Heaven on Earth...

I think the word "epic" is way over used, but I just can't think of another word to describe my latest fishing trip. I recently got a top secret tip from a friend about a small pond located on Forest Service land far from anything. He said there were some pretty decent sized brooke trout. As most of you know brooke trout and decent sized and brooke trout don't usually go together in the same sentence. So needless to say he had my attention. So fishing my partner and I swore our lives to secrecy, and made plans to find this out of the way piece of paradise. We loaded up my pick up, and then proceeded to beat the poor thing to pieces following a barely discernible jeep trail for, as far as we could, before it petered out. We then loaded day packs on our backs, grabbed our fishing poles, and headed off down a small atv trail. That only lasted about another couple hundred yards, and then it was time to bush whack the remainder of the way as there wasn't even a game trail. This wouldn't have been too bad except that the area is infested with rattle snakes. Fortunately we made it to the pond without seeing any. It wasn't too long and we were into the fish. The first fish was small that my partner landed, but I had a big one miss my lure right in front of me and I suspected things could get really good...

IT DID!!!
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...pslpemtmjy.jpg

Pretty soon my partner had a good one on too.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...psyilkotv4.jpg

The water in the pond was really clear and the fish were cooperative. This may not be Heaven, but it was pretty close.
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Once we got the fish figured out, we sounded like two little kids on Christmas morning showing each other what new gift each had received. In our case each gift came from the water and we couldn't have been more excited or happier. My partner ended up catching the biggest brookie of his life, so he was extra happy. Neither the rattle snake he stumbled upon or the wasp that stung him right below his right eye could deter his happiness. It was a great day. For a while the wind got pretty crazy and I had to turn my hat around backwards to keep it from blowing off, but we still caught fish after fish for several hours.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...pshwdv4crz.jpg

Eventually the day started to grow a little late and neither of us wanted to hike back out in the dark with the threat of so many snakes around. So I asked my partner to take one last photo of me as I was stepping up off the bank of the pond in preparation to leave. I wanted to remember the moment, the day, the whole trip. If not for the rattle snakes this would be literally Heaven on earth. I'm not sure when I'll have time to return, but whether I do or not, this one day was literally epic and etched in my memory forever.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps6udxb8q2.jpg

Wow, that brookie is so colorful!!!! Dang! Man I need to become your neighbor...

Sounds like a great trip and way to spend the day!!! Very nice fish

I can't imagine a native that big in the bluelines they're fished for around here.

While I have caught a handful, well actually maybe a half a handful of brookie's bigger than these in my lifetime, I will say this is the most big brooke trout I have ever caught in one place, at one time. I'm surprised this post has so few responses just out of the fact brooke trout of this size are exceptionally rare. Maybe it's just because a lot of the regulars on here have never pursued brooke trout much, if at all. Brooke trout of this size are like the equivalent of a 12" bluegill, or a 15 lbs bass. They just don't come along like this very dang often.

you can put me in the category of being troutfully clueless! All I saw was a ncie big ole trout. Didn't realize they were so unusual to catch in that size. Still in awe of where you fish and catching those pretty fish!

I really want to try those malibu jigs on river smallies but I fear I'd lose them too fast. Getting hung up is a very frequent occurrence with our rivers round these here parts.

Color me jealous..Very nice!

Len, up in the Park where most of the native brook trout fishing is in these parts anything over 10" is a real trophy. You are also prohibited from returning any brown trout (non-native) to the stream regardless of size.

Sky, if I were you, I believe next time I trekked in there, I'd just hafta take a small tent, and camp for a few days, and just fish like a mad man....but, I would NOT sleep on the ground with those rattlers!!! ;)

Big Muddy, I'm hoping in another 3 or 4 weeks it will be cold enough that the snakes will no longer be a factor. That is one thing I do love about colder weather around here... Cold=NO SNAKES!

You got that right, Sky....same here, except we have to deal with these silent and camo-ed copperheads....I'm not even thinking about putting Sandy in the woods, right now, even with squirrel season opening in a few days.

Bunch'a dang woosies! They ain't nuttin' but overgrown fishin' worms! ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thumper

Bunch'a dang woosies! They ain't nuttin' but overgrown fishin' worms! ;)

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Yep, just a little worm. ;)


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^^^^^ Copperhead Worms, good for catching fish! ^^^^^

Trouble is I've never had much luck catching fish once the worm was dead. In the case of snake/worms I try my best to make them ALL DEAD!

^^^^^DITTO^^^^^. ;)

Y'all are giving Birddog nightmares ya know.

bKB

Here's a big handful of fishing worms.

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Do you see the one in this pic???....100% camoflage!!!

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...and people think that shotguns are mostly for bird hunting...

yellowish green tails means those are juvenile which are the most dangerous since they do not know how to control their venom in a bite and the chances for a dry bite are close to zero. I could not see the snake in the second photo, but I know by experience that they will hide under leaves leaving not much exposed.

Here ya go, Nandy:

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Hell, I still can't see it. I've run across a few copperheads and water mocs in my day. Never a rattlesnake. While I don't want to get bit, I really would like to see one.

Man, I didn't have any trouble spotting it. Then again I'm always looking for snakes. Force of habit having never lived where there weren't a lot of them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chicken Dinner

Hell, I still can't see it. I've run across a few copperheads and water mocs in my day. Never a rattlesnake. While I don't want to get bit, I really would like to see one.

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I've hunted my whole life where there are plenty but have never seen a live rattler in the wild. I've seen a little 'ground rattler' (little grey colored dude with black rattles) that I almost sat on once but no diamondbacks. I'm not sure if I want to either.

We had a lot of copperheads on our farm but for the most part they're shy around here. The issue with them is they don't hiss or run off to let you know they are there. they just lay there and then try to bite you.

The huge copperhead skin that Captain gave me is one of the most beautiful snake skins you'll ever see. I still haven't decided what to make with it. Guitar strap was the original intent and its plenty big enough to do one.

Another real purty snake we have here are called Coach whips. the pattern on theor tail looks like a braided whip. Ornery fuckers too. Curmudgeonly, hateful, and biteful like black snakes.

BKB

These are two variations of water snakes that we have here in MS....both are non-venomous, but they so closely resemble our timber rattler and copperhead that they'll make you hafta change your drawers. ;)



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We have Coachwhips here too. They are really pretty to see and I've always said they are the "Jack Russels" of the snake world. They will strike ANYTHING. And they can strike a long way too. I was hit once before I even knew the snake was around.
Here's a picture of someone learning the coachwhip shuffle.... :D


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I know absolutely NOTHING about that kind of fish, but I do know I'd like to catch some.