Brook Trout

Did I ever mention that I like to fish?  The answer to that would probably be.....Yeah, only a 100 times.  Claudia will tell you that it's more like an obsession (nature observation and fly tying being the others).  However, if there is one fish I love to fish for more than the rest it would have to be Salvelinus fontalis.  Also known as the Brook Trout.  The brook trout is not really a trout at all but a member of the char family.  It has lived in the northeastern US since at least the end of the last ice age.  I admire it for its hardiness to make a living in such a harsh environnment such as a small mountain stream.  It can endure the coldest winters and the toughest summer droughts.  About the only thing it has a hard time dealing with is pollution, rising water temperatures, and invasive species (all of those are our fault).  I also love it for its incredible beauty.  The colors and patterns are quite striking.  If it were placed in a tropical river or ocean coral reef I don't think anyone would think it was out of place.  The small streams that they can be found in can be equally beautiful.  There are many times I find myself just sitting beside  just such a stream watching the world go by.  The web of life that can be found in and around any mountain stream is facinating.  Eventhough I live on Long Island I manage a few times a year to go upstate and do some hiking and fishing in such places.  My latest addition to my list of addictions would be Tenkara fly fishing.  It is perfect for this type of pursuit.  I will probably talk about Tenkara in a later post but a good website to go to to learn more about it would be TenkaraUSA or TenkaraBum.  All the brookies I caught this year were released safely back into thier watery worlds.  For a moment though, each one was like holding a small jewel in my hand.

Many of these small guys were caught on flies that I tied. My two favorite flies to use on small streams are a royal sakasa kebari and an orange and herl sakasa kebari.  I'll give my recipes for them in a later post.


Royal Sakasa Kebari

Orange and Herl Sakasa Kebari