Where are the brown trout?

[acaravaglia]

I personally prefer to fish for brookies or Browns over rainbows. These two species are more aggressive and likely to hit plugs and other lures (I've caught my share of rainbows to over 9 lbs on jigs and plugs, but by far the action isn't like plugging a stream full of beautiful brooks and Browns). In my experience Rainbows are more inclined to hit Inline spinners, power bait or meal worms. Fly fisherman do well with the bows as well. I can't use meal worms due an allergy when I touch them and power bait just seems fake (was ok when I was a kid). I think it's time to start restocking our state fish, the Brooktrout. I'd also love to see Browns reintroduced. That's my two cents.

[Jigman13]

Itll happen once the hatchery is ideally set up for it i.e. covered raceways etc to protect from birds etc.

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by acaravaglia

. Fly fisherman do well with the bows as well

Misconception. Browns especially are much more inclined to take flies. Brooke's too. Rainbows are much more fickle. Just as likely to catch them on corn.

[Royal Coachman]

I for one get bored catching the same 10.5 inch Rainbows all day long. I'de like to see a return of the Brookies and Browns but it doesn't look like that is likely to happen anytime soon.

[Billfish715]

Originally Posted by Royal Coachman

I for one get bored catching the same 10.5 inch Rainbows all day long. I'de like to see a return of the Brookies and Browns but it doesn't look like that is likely to happen anytime soon.

Welcome to the NJFishing.com family. If you are joining us from another .com you will find the discussions here, both lively and informative. If you are solely a trout fisherman, your comments will be appreciated as well as anyone else's. There are, perhaps, more fly fishermen on this board than people may imagine, so please join in the conversation and feel free to start your own threads and be sure to encourage your friends to do the same.

As for the 10.5 inch rainbows..........you may be too young to remember when a 10.5-11 inch rainbow trout was almost a trophy in N.J. As a kid, a stringer of 9" skinny brook trout was something to be proud of. NJ trout production has improved by leaps and bounds except for the ability to control some pathogens. I would love to catch state-raised browns and brookies again soon. I understand the Division's caution to prevent the spread of disease, but it's time to get back to raising other trout besides just rainbows.

[Royal Coachman]

Originally Posted by Billfish715

Welcome to the NJFishing.com family. If you are joining us from another .com you will find the discussions here, both lively and informative. If you are solely a trout fisherman, your comments will be appreciated as well as anyone else's. There are, perhaps, more fly fishermen on this board than people may imagine, so please join in the conversation and feel free to start your own threads and be sure to encourage your friends to do the same.

As for the 10.5 inch rainbows..........you may be too young to remember when a 10.5-11 inch rainbow trout was almost a trophy in N.J. As a kid, a stringer of 9" skinny brook trout was something to be proud of. NJ trout production has improved by leaps and bounds except for the ability to control some pathogens. I would love to catch state-raised browns and brookies again soon. I understand the Division's caution to prevent the spread of disease, but it's time to get back to raising other trout besides just rainbows.

Thanks for the welcome. I've lurked on the site for many years, especially the saltwater message board. I'm a refugee from another message board that closed down recently.

I've been trout fishing for over 40 years so I do remember those years. Just saying I find it boring to catch the same cookie cutter Rainbow all day.

[Bruce Litton]

Can anyone offer a little dry-fly advice? The last spring of the brown trout stocking--which is why I want browns back so much, loved the brookies, too--I witnessed mid-May rises that amazed me, and I got in the action with my six-weight, too. All browns. Has anyone May experience with swarms of rising rainbows?

[Chrisper4694]

Originally Posted by Bruce Litton

Can anyone offer a little dry-fly advice? The last spring of the brown trout stocking--which is why I want browns back so much, loved the brookies, too--I witnessed mid-May rises that amazed me, and I got in the action with my six-weight, too. All browns. Has anyone May experience with swarms of rising rainbows?

with the stocked fish? your best bet is a fly tied in the shape of a hatchery pellet

[Capt. Lou]

When a hatch is on its my expierance on any stream not only local any trout species therein will rise to feed .
It’s not uncommon to catch several species in that particular stream if available on flies , not so much on dries since our local hatches are not always strong .
Streams that are heavily fished are not your best bet to focus on dries but nymphs and streamers will collect more trout then dries .
Many Streams dries can be deadly after dark if your on the correct waters exibiting a particular hatch that gets em going !
Many surrounding states have the type hatches that make dry fly fishing easier
but timing is the key

[Bruce Litton]

Originally Posted by Chrisper4694

with the stocked fish? your best bet is a fly tied in the shape of a hatchery pellet

By mid-May, those hatchery browns were wild for dry flies. Not that they were quite "wild" yet, no, but rising for sure. Come to think of it, way back in the day, my salmon egg Master friend gave homage to a dry fly angler, who caught rainbows, while we got skunked, end of May.