There is a rumor in my neck of the woods about an incredible speckled trout stream. I am sure we have all heard of one of these secret fishing paradises. Occasionally, I run into people who say they have an idea where it is. Their ‘intel’ is usually general at best. I know the river it empties in to and I know which side of the country road I need to search. Everyone’s story seems to agree on these points. I have also heard two stories that indicate that this stream has long narrow stretches (almost creek like) but opens into larger pools that hold these trout.
Up until this spring I had forgotten about my search for this elusive stream. That was until I drove onto a friends new farm and crossed a small wooden bridge. The stream it crossed made my casting arm tingle! Its location fit all the parameters that were shared to me from various residents. Having just recently purchased his farm, he knew very little about this stream or its inhabitants. I quickly asked him if I could explore it more when I got some time.
He agreed to my request.
The strange thing is…summer hit. I have not had any time to explore my new found secret. It could be a fishing desert…
My question is:
What kind of characteristics or features should I be looking for in this stream that might indicate the presence of speckled trout?
I realize that actually seeing fish would be the best intel…but does the fact that my friends stream is only 5 ft deep, by the bridge, indicate that it may be too shallow. It looks to be about 6 – 8 ft wide. My initial scan, while standing on his bridge, did not reveal any pools that could be holding trout. When the summer is over (hence my busy summer job) I am going to have a more intense search of the area. You can be sure my fly rod will be on hand.
What are the chances that this may be the ‘fabled’ stream?
Bill Anderson
Muskoka Outdoors
Did you say 5′ deep? That’s more than deep enough for trout, although once you get away from the bridge it may be shallower. If it’s only 6-8′ wide, a fly rod will be, uh, a bit of a challenge, but you may be a able to dap a fly trhough the brush.
As far as characteristics–you might make a quick stop at the bridge and check the water temp. If it’s in the mid 60s or higher, that’s a bad sign, unless you can locate cool water inflows somewhere along the creek. If it’s a cool stream, it likely has brookies.