My son and I had heard the stories about the big German strain brown trout lurking in the waters of Pine Creek so we decided to give it a shot. The fish are stocked not wild trout  but let me tell you that when you hook into one you are in for one wild ride! Personally, I’m a small flow guy preferring the challenge of hooking up with small native bookies in tight quarter. That’s my fly fishing heritage. That being said, the prospect of catching a 20 or even 30 inch brown trout puts a smile on my face!

A quick stop at the Wolf’s General Store’s fly shop was in order before hitting the water. I had heard that they give great advise on what’s hatching and more importantly what flies those big buttery German strain brown trout are wanting to eat on any give day. The recommendation for that day? A confident “fish March Brown wet flies”.  I had never fished a true wet fly before but I purchased a few and we were on our way!

P.S. We picked up a couple sandwiches made with homemade bread from the store. My advise if you are ever in the vicinity… get yourself one!

The pool we fished already had a few fly anglers lined up at the top swinging wet flies and drifting nymphs. Not wanting to join the line up, my son and I forded the swift moving water above the pool to fish from the opposite bank. The flows were high. There was no one over on the other side for good reason. It was one of the toughest wades that I’ve done in recent years with no wading staff. In the photo we are joking about the crossing and a couple close calls that almost ended with a swim! The ledges and rock formation on Pine make for some some wonderful scenery but also some really dynamic fish holding spots.

The March browns worked! The run we fished was deep. I actually fished mine off a long dropper using a heavy point fly to get my rig down fast and closer to the bottom. This was my first German strain brown from Pine. The fish was strong and had my 5 wt working overtime to get him to the net.

After missing a few opportunities and having a couple fish come unbuttoned, I hooked up with this beautiful specimen. There was no mistaking this fishes take. My indicator shot under the water and almost completely disappeared from site in just a fraction of a second. The fish was heavy. The battle went back and forth. I was eventually able to get the fish on the reel and direct him to a waiting net. This would be the last of three big German brown trout caught. A fitting end to an eventful day!

My son struggled to catch a fish today. He wanted to work on his streamer fishing instead of swinging a wet fly. I have to admire his tenacity. I’ve always encouraged him to spend time experimenting with different flies and presentations which sometimes results in less catching but more learning. This was one of those days for him. I’ve got to admire his tenacity!