Wild Winter Browns

With clear, cool weather Friday and Saturday morning, I fished the Ken Lockwood Gorge.  The water clarity was crystal clear, and the fishing was great.  Friday morning, I missed a couple hits, and had a fish snap my line.  I was able to land one large rainbow which was between 15-20 inches.  Saturday morning the fishing was once again great.  I carefully walked down the hill to the river, ready to drift nymphs in a stretch right by the parking area.  Two or three casts in, my indicator went down, and I set the hook to feel the pull of a fish.  I reeled in, and surprisingly it was not a rainbow, but a brown with beautiful red spots.  I moved to a couple more spots, before finding a run that was right above a small waterfall.  I drifted the nymphs around 5 yards above the waterfall in the swiftly moving water, and once again saw my indicator sink.  Another wild brown was to hand soon after, and another after that.  I continued to fish in other spots, and missed a couple hits, but landed no more.  Friday and Saturday the trout were feeding actively at the gorge and the fishing was on.

Fall Trout

Returning home for Thanksgiving last week, I fished for trout for the first time in months.  The first two days, I had no luck at the Ken Lockwood Gorge.  The third day, I fished my favorite small wild trout stream, and lost 2 native brookies and landed 2.  My last full day home, I went on a guided trip with my father on the South Branch of the Raritan.  I ended up landing one 20+ inch rainbow, and my father, a first time fly fisherman caught 4 all around the size of mine, and one even bigger!  All in all it was a great vacation, and great fishing, and I look forward to returning to the streams in a couple weeks when I'm back in NJ for Christmas and New years.

native brookies

big bow on the SBR

native brook trout stream