Upstate NY Brook Trout: To Whom It May Concern

by | Fresh Water

Brook Trout Video

We pulled off the highway, off the pavement, and off the map. A lifetime ago, these roads split corn, clover and wheat. They still do. The jeep bounced over rolling hills, seasonal washboard roads and dipped into creek-bottoms to lines of cool aqua-blue that disappeared under canopies of briars and vines. Water trickled off every high bank and bubbled up from the ground and I commented on the cool water as I took my first step into the stream. The rain had been falling for a day and at times poured hard or tapered to a fine mist soaking everything and keeping the creek stained green but the visibility was still good. These are small fertile creeks, no larger than hallways in some stretches with opportunistic trout, wary and wild. A well-placed Stimulator, Adams or Prince nymph can be the ticket but you can’t go crashing up the banks. We pulled 3 trout from the first pool at the bridge. The brookies, which pounced on the dry fly, rose in the confidant “Full Body” signature rise they are famous for and fought with every muscle their 6-inch bodies could muster. The 2-weight throbbed and bounced as the trout thrashed and tried to evade capture. A second to hold the emerald jewels, admire the worm markings and send them on their way with a shake of the head in admiration. This was going to be quite the day. We crept up the creek in a “leap-frog” pattern, hooking or missing a fish out of every likely holding position. We would comment this evening that the fly fishing had been “Easy.” I could tell that winter run-off and a couple years of bad flooding had changed the course of the stream. However it’s character seemed unchanged and we were off to a great start. Once in awhile, after 6 or 7 Brookies would slash at our fly, a buttery brown, 10-13 inches long would dart out of a downed log or from below the undercuts and put a real bend in the small rod. One particular fish jumped 3 times and I almost lost him in the tangle of roots where he was hiding. Sometimes the creek opened up enough to stand however most of the fly fishing was done from a crouch position and casts were aimed down the “Tunnel” of branches and vines created by the stream. We put a mile or so behind us on our hands and knees, crawled out of the bottom and walked the corn back to the jeep. A car engine was heard which seemed out of place because we hadn’t heard one in hours. In the next valley, we caught more Brookies up to 10 inches and a few Brown Trout in another mile of stream while never crossing another human track. We walked the fields in the fading light, drove over the dirt roads, pulled onto the pavement and back onto the map.

11 Comments

  1. FishonYukon on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I really enjoyed the perspective of the video. It is great to stare down the barrel of the rod and watch your great hook set. It seems as though you both video and fish at the same time. This brings me hope as none of my fishing buddies ever want to hold the camera and I end up taking the footage and missing the fishing. Maybe with some adjustments like yours I can end up doing both.

    On a different note, I have been reading an Art Lee book recently and he speaks of hatchery raised trout being “easier” than “wild”. Do you notice a difference? I think he speaks of upstate NY waters as well. Thanks from Yukon, Canada http://www.fishonyukon.com

  2. wrh on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    It’s great to see the video and pictures after hearing about the trip. Definetly a great day on the water. It reminds me that the most precious part of fishing is the fishing. It’s nice to catch big fish, different fish and lots of fish etc, but sometimes everything seems to come together to make just the being on the water and wetting a line a magical time and catching fish is just the icing on the cake. This video and story reminded me of that. And by the way the post video blooper was a great addition, hilarious.

  3. Shaq on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    There are two of us doing the filming on this video but I do carry a folding tripod in my vest for a solo shot once in a while. The best is someone else filming over the non-casting shoulder…I just forgot my buddy is a southpaw in this case (See end of vid). I am blessed with very generous and like-minded fishing partners who, like me feel just as much gratification when the other succeeds. This makes for great trips and good video and I can’t wait for the next time I get to go with those guys.

  4. Shaq on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Thanks, shoulda been there, you would have loved it

  5. ChrisR on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Great fish tale Geoff. You know I love those brookies. It’s nice to see a stream in NY that is producing some nice wild fish. Nice tight difficult to fish stuff also. Gotta love it.

  6. RickW on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Sweet video Shaq. I love those little streams. They are worth the effort it takes to find them and fish them.

  7. Marcel_Karssies on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    That was an inspiring video.
    I must say that is a very lovely stream you have fished there.
    It seems like those brookies do not have problems with large flies.
    I also noticed that one of the browns had nice red spots.

    My German club have brook trout in their hatchery right now and these fish will be released in our river.
    Maybe I get a shot at these fish this fall or next spring.
    The fish at the hatchery turned out so well that they will keep some fish for breeding.

  8. jeremy on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    so often, graphics and video get all the attention .. i say this, because i think its true … very well written story .. you pieced together those words nicely ….. best fish-tale yet from a “written word” perspective … nice work shaq.

  9. waterwhippa on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Shaq, The “tale” was excellent. I really enjoyed it. Felt like I was there with you. Great work

  10. bortz on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Upstate NY encompasses a pretty big area that many consider ranging from Rochester to the Adk’s. Was this a video of the Syracuse/Rochester area or was it taken in the “dacks”?
    Nice fish. Does the DEC stock that stream you fished with Brookies?
    Keep up the great work.

  11. PhishingPhan on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    aww geez… I joined the site in hope of watching this video. Being in upstate NY and a week before opening season I have a hankerin’ for a a fishin fix!