfect day for catching but a great day for fishing. I took the usual 9 foot, 7 weight with egg patterns and split shot; keeping it simple. I built the rod some time ago and sold it. With luck I found it again and bought it back. It was meant to be, for me and that ugly old rod. It is the true definition of function before form, and even sometimes lacks in both departments (02/09/06 new decorative thread and reel seat were added and a post of the is listed above, face lift). I built it as I was learning to construct rods and it shows, but it fishes so well. I was up against fish in the twenty pound class in rocky waters, blow downs, line snags and swift currents that all should have done away with the six pound tippet, but did not.

The first fish I hooked was exciting and unexpected. I did my best, but the large brown was not having it. As I drew him closer Mr. Butler took out his camera, "the jinx", the hook came loose and the fish stormed away victorious. As it grew later I found myself alone with his place to fish. I moved downstream. Before he had walked out of sight, fish on. The fish, as you can see, is of good size and fresh to the system. Her ventral fin is clipped from the hatchery and she was properly released. I took a few photos to remember her and then without much persuasion returned her to the deep pocket from which she came.

In the end, the presence of the brown this late is rumored to be a result of the weather being unseasonably warm and low precipitation. On this day I was glad there was still a few left. I will return soon to hopefully find some steelhead and maybe one more holdover brown trout.


Email: wbhrod@yahoo.com