Some trout advice

[zaknorman75]

Hi everybody,

I'm looking for some general advice on the flatbrook river for trout. I've been fishing the high traffic area's during the spring, but with hunting coming to a close I just recently have started trying my hand at winter trout'in due to some cabin fever.

I've been working on where the no-kill stretch begins, opposite of the Roy bridge. This Saturday I took a pretty far walk down the path and was throwing trout magnets in every pool I could find. Connected on a few rainbows hanging out under a boulder below a dropoff. One was pretty decent and some great colors, and even gave a jump out of the water.

First question, is that entire stretch of river going towards roy bridge known to hold fish? Clearly it's miles long but I had my doubts of what could possibly hold back there with how low that stretch of the river was back in the fall. I walked a ways back but eventually stopped as I hit a section of river where the river took a hard turn and it looked like they did some work in pulling out fallen trees, because they were piled up along the shoreline in numbers. I wanted to keep going but what I saw in my immediate view was a lot of frozen water and it looked like the river became significantly narrower? If anyone has any idea what I'm talking about... lol. Just curious if anyone journeys back there.. I heard its about 4 miles of winding river.

Worth noting.. on the hike back to the parking lot I sprung a hen. Wasn't expecting that, almost had a heartattack.. lol

Thanks in advance for any advice I may receive.

[23cardinal]

I can't say for the flatbrook- but I can tell u I've caught fish in water prob less that a foot- for certain less than a foot and a half. If the water is clean and moving(flatbrook I know is, I like to hike there and have fished a few times) it'll hold fish. I know the state finds brook trout in waters you'd never expect..

Sounds like a great day man- yea there's always something fun out there-
Edit- there are def fish back there- but yea gotta find the right depth. Didn't recognize the name- had to map it

[zaknorman75]

Thanks 23cardinal, much appreciated! I'm going to be taking a crack at getting a few miles back there this week

[ALS Mako]

Fished the river from the northern boundry of the catch and release section down toabout 2 miles down stream. There are fish all around but this time of year they seem to be holding in the deeper runs. I didn't catch any on a spinner but had enough follows to make the exploring worthwhile. Great river.

[LightGearMike]

I've spent decades fishing the Flatbrook. There is always a trout somewhere. generally try and find some deep pockets in covered or shaded areas. Trout will collect in those regions in the warmer months and then branch out from them in the colder months. When the weather gets warm, walk up and down the banks looking for fall/winter spots where a trout can do some ambushing. Generally you can almost always find 1 or 2 holding up in currents. I've had better luck in the last 5 or 6 years fishing faster water than pools on the Flatty. The north bank has always produced better than the south branch(when they are north and south) in the winter, and usually between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm. If they are going to go for a small baitfish or spinner it will be on the north side where the sun shines in. All the baitfish(if any are there) will look for the sun and slightly warmer water. If the temp drops drastically they usually head back to the pools so they dont have to expend too much energy.(Usually under 28 degrees air temp)

Don't be afraid to cover ALOT of ground! You can have a good day getting 4 or 5 or 6 nice trout but they may be over 1 or 2 miles of river!

Take some shots and show what you find!!!