Colorful Brown

[Scudly]

Kirk and I went to that new stream again. Once again Johnson Creek did not disappoint.

First off Kirk saw me catch that 25 and numerous others on worms on Sunday so he gave it a go. One giant white sucker after another. I told him he earned the title "Sucker King. Many suckers were perfect size for muskie bait. Also some people swear they are good smoked. I cannot get myself to try one. Kirk did however catch a few browns. A decent one was plucked right out in front of him dragging into a cut bank with a log jam.

Water was very clear and I could see structure from a long distance. My instinct told me long bombs would be the way to go. Kirk notice I switch to spinner and told me exactly where to cast. The minute my spinner hit the water the fish crushed it. I thought it looked like a 17-18" from a distance. The fish ran right at me so I reeled like mad and did not feel the weight. Then I got out my net and decided he was not going to give up easily. A 21.5" male. Extraordinary fall colors.

Other average sized trout were caught but that was the only big. On a sad note we found a dead trout believed to be one I caught on a previous trip. The fish from all we could tell was in good condition when released but apparently not. Just because they swim away doesn't mean they will always live is the lesson here. I always practice c&r on all browns unless I know the fish is mortally injured. BTW, don't pick up a dead trout. It really smells bad...