Fly Fishing for Virginias Native
Brook Trout- A How to Guide
Salvelinus fontinalis or the Brook Trout as they are commonly
named is the state fish of Virginia.
These spirited trout may typically be small, but what they lack in size
they make up for with spirit and beauty.
Many would be surprised just how hard these little guys can fight, and I
have yet to be able to find a fish that can compete with the beauty of a native
Southern Brook Trout. Virginia is
lucky enough to sport some of the best native Southern Brook Trout water
anywhere in the country and I hope to be able to give you an idea of what
you’ll need and just what it takes to chase these beautiful fish.
Rod/Reel/Line
There are
plenty of ways you could rig for Brookies, between the rods, reels, lines,
leaders ect. I will not be touching on
all of them but rather what I think works best and what has worked best for me
over the years. For a rod, I have always
used a 3wt fly rod. I like to keep it
less than 7’6” if possible and the rod I have been using the most and am slowly
but surely falling in love with is the 6’9” 3wt. Echo Glass. The slow action of this rod allows me to
present flies much more delicately than with graphite and also the fiberglass
blank tends to be more durable than its graphite counterpart, (this can be
something worth thinking about, since rods can take a beating in these
technical little streams). I have found
the shorter rod really helps in most of the tight little streams and it also
makes it easier to handle when hiking in.
I don’t worry too much about a reel when Brookie fishing because very few
Brookies if any will ever be caught on the reel. Typically a standard 3wt click
and pawl reel will fit the bill just fine.
They are usually pretty light which can make for a much more enjoyable
combo to fish. The fly line is a pretty
important part of any combo and especially the brook trout combo. I recommend finding a fly line with a soft
taper, nothing too sharp that will require a lot of momentum to roll cast or
just to cast in general, the key is to be stealthy. I have been using AirFlo fly lines for
Brookies for a while now. These lines
are polyurethane based and are typically more durable than their PVC
counterparts. Durability is another
important aspect of a brook trout fly line to consider since it will be dragged
over rocks, logs, thorn bushes and a lot of other nasty stuff from time to
time. The leaders I like to use for
Brookies vary with the water and flies I am fishing. If I am fishing a dry fly I typically use a 9ft
leader with a foot or more of tippet, both in the 5X or 6X variety. If I am nymphing I will use a shorter leader
to be able to turn over the extra weight of the indicator and everything,
typically a 7 ½ foot 5X leader fits the bill.
Gear and
Clothing
Once you
spend some time on the Brook Trout streams in Virginia you will learn there are
a few different types of anglers out there. One type is what I like to call The
Catalog Angler. This is the guy who went
into the L.L Bean or Orvis catalog and practically ordered everything from a
matching hat, waders, vest, wading jacket, lanyard and everything else you can
imagine. Another type of Brookie fishermen I see all too often is the SWAT team
fishermen. The SWAT team fishermen is the guy who wears more camo than anyone
could ever imagine. While I will admit
drab colors and even a bit of camo is necessary, this guy takes it to the
extreme with camo everything from boots to facepaint. Then there is the polar
opposite of the SWAT team with the Ski Slope Fishermen. I call them ski slope fishermen because the
only place colors that bright and out of place belong is on a ski slope…please,
leave your neon green and fluorescent orange shirts at home if you plan on
Brookie fishing. There are other types
of fishermen out there, the backpackers, the purists, the father/son duo ect. truth
be told you will see all kinds. With that being said, the gear I take for
Brookies is with one thing in mind, keep it simple. I wear standard waist high waders with
studded rubber sole wading boots. Some days I wear a vest and others I use a
sling pack. Shirt color is probably the
most important part of your brook trout apparel. Keep the colors drab. Olive
greens, light browns, greys ect. are all good choices. You just want to have something that will
blend in with the back drop. This is the
only part that I would say camo can be necessary. Polarized sunglasses are
always a must for me as I like to have every advantage that I can when it comes
to locating fish and being able to see takes whether they are on the surface or
subsurface. Polarized glasses
drastically reduce glare on the water and really help you see into the water
better. As for packs and vests, like I said, I use both. It just depends what
I’m doing as to which I am going to wear.
If I had to pick one over the other it would probably be the sling pack
though. A sling pack is the most
comfortable pack you will ever wear and they can hold all of the stuff you
could need for a day of Brookie fishing.
Another piece of equipment I bring that is often overlooked for Brookies
is a net. I always carry a net with me
because I try to be as gentle as possible with these fish. Brookies are pretty resilient but there is no
reason to handle them any more than you have to. It is always better to net the
fish in the water, spin the hook out in the net and let the fish swim out of
the net, rather than pick them up and grip them as you tug on the hook. I know
a lot of people like to just reach down while lifting the fish’s head out of
the water and use forceps to spin the hook out without touching the fish at
all, this works well also, but a net is also a nice tool to help you get a
picture of a fish without hurting them too much. While setting up the camera
you can leave the fish in the net in the water so they won’t get too stressed
from handling or be out of the water for too long.
Flies
Now that you
have your gear and clothing you are going to need to know what flies to
throw. Luckily, Brookies are not too
picky. In the Spring and Fall months
they will eat just about any average sized dry fly drifted their way. Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, and
Wulffs will all work. My favorite way to
catch them is with terrestrial patterns such as flying beetles, hoppers, ants
and crickets. It is best to keep the sizes average, not too small and not too large.
#14-18 dry flies will work just
fine. In the Winter months I typically
fish size 16-20 nymphs. There is no reason to get really fancy here, most of
your brook trout streams don’t get fished too hard in the winter so the fish
aren’t too picky or selective, it’s more about being sure you get the fly down
to their level and present it well rather than worry about the fly
pattern. I like to throw Princes,
Brassies, Pheasant Tails, Midges, and Hairs Ears. Typically your bread and
butter every day nymphs will trick a hungry Winter Brookie.
When to
Fish
Since
Virginia has such a large amount of Brook Trout water to fish, you can
typically find somewhere to fish without too much trouble in every season. I typically fish for Brookies in the Spring,
Early Summer, late Fall and Winter. I typically don’t like to fish for the
Brookies in the Summer because the water levels in most streams are so low that
it isn’t worth the trip and the fish are typically very stressed from increased
water traffic from swimmers, hikers and fishermen so I don’t want to pressure
them too much. I also don’t choose to
fish for them in the early Fall because that is typically when Brookies
spawn. The eggs usually fill the
shallows and walking around in the water can stir them up and cause them to be
lost downstream along with stepping on them as well. I just chose not to target them in this
period in respect for the species and hopes for a healthy, strong spawn. There are some lakes in western Virginia that
host good populations of brook trout that you can fish in a kayak, canoe or
belly boat in the summer months as well as the fall months without too much
trouble. Typically lake Brookies aren’t
as fun as stream fish to me, but if you fall in love with the species like I
did, then you may just have to head out there to fill the need in the late
Summer when you are craving some Brook Trout action.
Tips
Before I
leave you to the fun of Native Brookie fishing I figured I would give you some
final tips to carry with you.
1. CATCH AND RELEASE. I am one of the biggest advocates in
the world for catch and release fishing of Virginias Native Brookies. Even though plenty of the streams are already
catch and release only, there are many who still allow a creel limit. Please, these fish are Native to this region,
let them stay that way. There isn’t enough meat on a Brookie for it to even be worth anyone’s
trouble. The more of these little guys
we let swim free, the more we have to catch in the future. Learn to handle fish
correctly and release them back to swim another day.
2. STAY LOW.
No matter what stream you’re fishing or how spooky the fish are, it can
never hurt to keep a low profile. After
a season of Brookie fishing you will be used to the crawling around and it
won’t bother you much anymore. Stay low
and you will catch more fish.
3. Practice Your Casting.
This should go without saying. I
wouldn’t suggest hopping into a Brookie stream without being a fairly
accomplished caster. Sometimes you will
have to roll cast under limbs or false cast through tight shoots, ect. You just
need to be comfortable with your cast and be prepared to have to make a few
difficult casts in a day. Just remember, if it was always easy, it wouldn’t be
any fun!
4. Wade Slow or Don’t Wade At All. There is rarely anything to gain on a
Brookie stream by wading fast and hurrying up stream. The rocks in these streams are slick and I
mean SLICK. Trying to hurry will end up
in rolled ankles, broken rods, broken spirits and probably spooked fish as
well
.
5. Fish Water You Wouldn’t Normally
Fish. This is
something that may take a while to get used to, but once you pull a nice 12+”
Brookie out of a pocket smaller than a paint can you will know what I
mean. There are a lot of pockets on
Brookie streams that get overlooked, don’t be afraid to throw a fly in there a
couple times just to see if anyone is home.
These fish don’t need much room to call home, you will be surprised how
small of holes they can hide in!
6. Practice Taking Less Than You THINK
You Need. You don’t
need much out there. Plenty of times I
have been able to fish out of only one side of a fly box all day without any
problem. You don’t need every possible life cycle stage of every insect native
to Virginia in 10 different sizes. You will be doing a lot of hiking and the
less weight you can bring, the better.
7. Pools, Pools, Pools, Pools,
Pools. This is where they will almost always
live. If you are a Novice Brookie fishermen and want to get your confidence up,
then just go “pool hopping”. Go from one
obvious pool to the next and drift flies through, it won’t take long to have a
decent number of Brookies under your belt. Confidence is important, the more
confident you are, the better chance you have at catching fish!
8. Keep a Level Head. This is one that shouldn’t need mentioning but I figured I
would throw it in here. Don’t get
discouraged over a missed or lost fish.
It happens. I can remember plenty
of 13+” Brookies that have spit the hook all too close to the net. That’s the
fun of it, remember them. That is what will get you addicted to these
fish. When you return to a familiar pool
with a chip on your shoulder from a lost fish, and if you manage to catch that
fish the next go around, there is no greater feeling. When it’s all said and done, you will get
plenty of shots at fish throughout the day. You’ll make up for it.
9. Take It All In. Virginias Brook Trout streams are
some of the most beautiful scenery you will ever find. Take it slow, appreciate what is around
you. Brook Trout fishing is an
experience everyone should enjoy. If you
are feeling down about a missed fish, just look around, take a seat and enjoy
what nature has to offer.
I believe
that’s about it for this intro to Brookie fishing. I hope this has helped some of you out and
hopefully inspired others to want to give these amazing fish a shot. I can promise you, once you get away into a
Brookie stream, miles from civilization, you will understand why so many of us
love to target the Brookies. I hope this
helps you enjoy some of the finest fishing Virginia has to offer, and I look
forward to meeting some of you out there.
Tight Lines,
Grant Alvis
