A lesson in success with schooled trout
MAINELY OUTDOORS
by Bill Graves
Each summer once the warm weather arrives in Aroostook, regional brooks, streams, and rivers shrink notably. Long, hot days and minimal rain warm and lower the water levels fairly quickly, but even more uncomfortable for the resident brook trout is the accompanying drop in water oxygen level. Natural instinct tells the fish it’s time to find more comfortable living conditions until the weather and water conditions reverse themselves.
SCHOOL’S IN – Corey Bouchard of New Hampshire does a balancing act on a fallen log to cast to a school of trout holding near a spring hole in early July.
Just as humans seek shade, or better yet an air conditioned room, trout find their relief in deep, shaded pools, cold creek inlets, cool ledge seeps, or spring holes. Sets of riffles stir the water and produce more oxygen than stagnant runs, so brookies tend to seek these locations as well. Within a few days, fish that are usually well distributed over several hundred yards of a waterway may be found schooled up near one cool water source. It’s not uncommon to have 200 fish crowded into a spot the size of a pick-up truck.
Thankfully for fly casters, these schooled trout still need to eat and can be caught, but due to the crowding these fish are much more wary. Once a pod of trout is located, anglers need to take care to approach slowly and quietly and not wade too closely to the holding pool. Always try to keep the sun in front or at the side to prevent shadows from spooking the fish and use polarized sunglasses to visualize trout through the surface glare.
Once an angler reaches a comfortable casting location it’s good to just stand quietly for several minutes and let the school settle down. Dry flies tend to be the best option to begin with, and experimentation may be needed to find just the right pattern. Starting patterns which I use regularly include a size 14 or 16 Henryville special, Hendrickson, blue dun, mosquito or gray slim Jim. Change sizes and colors as required by response; it’s not uncommon to switch flies several times and get a few strikes on each new pattern just because of its uniqueness. Often an angler will need to revert to a size 18 or 20 to entice larger, more cautious trout. Dark and light Cahills, Adams, and green drakes are other good choices.
While the desire to cast over the largest mass of fish, it’s prudent to work the edges first and then slowly lengthen the cast toward the center of the school. Hook a couple of trout from the center right off then drag them from the school and the other brookies get spooky in a hurry. After hooking and playing three or four trout it’s always beneficial to take a five- or 10-minute break to rest the school. It will pay off with more action over the long run.
After catching half a dozen fish on one fly bring it in and apply another coat of floatant and use your fingers to spread and fluff the feathers. When a pattern is truly chewed up and waterlogged, change to a new fly, or if strikes slow down, change the size or color just to show the fish something new. Another trick that really works frequently is to fish a dry fly as if it were a wet fly. A partially soggy dry fly tend to sink just enough so it makes a wake when slowly retrieved across the surface, imitating an injured insect. Trout strike so hard they often hook themselves!
Trout schooled up in deep holes generally prove reluctant to raise for dry flies on the surface, but a full sinking or sinking tip fly line gets small streamers, wet flies or nymphs deep and in their feeding zone. If sinking fly lines aren’t available, try a weighted nymph, leech pattern or Matuka. Fish deep pools low and slow for consistent results. Once the sun goes down, schooled fish tend to break away and cruise for food, so night fishing when there’s a full moon works well. Dawn and dusk are the next best bets or on a cloudy day after a brief rain that adds oxygen to the water.
Schooled up trout may be more jumpy and alert but they still must eat and they also still often strike a fly on instinct. Use a slow, quiet approach, long delicate casts and small, high floating flies to achieve steady results. School may be is session but a smart fly fisherman goes to the head of the class.
