Big brookies, everybody wants one. They hold a special place in the vast majority of people’s hearts. Whether it’s the rarity of a specimen held by two hands or just the sheer spectacle in the galaxy of color brought together in one char. Either way, one thing is certain, it’s not an easy task putting your fly in range of one of these vermiculated monstrosities. Some people will tell you that brook trout are not hard to catch and they’re not wrong. But once they tell you about the biggest they’ve ever tangled with, it’s clear to see why they are holding on to this notion.
It’s common knowledge that brookies have a history of becoming overpopulated and stunting themselves faster than you can say caudal peduncle. Waters with gratuitous spawning habitat are usually the culprit. There are many places in the West where native fisheries have fallen victim to this most prolific trout. In many cases, the brookies get large right off the bat, then within a number of successful spawns, things get spread thin, fast. A plateau is reached, the competition for food increases and the potential max size descends.
Stocked lakes that have no reproduction and are managed properly can produce some really nice fish. Lots of grub and overwintering are definitely key factors. These sterile fish can provide great fisheries as well with minimal risk to native populations. If you’re ever fortunate enough to find a body of water that has a limited spawn run, then you’ve really got something. For example, if there is a rather small spring or creek entering the lake, only recently mature fish can enter into the reproductive season. Brookies can surprise you with what kind of exposure and vulnerability they are willing to endure for the sake of procreation. But this low water can and will deny the big boys and girls a place on the productive redds where the magic happens. They will still get down and dirty somewhere else though. This leaves it to the smaller, younger and lower egg count fish to produce the next generation of baddies. Small batch whiskey is good, small batch brookies are even better!
If you were to try to personify a stout brookie with a certain generation or demographic of society today, it would be the millennials, for the following reasons:
1. They can be picky and only want one type of food.
2. That food is called easy, they want everything with minimal effort (for free), you just won’t see a fish who’s girth is 70% of its length coming like a bullet for anything that is more than a ten feet away.
3. They don’t like leaving their safe zone, they didn’t get this big by cutting laps.
A nice cool source of fresh water is a draw for them, especially in warmer waters. Top that off with a nice snack, you’ve got brookies who don’t like changing the channel very often. Old habits die hard with these char, proven hiding spots will not be given up easily. Sometimes they’ve had the spot for so long, that they outgrow it and still think it’s legit. Logs with noticeably dug holes beneath them result from many past accelerations. The inhabitant of this spot may even stick out half a foot or so on each side when home. Other places where they can closely target prey are also on the list. A spot where small fish have an obstacle that forces them to make a path choice, one way is the highway, the other is death by dirty ol’ kype.
So, let’s say you have the opportunity to sight fish some beasties. Like any apt feather flinger, flies will be tossed until there’s a reaction or you just get played out. Don’t get downtrodden, these fish have to crush something eventually. Focus in on other cyclical factors that you have no control over, eg. weather, barometer, moon, AM/PM, and fishing traffic. Make an X on the calendar and record the variables for every outing to help decipher feast mode. This collection of facts and ideas are what you need to consider when trying to figure out if there is a true brookie monster under your bed or not.
Chase Bohning is a fly fisherman and photographer in the American West. Be sure to check out the rest of his awesome content on Instagram @jackfishboots!
Photos courtesy of Chase Bohning.
Thanks to RC, F3T, and The Yeti for helping make this interview possible. And a big shoutout to 
2. The Scenery
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4. The Wildlife
5. The History
6. The Accommodations
You might be thinking, “18-24 inches…what’s so scary about that?” Well, that’s where things start getting interesting. In a select few rivers of the region the Kundzha has adopted a life history strategy that allows them to grow to epic proportions, much greater than that of the popular rainbow trout and residential char, and they pose the potential to stretch the measuring tape well past a yardstick in length, a life that only a body of water as fertile as the ocean can provide. Much like a steelhead, these Kundzha are anadromous, leaving their natal rivers and streams to live off the bounty of the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn and potentially repeat the process. It’s risky business to brave the perils of the journey, but their size promises a greater number of eggs per fish and must aid in their spawning success. They begin to arrive in the latter parts of the brief summers as early as the end of July with numbers increasing into the middle of September. Upon entering the rivers, they display brighter characteristics than the resident form, with hues of purple and turquoise iridescence, and like other anadromous fish gather color as they near their spawning grounds, white spots turning more or a dull pink and bodies shifting a dark gray.
Like most of life and angling destinations, there are no guarantees, but I have witnessed many days a season where 2 guys put around 20 to hand in the 30″ range in a single run. The end of August and early September seem to be the month where that typically happens.
The angler who fishes one fly all day is probably not going to have the most success. Change your flies up, go small, go big. Throw on a nymph rig and a bobber – as much as you might hate that style of fishing. Throw on some weight and make sure you are changing depths with your flies.
Once again, changing things up is KEY for finding trout. There is no right way to retrieve a streamer. Try letting it sink to the bottom, try letting it swing across the pool. Keep changing and keep covering water. That will be key to finding where the fish are and what they like.
Nothing comes easy in fly fishing. So stay patient, take a deep breath and enjoy your surroundings. If your fly line gets caught in a tree, laugh it off, it happens to everyone. The more patience you have the more you will stay relaxed, and the more time your fly will spend on the water.
Save up some money, and go out with a guide. It’s on these days that you can learn so much from an experienced angler. They will also most likely show you secret holes on a river you have been fishing your whole life. Don’t be afraid to drive a little and take an adventure to a new river also.
When I am targeting trout I like to prepare two rods before I hit the water. One will usually have a streamer, and the other will most likely have a dry dropper. This way I can fish three different flies in one pool in a matter of minutes without having to change anything up. Having a sinking tip with you is a good idea if you think fish are sitting deeper in pools. Having a fly line that is in good condition is more helpful than you think. Have the basics with you at all times; floatant for you’re dries split-shot for your nymph rig, nippers to change up flies, polarized glasses to spot fish and keep yourself from falling. Make sure you are comfortable on the water, and have the right gear, the gear is one of the best parts of fly fishing (in our humble opinion). Some companies that we work with. Loop Tackle – for rods, Scientific Anglers – for lines, Costa sunglasses, Patagonia for – waders.
Every time you have a strike or catch a fish, take a mental note on what type of water you are fishing. Once again, you are trying to learn as much as you can. Look for foam lines, slow deep riffles and swirling pools. Look for structure in the river, like logs or rocks, and target the water behind them. Think about how fish move and sit in the water, once you can think like the fish you will have a better chance of making the right presentation.
