Memorial Day Trouting Outing

For many, Memorial Day is a day of picnics and relaxation with family and friends. But for those of us who are self-employed, there is no such thing as a 'paid holiday', so much of my day was spent working, and making ends meet.

Upon arriving home, I was pretty well beat - but even more noticeable was that I was feeling rather anxious. I've been spending a lot of time in my art studio working on new artwork, in between board meetings, cleaning houses (my day job) and attending an important conference. My brain was just frazzled. And so, I pondered skipping any responsibilities for some self-care while enjoying some macaroni salad, and hot dogs. Afterall, what kind of Memorial Day would it have been to not have indulged in those two things?

As a new fly fisherman - I haven't quite had time to sit down and learn the new knots, or even get to a store to buy new tippet material, so I fell back on an old habit: SPINNER FISHING.

In contrast to my 8.5-foot fly rod, my spinning rod is half the length. I like a small rod for spin fishing. The small rod size allows for me to cast and get the appropriate angles in small streams that are often overlooked by other fishermen. (It's also easier to crawl through brush with.) And so, I drove to a small stream I've been wanting to try for several years and gave it a shot.

I started fishing in a larger stream that connects to the small "mystery" stream I speak of. The area I started was precisely where I had caught my first trout on a fly just a week or so earlier. This time though - I was using hardware - and cast the gold spinner up the creek in several locations with no luck. Knowing damn well they work well, I could only suspect I spooked the wary wild brown trout that call this stretch of creek home when I entered the area.

I gave myself a lower profile, and hunkered over I flipped the spinner 50 yards forward in front of a big boulder. The boulder was surrounded in deep, darker water, though still very clear.

BAM! Trout on!

With a flash of gold, I reeled in a dandy wild brownie, probably around 11 inches in length. He was colorful, and after a very quick photo, he was slipped back into his habitat to live another day.

Where the familiar stream branches into two, I took the "left" branch, which was considerably smaller. Typically, I venture to the right, where the stream looks a bit more productive, but my whole purpose was really to explore and fish personally unchartered waters.

Within moments I had another hit, a small stream-born brownie that could fit into the palm of my hand.

Moments later, a second, basically the same size. Several others chased the spinner, but having snagged a large chunk of moss, I spooked them. Disgruntled, I pulled the moss off my spinner, and noticed a larger 'sip' on the water ahead of me. I crept forward into deceivingly deep water, where I thanked my lucky stars I had chest waders, and then cast forward alongside some brush.

BAM! Another trout. This one, larger than the youngsters that hit the spinner a dozen yards onback.

I fished on, landing some more small trout and losing some others before I could get them in. In one deeper pool I landed a beautiful wild brown, probably around 15 inches, with deep yellows and golds, and silvery blue cheeks.

Although Brown Trout are not a native fish, I do love them. They offer a more resilient trout species in streams that may be too warm for other trout species, and add a touch of gold to any fishing trip they are a part of.

Thanks for reading! Until next time...