Brook Trout & Lake Trout~Water Strider Inflatable
Fishing for brook trout in lakes, in the spring, is pretty new territory for me. Having the right equipment can be the difference between getting fish, and getting skunked! Finding, and getting to brook trout lakes in Ontario can be a challenge in itself. Having a light, stable, compact boat with you when you get there opens up some amazing possibilities….
Several weeks ago I pulled together all my marked-up maps and notes from previous years and decided it was time to try lake fishing for brook trout. Its well documented that in the spring is the best time to try to find these fish in depths that make fly fishing a possibility. As the season progresses, the water temperatures rise driving these cold water dwellers into the deep. I checked stocking reports, made some phone calls….read between the lines with the "no organic bait and catch and release mentions I came across. With a tight time frame for fishing, I picked a likely spot and the plan was hatched! I spoke with DanJ to see if he might be interested in joining me. Having both a sense of adventure AND an inflatable boat, Dan was in. As Saturday approached, the forecast was looking grim. Considering the distance involved, I wondered if would weaken Dan’s resolve~not so.
When we finally got to the lake, we were most impressed with the beauty, and solitude of the place. It was a good reminder that places like this, so incredibly quiet, are worth the effort. It was hard for the first couple of hours of fishing to not feel like just being there was good enough. The fishing~within 15 minutes of reaching the lake, the Water Strider was set up, waders were on, rod was rigged and I was ready to launch. You simply step into the boat, pick it up, and walk into the water~simple! As it is a kick boat, you need to walk backwards if you’re wearing the fins! Once I was in, I rowed out a short distance and threaded the sink tip line through the guides on the 9′ 5wt. rod. I had an extra reel with me, set-up with a floating line and 9′ leader to 5x in case there was any surface activity. Unless there was evidence of rising fish, it was going to be a streamer day. I rowed across the lake to fish a nice looking rocky point. I worked the shore line, taking advantage of a slight breeze that was going the right way. I didn’t see any sign of life (fish that is) and didn’t so much as get a tap. I rowed into a small bay to investigate what I had hoped was a river running INTO the lake. Instead, it was running out of the lake, and I was more interested in fishing deeper water. We had noticed, along with some hefty midges, a few big mayflies~duns and spinners. I decided that if I could catch one, we could photograph and try to identify it. I watched one hatch beside the boat, caught it and rowed it over to Dan. Nice shot!
It was then that Dan told me there were some small trout rising near some weeds on the other side of the lake. Sounds good~lets go! Well, small was the right word for them~but they WERE brook trout! Reluctant to put a damper on the fun I was having fooling some of these feisty little trout, Dan suggested we see some more of the lake, cast some streamers etc. My trance was broken… I put the reel (rigged with the sink tip) back on, and tied on one of my new bait fish imitations. It had worked on the brook trout I caught last week, worth a try! I rowed over to within 20 feet of the shore, cast it out, set the rod on my lap and began a slow troll. 
Not convinced that a streamer being pulled at a steady pace would do it, I began to vary the speed, and manner that I rowed. After about 15 minutes, I noticed that the lake was quite deep, even 15 feet from shore. More weight might do it. I brought the streamer in, added a split shot, and cast it out again. The split shot helped to drop it slowly, head first. Jigging action…that can’t be all bad!
Previously, I had been stopping the boat to let it sink. I began to experiment with ways of getting slack into the line, without stopping…possibly giving the streamer a bit of side to side motion. **See illustration** This seemed to work…or at least I believed it might. About 5 minutes later, the rod laying on my lap jolted…hard. I grabbed it, set the hook and was connected to something that was eagerly trying to swim straight down! I was amazed at the strength of the fish, and figured I had hooked a big small mouth bass. Dan rowed over, camera in hand. When I got it close, it was a trout…a LAKE trout!
Very cool, my first on a fly. This was getting interesting…. I checked the fly, cast it out, and began trolling the Water Strider in the same manner. Ten minutes later (after passing a big, submerged bark-less tree) I felt a tap.
With the streamer’s tendency to foul from time to time, I thought it wise to bring it in and inspect it. It was fine. I cast it out again, and just as I got the bit of slack reeled in, the rod jolted. This time, the fish has to have taken it only a few feet down….or had followed it up after short striking it the first time. This one came to the boat a little quicker than the lake trout had, but I was delighted to see that it was a beautiful brook trout! I doubt i’ll ever forget the vision of that beautiful fish, brilliant colors easily seen in the crystal clear water coming towards the net.It was a great day for sure, and won’t be my last time hitting a brook trout lake in the spring. In fact…next weekend might be free…
Thanks to Dan Jackson for the photos, had a great time!
The gear…
boat~ Water Strider kick boat www.waterstrider.com
rod~ Anglers Roost Arc Beavertail Sage TCR 590-4 Anglers Roost
reel~ Danielsson Dry Fly http://www.danielsson-flyreels.se/en/start.php
line~Cortland 444 Sink Tip www.cortlandline.com
