Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

All about trout fishing in the great Garden State!
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Twism86
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Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Fri Mar 20, 2020 11:14 am

Needless to say, its getting weird out there.... However, the fish are none the wiser and if you have the time, go fishing!!

I took a drive yesterday and hit up a tiny wild brookie stream. Very tiny! Inches deep in most spots and a low gradient so the fish are spooky and mostly hidden in undercut banks and a few deeper pools. Tough fishing but its the challenge thats fun. Landed a bunch with a "lunker" being 6" or so. Enjoy some pics and go outside!
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"Stupidity is scary but genius can be frightening.
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SBRtool
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by SBRtool » Fri Mar 20, 2020 12:13 pm

Beautiful fish and some really cool looking water.

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BiggerThomas
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by BiggerThomas » Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:12 pm

Nothing like hooking into our State Fish! Nice job, Moderator SIR!
"Most anglers spend their lives in making rules for trout, and trout spend theirs in breaking them."

-From Letters to Young Fly-Fishers, (1926) Sir George Aston,

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coaltrout
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by coaltrout » Fri Mar 20, 2020 2:00 pm

fun time in the tiny streams.

justin.czu
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by justin.czu » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:04 am

Twism86 wrote:
Fri Mar 20, 2020 11:14 am
Needless to say, its getting weird out there.... However, the fish are none the wiser and if you have the time, go fishing!!

I took a drive yesterday and hit up a tiny wild brookie stream. Very tiny! Inches deep in most spots and a low gradient so the fish are spooky and mostly hidden in undercut banks and a few deeper pools. Tough fishing but its the challenge thats fun. Landed a bunch with a "lunker" being 6" or so. Enjoy some pics and go outside!
Beautiful fish! What kind of flies and/or lures do you recommend when fishing tiny water like this?

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Twism86
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:36 am

justin.czu wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:04 am
Twism86 wrote:
Fri Mar 20, 2020 11:14 am
Needless to say, its getting weird out there.... However, the fish are none the wiser and if you have the time, go fishing!!

I took a drive yesterday and hit up a tiny wild brookie stream. Very tiny! Inches deep in most spots and a low gradient so the fish are spooky and mostly hidden in undercut banks and a few deeper pools. Tough fishing but its the challenge thats fun. Landed a bunch with a "lunker" being 6" or so. Enjoy some pics and go outside!
Beautiful fish! What kind of flies and/or lures do you recommend when fishing tiny water like this?
I was fishing tiny trout magnet jigs. This water is so tight that fly fishing would be difficult so I opted for the spinning rod. With all the undercut banks and over hanging brush I wasnt able to make very many overhead casts. Mostly pitch casts and side arm.

For flies I saw a few rises so a big attractor style or EHC would work if they are looking up. I dont find these wild brookies particularly picky, so really anything thats flashy or you can get to them will work. A small beadhead bugger would also work well.
"Stupidity is scary but genius can be frightening.
Genius built the atom bomb. Genius topples nations."

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coaltrout
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by coaltrout » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:53 am

Twism86 wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:36 am
justin.czu wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:04 am
Twism86 wrote:
Fri Mar 20, 2020 11:14 am
Needless to say, its getting weird out there.... However, the fish are none the wiser and if you have the time, go fishing!!

I took a drive yesterday and hit up a tiny wild brookie stream. Very tiny! Inches deep in most spots and a low gradient so the fish are spooky and mostly hidden in undercut banks and a few deeper pools. Tough fishing but its the challenge thats fun. Landed a bunch with a "lunker" being 6" or so. Enjoy some pics and go outside!
Beautiful fish! What kind of flies and/or lures do you recommend when fishing tiny water like this?
I was fishing tiny trout magnet jigs. This water is so tight that fly fishing would be difficult so I opted for the spinning rod. With all the undercut banks and over hanging brush I wasnt able to make very many overhead casts. Mostly pitch casts and side arm.

For flies I saw a few rises so a big attractor style or EHC would work if they are looking up. I dont find these wild brookies particularly picky, so really anything thats flashy or you can get to them will work. A small beadhead bugger would also work well.
twism, i dont fly fish much but agree with these sort of streams. Just way to narrow to have fun with a fly rod. if you bring a fly rod, you end up not even casting with it and just using it as a tenkara pole.

Trout magnets are good but also found some even smaller jigs that you can then tie some simple feathers on, or some even smaller plastics that are used for ice fishing.

1/80th oz jigs on a # 12 hook, then wrap some lead free wire on it to give it just a bit more weight. Then tie a hint of black marabou on it. Ive done well with brookies/browns that way. And on 2lb test u can even cast it just far enough.

Jigs like that you wont find in stores, but definitely on ebay and also Chuck n debs online site.

You can also do the same setup with chubs for bait, sunnies at a pond, etc. I keep this light rod and jigs with me year round.

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Twism86
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:20 pm

Ive yet to find any fish of any size that a white 1/64th oz trout magnet wont catch :D
"Stupidity is scary but genius can be frightening.
Genius built the atom bomb. Genius topples nations."

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BiggerThomas
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by BiggerThomas » Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:44 pm

Twism86 wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:20 pm
Ive yet to find any fish of any size that a white 1/64th oz trout magnet wont catch :D
Trout magnets are one step above electroshocking as a means for catching trout :lol: ...
"Most anglers spend their lives in making rules for trout, and trout spend theirs in breaking them."

-From Letters to Young Fly-Fishers, (1926) Sir George Aston,

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coaltrout
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by coaltrout » Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:47 pm

Twism86 wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:20 pm
Ive yet to find any fish of any size that a white 1/64th oz trout magnet wont catch :D
damn i just have crap luck with them :mrgreen: I use these 1/32nd oz, sometimes 1/16th oz versions, of #8 jigs and tip it with a tiny worm plastic like a trout magnet. I love it for browns but never had a single brookie hit it.
Could be a confidence thing. Or how I fish jigs differently.

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Twism86
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:44 am

coaltrout wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:47 pm
Twism86 wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:20 pm
Ive yet to find any fish of any size that a white 1/64th oz trout magnet wont catch :D
damn i just have crap luck with them :mrgreen: I use these 1/32nd oz, sometimes 1/16th oz versions, of #8 jigs and tip it with a tiny worm plastic like a trout magnet. I love it for browns but never had a single brookie hit it.
Could be a confidence thing. Or how I fish jigs differently.
The brookies can be finicky on them at times. They tend to hit it quick and kind of "pick" at it rather than inhale it like a brown.
"Stupidity is scary but genius can be frightening.
Genius built the atom bomb. Genius topples nations."

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coaltrout
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by coaltrout » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:42 pm

Twism86 wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:44 am
coaltrout wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:47 pm
Twism86 wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:20 pm
Ive yet to find any fish of any size that a white 1/64th oz trout magnet wont catch :D
damn i just have crap luck with them :mrgreen: I use these 1/32nd oz, sometimes 1/16th oz versions, of #8 jigs and tip it with a tiny worm plastic like a trout magnet. I love it for browns but never had a single brookie hit it.
Could be a confidence thing. Or how I fish jigs differently.
The brookies can be finicky on them at times. They tend to hit it quick and kind of "pick" at it rather than inhale it like a brown.
that could be my prob, i often set hook at moment of sensing a hit. with the smallest 1/80th jig there is no picking as they just eat it whole :P

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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by joe_panella » Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:45 pm

Tom, you need a 6' bamboo rod. Perfect for that kind of stream.

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Twism86
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:20 am

joe_panella wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:45 pm
Tom, you need a 6' bamboo rod. Perfect for that kind of stream.
I have one now! Or maybe its 6' 6''? Either way, I could use it there but I still would have to do a lot of bow and arrow casts as room for a back cast is limited. On such a tight stream I think the UL spin rod still lets me cast to a few places the bamboo/fly wouldnt.

There is also the rod damage factor. On these little streams im often rock hopping, jumping over trees, crawling under them and generally bushwhacking with reckless abandon. I dont care what happens to my $20 5' UL spin rod and have hung it up on trees and thrown it over the stream many times, things my bamboo would not survive. I will always choose "fishability" and durability over the bamboo or fly rod experience if that gives me the best chance to catch more fish.
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by coaltrout » Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:51 am

Twism86 wrote:
Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:20 am
joe_panella wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:45 pm
Tom, you need a 6' bamboo rod. Perfect for that kind of stream.
I have one now! Or maybe its 6' 6''? Either way, I could use it there but I still would have to do a lot of bow and arrow casts as room for a back cast is limited. On such a tight stream I think the UL spin rod still lets me cast to a few places the bamboo/fly wouldnt.

There is also the rod damage factor. On these little streams im often rock hopping, jumping over trees, crawling under them and generally bushwhacking with reckless abandon. I dont care what happens to my $20 5' UL spin rod and have hung it up on trees and thrown it over the stream many times, things my bamboo would not survive. I will always choose "fishability" and durability over the bamboo or fly rod experience if that gives me the best chance to catch more fish.
forget about your waders too; gunna get pins holes and scratches everywhere if there's thorns around. I wear hip boots over my stocking foot ones now so that any thorns just damage the hip boots while I stay dry with stocking foots.

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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Troutman » Wed Mar 25, 2020 12:48 pm

I have one now! Or maybe its 6' 6''? Either way, I could use it there but I still would have to do a lot of bow and arrow casts as room for a back cast is limited. On such a tight stream I think the UL spin rod still lets me cast to a few places the bamboo/fly wouldnt.

There is also the rod damage factor. On these little streams im often rock hopping, jumping over trees, crawling under them and generally bushwhacking with reckless abandon. I dont care what happens to my $20 5' UL spin rod and have hung it up on trees and thrown it over the stream many times, things my bamboo would not survive. I will always choose "fishability" and durability over the bamboo or fly rod experience if that gives me the best chance to catch more fish.
[/quote]

forget about your waders too; gunna get pins holes and scratches everywhere if there's thorns around. I wear hip boots over my stocking foot ones now so that any thorns just damage the hip boots while I stay dry with stocking foots.
[/quote]

good points. Im gonna use the hip wader trick over the stocking foots. Thanks coaltrout ;)
Was known as Troutman1

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Twism86
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Wed Mar 25, 2020 12:53 pm

coaltrout wrote:
Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:51 am
Twism86 wrote:
Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:20 am
joe_panella wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:45 pm
Tom, you need a 6' bamboo rod. Perfect for that kind of stream.
I have one now! Or maybe its 6' 6''? Either way, I could use it there but I still would have to do a lot of bow and arrow casts as room for a back cast is limited. On such a tight stream I think the UL spin rod still lets me cast to a few places the bamboo/fly wouldnt.

There is also the rod damage factor. On these little streams im often rock hopping, jumping over trees, crawling under them and generally bushwhacking with reckless abandon. I dont care what happens to my $20 5' UL spin rod and have hung it up on trees and thrown it over the stream many times, things my bamboo would not survive. I will always choose "fishability" and durability over the bamboo or fly rod experience if that gives me the best chance to catch more fish.
forget about your waders too; gunna get pins holes and scratches everywhere if there's thorns around. I wear hip boots over my stocking foot ones now so that any thorns just damage the hip boots while I stay dry with stocking foots.
Dont even need waders for a stream of this size! For most WTS I used to wear rubber hip waders or just high muck boots to stay dry. Now I just wear crappy shoes and get my feet wet or stay out of the water.
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Rusty Spinner » Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:42 pm

I should be hitting a WTS instead of the SBR right now, but I'm obsessed with trying to be on the water on the best dry fly days, and our mayflies are just starting to trickle off around my area. But will all the rain coming, a smaller WTS will flash off quickly and let me fish for a while in peace.
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lightenup
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by lightenup » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:45 pm

You need a little 2 wt. Rod I only have a 3 and use that on tiny streams..its 6 and half feet of slow casting bamboo..shoots flies into places you couldn't imagine...I was bow and arrow casting the other day..with mild success..thats tough..too hard you fly whips past the target..to soft and it drops early..

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Twism86
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Re: Nature Open for Business - Wild Brookies

Post by Twism86 » Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:51 pm

lightenup wrote:
Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:45 pm
You need a little 2 wt. Rod I only have a 3 and use that on tiny streams..its 6 and half feet of slow casting bamboo..shoots flies into places you couldn't imagine...I was bow and arrow casting the other day..with mild success..thats tough..too hard you fly whips past the target..to soft and it drops early..
Fly rods are too easily damaged for my style of fishing!
"Stupidity is scary but genius can be frightening.
Genius built the atom bomb. Genius topples nations."

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