Wisconsin’s small-stream trout season closes the 30th of September each year. It is closed until the first Saturday in March. The five months of closed season is hard to take for a “trout junky” like me. This winter it is especially hard. September 30th, 2011, was a painful but memorable day this year.
Every closing day I go out, no matter the weather or stream conditions. I typically like closing the season with a bang. A bang to me means a big brown to cherish throughout the closed season -- something to re-ive when the middle-of-the-winter-blues hit me in late December.
I knew where I was going.
I called Andy and asked him if he wanted to go with me. He had plans with his father to fish -- it was a tradition and he was committed. I picked Andy’s brain a little for the location where he had lost the big fish. Andy gave it up freely. It was where I took him opening day that same year and he caught two fish from the same hole. I knew the hole and started to plan.
From years past, I lhave earned that when chasing a large trout it's best to take a net man with you. Landing a big trout in tight quarters alone can be a hard task. I knew my friend Floren was in the area fishing so I called him and asked him to join me.
Floren and I met up 40 minutes before first light and were on stream 20 minutes later. When I fish with someone, I typically take turns with holes. If one guy catches a trout in one hole, the next angler is up to bat. Floren was up to bat when we got to the hole the “BIG” trout was reported to have been in.
The “horse hair” comment kept playing over and over again in my mind. I told Floren about it. He was skeptical about the story, but it still fired him up a little.
We positioned ourselves downstream of the hole. Floren was using a size 6 Panther Martin. We sat down and evaluated the hole.
Fish on! Then off ... a 28-incher, maybe bigger
We both decided the trout would be at the head of the hole in the slack water off to the left of the fast water. It could lay in wait there and go out and get a meal any time it wanted, then return to slack water and wait for its next meal.
Floren was nervous and threw his spinner in the weeds on the first cast. The second cast was true and he brought the Panther through the hole slowly and was just lifting up to take the lure out of the water when it hit.
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| The hole the big girl was in the last day of season 2011. |
He set the hook to the right and had the trout on for two seconds, maximum. And those two seconds were an eye-opening event. Directly at our feet was the biggest small-stream brown trout I had ever seen -- a minimum of 28 inches. I guessed it at closer to 30 inches and a female.
The Panther sailed over Floren’s shoulder and the trout blasted away back into the hole. Floren wanted to cast right back in there, but I advised him to let the hole rest. We sat there for 30 minutes. The big female brown never came back.
Opening day location determined ...
It's about two months later as I write this battle tale. I know which waterway I am going to fish opening day. The 54-dollar question is will that trout be in that same hole or moved up or down stream to a wintering hole? My experience tells me it will have moved. Where is the next question to ponder?
Wisconsin winters get pretty harsh and trout tend to school up or winter in special holes. There are specific things the trout look for in a wintering hole. The hole is typically the deepest hole in the area. The holes can be upstream or down from where you discovered them. I have seen trout moved as much as 500 yards to find a good wintering hole. The hole must have a slow bottom current so they can hold in place with the minimum amount of effort. The top of the hole typically has a fast-water funnel that dissipates quickly.
I have been out to that stretch three times in the closed season now (just to observe) and I have decided where that trout will be wintering. I also think I know exactly where in the hole it will be.
The wintering hole below is where she will be. She will be on the right side of the hole, near the top and out of the current. It's the deepest hole in the area and only 60 yards above her fall home. I believe she will be in this specific area of the hole because it is the deepest part of the hole. The current is slow. She will be at the head of the hole near the current, because this is where the food will come from.
Now, what lure to use is a whole different fish story ...
-- Len
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| That big trout would love to spend its winter in this hole. The red X marks the deepest place in the hole with the slowest current. It is also close enough to the feed funnel to go get a meal. |
More about me ...
I love small-stream trout fishing. My home water is the heart of Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Next year, I will celebrate 50 years on these waters.
I am a throwback trout angler. I use a spinning rod 90 percent of the time. I believe in responsible harvest. I am totally against blind catch and release.
I have been known to throw a few flies and I even use worms on my fly rod from time to time. When I do use flies, they are big and ugly.
I am married and have a daughter. My background is in law enforcement. I am currently working part-time as a case manager in a local halfway house, but most of the time you will find me on the water.
I have averaged 135 outings per trout season over 26 years.
I am a BIG trout junky.