Image by fabcom via Flickr

Brook trout are plentiful in New Brunswick and for the most part pretty easy to catch. Well the small brookies are easy to catch. If you want to catch the smarter brook trout you have to be a little stealthy.

The smarter the brook trout the longer it lives and the longer it lives the bigger it gets and the smarter it gets. So as a trout fisher you need to have your wits about you at all times.

I like to fly fish for trout but some of the places I go you just can’t get a cast in using a fly rod so that’s when I turn to my trusty spinning rod for a great day on the water.

One big thought to keep in mind when you’re brook trout fishing in New Brunswick or anywhere is…

If you can see the fish, most likely the fish can see you.

Keep a low profile when stocking those easily spooked fish.

I had a professor in college who would take me trout fishing near Sussex New Brunswick. When the water was low he would pretty much crawl to the spots that still held big trout so as not so cast a shadow on the water.

We also walked as light footed as we could so as to not jar the ground and send signals that something was approaching the brook. Big trout get that way because they hide at any movement or vibration in the water. For them it’s better safe than eaten.

As for the treat you are offering the brook trout to entice it to strike can be almost anything and I really mean that. I love using a fly but they are kinda hard to cast with a spinning rod so they need to be weighted down a bit. But I have a favorite…

The good ole Mepps

I have used Mepps of various sizes and color for years and years. Why??

Because they work.

Sometimes I fish for brook trout using just the Mepps and other times I tip it with a little treat, when the fishing is a bit tougher like when the water gets a bit to warm and they don’t want to leave the safety of their hiding or feeding spot.

I would say that my favorite Mepps to use is one that has a good amount of red and black. That combination just does it for me here in New Brunswick.