Brook Trout - Speckled Trout Fishing Article
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Brook Trout - Speckled Trout Fishing Article
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Speckled trout fishing with a fly rod has to be one of the most satisfying, relaxing and exciting activities on the planet! This sport is available to all of us lucky enough to live in Canada. Even though the southern part of our country has become more and more industrial and much prime fishing habitat has been compromised by urbanization and certain necessary agricultural practices, there still can be found pockets of reasonable speckled trout fishing opportunities. For years I searched for these areas in southern Ontario and was sometimes rewarded and sometimes not. Often I would find the water too low ,too warm, find a herd of cattle in the water or just simply run into a "No Trespass sign". Many of the speckled trout fishing spots in the south are stocked, put and take fisheries that provide reasonable fishing albeit for a fairly short time in the spring. Most serious anglers know about these spots and make sure they are there at the appropriate time, rivers can get a little crowded. Now, I really don't mind sharing good fishing with others, but the true joy is to have a pristine wilderness river or stream to yourself and maybe a few good friends.
Having been born in Wales U.K.as the son of a farmer, I was lucky enough to be raised in an area of fairly good fishing. Most fly fishing was for brown trout, Atlantic salmon and sea run trout. My brother and I were self taught and spent every spare moment on the creeks and rivers trying to perfect our technique with a fly rod. Because the fishing was good and because every mile of waterway in the U.K. eventually became in great demand, the Private Fishing signs started to appear . As small boys, land owners initially tolerated us fishing on the posted lands, but as we got older, the tolerance level decreased in inverse proportion to our size! Fishing clubs were formed and the membership fees soared to the point where it became impossible to fish and pay other bills. A change would have to be made. I started to read about and dream about the speckled trout fishing and other fly fishing opportunities in Canada and since hunting was also high on my list of things to do, decided to move to Canada.
Even as a young man, I had read about the incredible speckled trout fishing on the Sutton River that runs into James Bay. For a number of years while involved in raising a family, buying a farm and learning to fly, the speckled trout fishing trip of a lifetime got put on the back burner, but was never far from the front of my mind. One day my friend Jim called and said he wanted to go to the Sutton River for a second speckled trout fishing trip, and explained that his wife who normally was his fishing companion, was unable to make it, and would I be interested in coming along. Let me tell you, interested would not come close! We flew up in Jim's Cessna 185. Upon arrival some 7 hours later we made arrangements with the local natives to rent a boat (this opportunity is sketchy at best and I would not count on rentals being available as it is difficult to contact this group and they are not always there) and a cabin. We immediately set up our equipment and ventured off down the river. The Sutton is navigable by boat and small motor or a canoe for the most part with the exception of a few shallows that you have to drag the boat through. I sat in the bow and Jim drove. I was told to look out for trout. Within a half mile, we were over a pool.
This river is so clear that I could easily make out a couple of dozen speckled trout at about 15 feet deep. Needless to say, the trout scattered at the sight of the boat. We pulled into shore and gave the fish 5 minutes to settle. My first cast, quartering upstream with a slightly weighted bitch creek met with a 15 inch speckled trout that ended up being the smallest fish in the 3 day trip. Oddly enough my second cast caught the interest of a fish in the 5-6lb range, which ended up being the biggest of the trip. We ended that first day with about 3 miles of river explored and somewhere around 20 or so trout each landed and released except for one smaller fish destined for the pan. The next two days were spent exploring and fishing further downstream. After being broken by a trout that had to go 7lbs, I decided to go from 4to 6lb tippets! We caught fish until our arms ached, and tried, unsuccessfully, to find something in our fly boxes that would not work. In the evenings Jim would tie flies with his portable kit and came up with a bushy deer hair creation that we named the Sutton Bug. This creation floated well and proved to be the most successful fly of our speckled trout fishing trip. If we did not get a rise on the dead drift, we would see a 3 to 4lb trout come out of the depths and inhale the fly on an unnatural retrieve!
Those 3 days on the Sutton River were everything I had dreamed of for years, and will go down as one of the most incredible experiences of my fishing life. That was 10 years ago and I am still planning my next speckled trout fishing trip. In the meantime I have acquired, along with my fishing and hunting friend, Clayton Downton, ownership of West Caribou Air Service Inc., a float plane charter outfit based in north western Ontario. Clayton and I can now offer the speckled trout fishing trip of a lifetime to others who are equally afflicted with the trout fishing bug. Located much closer to the James Bay frontier than Jim and I were 10 years ago, we at West Caribou can make the trip much less arduous. There are a number of streams and rivers in the James Bay, Hudson Bay area that are equal to or even better than the Sutton. In fact I have seen photographs of speckled trout caught by the clients and the previous owners of West Caribou Air that would bring a dyed in the wool trout fisherman to tears. These trout were caught on a river that runs in to Hudson Bay. By the way, I have to mention that the fly rod is not the only way to catch these majestic fish. Almost any lure cast with a spinning rod will do the job just nicely. I would advise that, if contemplating a visit to one of these rivers, that you check the Ontario sport fishing regulation carefully as some of these speckled trout fishing rivers have special regulations. At West Caribou Air, we are more than happy to provide information on these regulations, or you can do an internet search on the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
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Brook Trout - Speckled Trout Fishing Article
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Speckled trout fishing in a pristine, rarely fished environment is also available much closer (read less expensive!) environment to the West Caribou base. We can fly you and your equipment in to numerous streams and rivers within 45 minutes of the base. At these places you can connect with speckled trout up to and even beyond four pounds in quantities sufficient to make your arms ache and wear out your camera! Please take a look at the West Caribou web site and then feel free to give us a call for a chat or any information on the speckled trout fishing trip of a lifetime. We are always looking for more fishing fanatics that we can share this incredible resource with. The owners and staff at West Caribou believe we can provide you with the ultimate speckled trout fishing experience at a competitive rate, provide equipment ,advise, guides and satellite phones at your request.
Looking forward to talking fishing with you
Gaff Morris
West Caribou Air Service Inc.
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