in search of monster brown trout

[setthehook]

[fishin]By the end of november i will have caught a 15 pound or larger brown. thank all of you for your advice...... i think i know how its done now. I will be selling my soul to the brown trout!!!! and thank you all for not arguing and fighting over nothing this time..... every other post i have put up.... a few guys start fighting over something stupid and ruin the whole post!!!
[signature]

[kochanut]

OMG DID YOU SEE HOW HE WAS HOLDING THOSE FISH!!!!


haha couldent help it... yea Utcatman knows his stuff when it comes to tossing hard baits and plastics on the weeb. i personally fly fish for them and have got lucky a few times, if you get the opertunity, try to fish with him!
[signature]

[Utcatman]

still waitin for you to have a free day man!!! be sure to let me know if one comes up and u wanna hit it. and thank you all for you comments... these fish have taken me a few seasons to get into pattens in the river but i think i am starting to lock them down pretty good!!
[signature]

[packfish]

Walk around the first dam of the Logan to the south side (nearer the dam) at night- cast rapalas or top water plugs.
Other bet is floating rapalas again at night below the golf course and down. There's another shot right now out in the valley- I'll let you know after I go.
Also big browns on the Logan- fish bullheads (sculpins).
[signature]

[HookJaw_Brimhall]

I don't think you need to wear "Camo" to catch browns [laugh]

And after all the talk about how to hold a brown in this post, you apparently didn't understand. That brown is probably as good as dead with the way you stuck your hand in it's gills.
[signature]

[fishguru73]

All the replies here have some very good info. I should add that it is good to fish at night with large Rapalas, Smithwick Rogues, and similar lures if you are after a monster. Floaters are good in rivers but you may want suspending models which remain stationary at a certain depth and dive a little deeper when retrieved in moderately deep pools and runs. Sinking models are good for really deep areas and swift water. I would have all three styles in any of the colors UTcatman mentioned. Standard sizes are effective for large fish but average size trout will smack them quickly and you'll have a lesser chance of getting your lure in front of a toad. You can use lures that are anywhere from 6-10 inches long if you want to find Moby Dick; just make sure your gear is properly fitted to the size of the fish you are chasing. You may have to be really patient but you will eventually get what you are after. Then again, you may also have nights where even the small fish get crazy enough to whack something as big as they are. I recommend that you add to your chances of hooking into something large by increasing your catch rate using things that are effective day and night for all sizes and species. That way you will stay entertained. Standard size crankbaits, maribou jigs, tube jigs, sassy shad and curly tail grubs are great. Streamers such as woolly and crystal buggers, zonkers, or muddlers in neutral and dark colors can be fly fished or spin cast behind a casting bubble, small weighted float, or behind a small weight on a 2 foot leader for deadly results. Large surfage flies such as foam beetles, damsel flies, and even mouse imitators and poppers can be deadly on summer nights and the strikes are explosive. I've had some really good (and sleepless) nights and all day slimerfests using all of these. Fish pools and runs either casting 45 degrees across and downstream or upstream and use a jerking retrieve. The rule tends to be steady to slow during colder periods and steady to fast during warmer months. Once you find out what is working make a conscious effort to present with consistency. In winter, trout tend to feed most during the daylight hours because most abundant insect hatches occur midday. However, it is a widely known fact that larger trout, especially mature browns, feed most aggressively at night. Large fish will take small nymphs that require little effort to intercept but they are generally very selective about matching the hatch. They will not surface unless the surface fly or the harch is large enough to warrant giving up cover. At night they are free to move about undetected and pin smaller trout in the shallows. In rivers trout are territorial and you may see a larger trout turn and bite smaller invaders encroaching on their feeding lane. This means that the big boys get the best hangouts so you will want to fish in and around cover with slack water such as log jams, vegetation with deep edges, deep runs, overhanging trees and grass along the bank, or underneath riffles at the head of deep pools and around boulders during the day and in open water near such areas after dark. Note that many of the larger fish will swim upstream to spawn and may be found in open water this time of year. It is possible to see them in shallow water near redds or even sitting in the sun. During summer they will often find openings in rocks at the head of a pool and take cover during daylight hours so hanging a small jig, fly, cricket, night crawler, dead minnow, meal worm, or wax worm in openings can be very productive. Trout also feed on bottom dwellers called sculpin which are found in many rivers throughout the states and can be found in several rivers in Utah. If you've ever seen a hook jawed beast with raw sores on its nose it likely got them rooting through sand and rocks to get a hold of some. They look tiny catfish with a sucker mouth and are soft bodied and slimy like a nose goblin. The Muddler Minnow is tied to imitate sculpin and is most effective when twitched slowly along the bottom over sand and gravel. Crayfish imitating lures like Rebels work well when it's warm so it wouldn't hurt to have some of these in your arsenal. Flashy silver or gold spinners, spoons, and blade baits are great in the early spring and throughout fall as well and these account for a substantial share of the brown beasties landed. It is crucial to learn to read moving water effectively and determine where the trout will be this will be. It is equally important to cast with accuracy and present the lure properly so practice until you are confident with your aim and control so that you don't become frustrated at losing lures to trees all day. One thing you should be prepared for that that eventually happens to most lure fishermen is that a brown jumps and grabs your Rapala just as you pull it out of the water so work that lure all the way to where you are standing. If one chases your lure to your feet and you pause and he sits there twitch it and be ready. They usually run when they see you but sometimes they must think that a man is a tree. I think that's everything but the beer. Happy fishing and Merry Christmas.
[signature]

[kochanut]

holy cow!! paragraphs are your friends [:p]

regardless very good info! only one down side (and its only to me, probably doesent apply to anyone else).... i took a spill once on the arkansas in CO fishing for browns and rainbows at night and it scared the crap out of me, so unless im VERY familiar with an area i leave at dark, which is a down fall cause the big boys come out to play alot more at night.

*edit*
and spelling is my friend too!
[signature]

[fishguru73]

What can I say?... I have no life, except for fishing of course.[crazy] Might I suggest you snag some fourth generation night vision device when you return from the armpit of HELL. I've filled up my waders a few times too so, as a matter of due diligence, I think you're right to shed some light on the hazards of fishing blind. Know before you go and only wade in the dark where you are acquainted with every drop-off, log jam, and rock you encounter. That way you'll know where you are at when you regain consciousness.[:p]
[signature]

[fishguru73]

Holy grammar Kochanut! Those aren't paragraphs. It's a compilation of the worlds longest run on sentences. Well, at least since it was typed and not uttered no one can accuse me of being a blow hard[]
[signature]

[kochanut]

haha! i read your entire post and i think it was only 3 sentances (sp) long! as far as the NVG's go, those would be put to better use some where else... i found a hot neighbor down the street and shes single, maybe she could be my sugar momma! i really need to find one of those one day.
[signature]

[troutgass]

fishguru73...That was some good info that I will try out.

Also it probably is just the date setting on the camera, but did anybody notice that setthehook (who started this post) picture of his nice brown was taken 2 days before he started the post....[shocked] Probably just a camera setting with the wrong date I would guess.?
[signature]