A wonderful idea recently popped into my mind: catching a 12 inch brookie (native to small streams in MD where I live, so they don’t get very large). I think that this is the best time to catch a trophy char, my reasoning being that the fish are probably feeding very heavily in preparation for their spawn in October. I think that their movements should be quite predictable this time of year. In the summer when the water is warm, brook trout move into tiny feeder creeks to stay cold. When the water cools back down, they move back into the main river where food is more abundant and spawning conditions are better. As we know with big bass, the largest fish in the system tend to be the first to take the prime real estate when they spawn. The smaller fish get the sloppy seconds. I’d imagine that this is the same with brook trout too, especially since the smaller fish aren’t concerned with spawning and probably feel more comfortable in the small feeder creeks, leading to a separation of sizes. 

My question now: what do you throw on spinning gear to catch big trout? Keep in mind, “big” is relative. I’m going for brook trout over 10 inches. I’d imagine the the prespawn migration would separate the big fish from the small fish, but I’d still like to spend my time throwing baits that are most likely to draw attention from sizable fish, not little 6 inch dinks that I usually catch.

I’ve caught a few big brookies in my day. These two were caught on small, Little Cleo spoons.

 

40 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I’ve caught a few big brookies in my day. These two were caught on small, Little Cleo spoons.

 

? those are some big brookies. What size and color Little Cleo were you using? 

1 minute ago, Buzzbaiter said:

? those are some big brookies. What size and color Little Cleo were you using? 

Honestly, I don’t remember. I’m guessing they were 1/4 oz. I was fishing a river. I’d cast downstream toward eddies below rocks that were breaking the current. I’d hold the spoon in the current and just let it wobble in the breakline. I’m not a big believer in using specific colors especially in rivers where fish generally don’t have time to analyze a bait. It’s either eat or let it go.

Right now in VA the water temps are very warm still and catching the natives can really stress them out.  I personally don't fish for them right now till around November.  

that being said, a 12" native is definitely a trophy and I fly fish for them as it is the best way to present to them in the smaller water they inhabit.  Brookies aren't very selective, most times, as they live a short tough life.  You need to find out where they are and not spook them and get something in front of their face and they will bite it.  

The biggest thing is finding the right streams that hold natives of that size.  I have caught a bunch over 12" over the years and all but a couple were on Royal Wulffs.

3 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

Right now in VA the water temps are very warm still and catching the natives can really stress them out.  I personally don't fish for them right now till around November.  

I know, I don’t plan starting until mid September. As for catching them on the fly, I’ll have to buy a fly rod to do that. It’s not ideal, but I’ll definitely try it if nothing else works

11 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Right now in VA the water temps are very warm still and catching the natives can really stress them out.  I personally don't fish for them right now till around November.  

that being said, a 12" native is definitely a trophy and I fly fish for them as it is the best way to present to them in the smaller water they inhabit.  Brookies aren't very selective, most times, as they live a short tough life.  You need to find out where they are and not spook them and get something in front of their face and they will bite it.  

The biggest thing is finding the right streams that hold natives of that size.  I have caught a bunch over 12" over the years and all but a couple were on Royal Wulffs.

Very well put. I’m in the same situation in PA right now. In October/November I’ll start to hunt some trout again. Most native Brooke trout I catch are not that big. Hold over wild ones cans get some size. I’m a bit of a fly fishing hack. Not really refined and have a lot of bad habits but give it heck fishing nymphs and scuds. Spinning I prefer Panther Martins and small cast masters. 

A weightless red wiggler on a #6 hook, letting the current drag it by log jams and undercuts with some deeper water. Scouting good areas is a must. 

I catch the heck out of bigger trout on minnow baits this time of year.  Most of the hatches are done in my neck of the woods and the fish increasingly feed on baitfish and crustaceans.  As such, I use baits like Rapala Countdowns, Original Floaters, Ultralight Minnows, Rebel Craws, and Yo Zuri Pins Minnows.  I got a nice 12" brookie and a 22" brown earlier this week on a CD5 Countdown in the rainbow trout pattern.  The creeks I fish are very small and have far too much brush, branches, and other obstacles that make fishing with a fly rod a futile effort.  I typically use something under 5', makes fishing the spinach much more manageable.  

A classic rapala floater in gold is what I use on most small streams if looking for big trout, followed by a in-line spinner. Cast quartering downstream and the the current sweep it into holes and current breaks.  Small ultralight rods though