Beiträge von LenHarris

    June in Wisconsin is a special time. The weather is fine and the "Monster" brown trout are a little more vulnerable. When brown trout get older they become nocturnal feeders. The bench mark for a big trout in this area is 20 inches and above.That hole that you have fished 50 times and not caught a single trout in the daytime is a prime area to try. Big trout are very territorial and will chase out any other trout in of their area.



    This absolute monster slurped a hex emerger and stormed away like its tail was on fire.



    When trout get really big they become carnivores and seldom eat insects. The exception to this rule is in June, when the environment is perfect, the big browns come out and put the feed bags on. Emerging mayflies are their targets. The bottom make up of a perfect mayfly species hexagenia limbata "hex"stream is silty and a little warmer than the average stream in the area.


    The mayflies typically hatch at night. They emerge from their old bodies on the surface of the stream. They struggle and shake and fight on the surface to get rid of that old exoskeleton. They are very vulnerable at this time and the big brown trout come out and gorge themselves on these huge flies. It is typically really dark and the only way you can detect a bite is from the sound of the slurping or sucking sounds these leviathans make as they are dining on the biggest insect this area has to offer. You set on the slurp sound and hang on. Do NOT use an undersized fly rod for this night time attack. Have a stout new leader attached to that fly.




    This nocturnal monster freight trained the mouse fly and immediately went in to an alligator roll trying to free itself.


    You should also have an alternate attack plan in case that hatch doesn't happen. That stout rod you have rigged up can quickly be set up for another night time rig that is deadly. Big nocturnal browns love big meals. I have personally seen a huge brown take a baby duck off the surface locally. There really are no baby duck flies available so the next best thing is a mouse fly.


    Mice fall in to streams at night when they are out feeding themselves. The second they hit the water they are in panic mode. They try to get back to shore quickly. They usually motor non stop the direction they are pointing when they hit the water. This motion can be imitated my stripping your mouse constantly and quickly across the water. This stripping motion keeps the line tight and that is a good thing when that giant brown freight trains that mouse fly you need to set that hook immediately and you are going by feel in the complete darkness. A loose line means a lost fish of a lifetime.


    Fishing at night can be very dangerous. You should scout your area during the daylight and make a plan of action with another angler. Do not try this alone. Please...I implore you...HANG ON TIGHT!




    These flies are not to be used by the faint of heart .

    Have never been after muskie before.


    My expectations are low because of the 10,000 cast thing.


    My buddy Wally Banfi is taking me.


    All I have to do is show up Wednesday morning in Madison.


    Any tips to a virgin muskie angler?



    Wally with one of his many giant muskies.

    Last year while trout fishing i caught a couple smallies on typical trout water.


    They sure do fight hard. It almost seems like their tails are on fire.


    The smallies i caught on my trout streams were caught on size 9 panther martins.


    They are the first 2 photos in this thread.




    Have not caught any this year on my trout streams yet.


    I went to my mother’s today for my Wednesday morning visit. My mom is 84.


    After our chat I went down to the dam in Gays Mills on the Kickapoo River


    This smallie made the other ones look like panty waists.



    It skied and did a couple power runs. It hit on a size 13 jointed brown rapala.


    This smallie was almost taken by me but I had second thoughts.


    I remember my youth and trying to prepare smallies a couple times and being disappointed
    in the taste. This big old smallie is back at its home at the dam in Gays Mills.


    Went fishing with my buddy Matt today.

    Matt seemed a little out of sorts.

    The day was full of beautiful scenery and a long talk between good friends.

    The outdoors has a healing effect on one when they are lost.


    It was a windy cold opener

    I went fishing with my best fishin buddy Andy Kurth

    Andy scored his third Brookie/Brown/Bow "SLAM" of his life.

    Andy score a nice back to back in a small hole.

    The total at the end of the day was Andy 30 trout...Len 20.


    Many anglers would turn their noses up at this hole. It doesn't look pristine enough for trout water. It has a very unique feature.


    About 16 years ago I was driving home from one of my more pristine trout streams and drove upon a 11-12 year old kid carry an enormous trout along the roadway. I stopped the vehicle and admired the trout. The kid told me:


    "I catch one about this big every year."


    He pointed back from where he came. That bridge there....just upstream there are lots of holes.The kid was fishing with night crawlers. I asked him if he ever used anything else there and said "NO" After a little more question and answer session I learned his family owned the huge stretch of waterway.


    The kid asked for a ride home and I gave him one. I watched as his dad came out and admired the 24ish inch trout. I saw this as my opportunity to get permission. Giving his son a ride home synched the deal. I was given permission and the dad even called his neighbor downstream for me and scored another huge chunk of waterway that bordered it.


    It was late May and the stream was overrun with weeds up to my chest. I fished it a couple times. I took the temperature of the waterway and was quite disappointed in what I measured. In late May the temps were all over 70 degrees. It was not very warm outside either. I decided the big trout the kid caught must have been was a fluke.



    This trout literally had its nose in where the trickle fed in in March. The surrounding stream temperature was 38 and where the trickle fed in was 42 degrees.


    The next year the phone rang. It was the kid from the roadside. He told me had even caught a bigger one. He wanted to know if I wanted to see the huge trout. I drove the 20 minutes to his home and saw the absolute monster. The kid wanted to go out again so we went fishing.


    This stretch is way below the designated trout water. Lots of the holes were snag ridden. The kid promptly caught another decent trout. We fished for another 2 hours. I caught zero and the kid caught a dozen on his worms. Finally the 12 year old let me have a hole first. He pointed out to me where to cast. I chuckled to myself. I thought a 12 year old telling a 45 year old where to cast. I caught a trout almost immediately.


    As we walked back to my vehicle I made a mental note to myself where the kid had caught each trout. Every area had a unique quality.


    I fished the stretch a couple more times that year with little luck. The next early season I went there when the weeds were down and I could see the lay of the waterway better. Each hole that kid caught fish in had a small trickle/spring flowing in just upstream of it. I could not see those trickles because of the tall weeds in May. My March view of this stream enlightened me. I took temperatures and each of these places were "Thermal Refuges"



    This trout was caught within 5 feet of a spring feeding in on March Wisconsin Opener. Springs keep a year round temperature of about 42 degrees. Springs in March are trout magnets due to the water being warmer than the surrounding water.