Most of a trout’s caloric intake comes one bite at a time from tiny bottom-dwelling nymphs, which take less energy to catch than fleeing minnows.
But that maxim comes with a caveat, said self-proclaimed “fish whisperer” and trout fishing guide Tommy Lynch of Michigan.
“At a certain point, brown trout get to a size where they can’t eat enough bugs to sustain their weight. They need larger prey,” he said.
In recent years, fly anglers have rediscovered the streamer, a classic category of wet fly designed to suggest nutrient-rich minnows. On March 3, Mr. Lynch will talk about catching big browns using big streamers at Cabin Fever, a fly fishing expo benefiting Penn’s Woods West Trout Unlimited at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh — Cranberry in Marshall.
The fish whisperer title started as a joke made by a horse-loving girlfriend, but it stuck when he used the pseudonym on steelhead fishing reports in college. These days, Mr. Lynch guides trout and steelhead trips mostly on his home waters in Central Michigan.
When he says “big” streamers, he means 6- to 12-inch articulated flies on heavy-wire wide-gap hooks in sizes 2/0 to 5/0 tied to 14- to 15-foot leaders and thrown with 8- or 9-weight rods. With two in-line hooks under feathers or fur, articulated flies appear to swim in the current. Tippet size is determined by conditions, but remember that a 30-inch brown with 18 inches of girth will weigh upwards of 12 pounds.
“A brown trout is a nocturnal fish. It’s a [different kind of predator] than a rainbow trout,” he said. “Something hits the water at night, a big brown trout’s job is to go investigate it and possibly kill it.”
The size of the fly is part of a strategy. The fish is forced to decide in an instant whether to wait or gamble on filling its dietary requirements with one lunge and a single gulp.
Fishing free-stone waters in Pennsylvania can be similar to fishing in Michigan, said Mr. Lynch. Angler pressure can teach savvy browns what anglers look like and which offerings to avoid. He encourages clients to remain unseen while throwing flies the fish has never seen.
“With streamers most of my clients are making 50- to 70-foot casts,” hanging back to keep from being spotted, he said. His casts can stretch out to 90 or 100 feet. And because few anglers fish flies of that size, the browns he’s chasing are seeing something new.
The final part of his streamer strategy is literally in the hands of the angler. Whip the water with a big fly and everything in the pool is spooked. Present it too slowly and the fish is likely to pass. Mr. Lynch strips it in with quick, jerky movements -- no dead drift, no dangle -- throwing it across the current and swimming it back upstream.
“You have to bring a level of presentation to the flies that is above and beyond,” he said. “Brown trout take streamer flies with extreme prejudice. We’ve found that with predators, the more they think the more you lose.
“With a big fly moving very erratically, you’re forcing the fish to instantly make a decision on a fleeting opportunity.”
Cabin Fever will return to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh — Cranberry, 900 Sheraton Drive, Marshall at 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 3. See the schedule and other details at pwwtu.org/cabin-fever.
First Published: February 21, 2019, 5:03 p.m.