07-17-2003, 03:04 PM
Hi muskyhunter,
Personally, my favorite place to fish is in the Uintas and consequently I've reeled in more than a few brookies. I use two main techniques.
First, if you are not proud, nightcrawlers work well early in the year. There is one characteristic that brook trout have that, once you are aware of it, makes them much easier to catch. Brookies like a moving bait. I get most of my bites while I am slowly moving the bait or immediatley after it stops. This is most effective with worms. The retrieve is typically on the bottom and very slow.(I never use powerbait or those types of baits in the Uintas except at the road-side lakes) Usually it is okay to do pull the bait arcoss the bottom but at some lakes you will end up with a lot of snags or your bait gets covered with weeds and junk.
Second, from mid-summer on, fishing with a fly and a bubble is very effective. You can cover a lot of water and the fish pretty much hook themselves. I like a pretty slow retrieve. Watch just behind your bubble for strikes but don't be too quick on the set. And don't set too hard. Wait for the pull from the fish. The store-bought flies that I like best are renegades and mosquitos, size 16. I have a few patterns of my own that work really well. If the fish are not jumping on the surface, fill the bubble completely full. Then fish your fly as close to the bottom as possible. And again, a very slow retrieve seems to be best. Also, for fishing near the bottom with a fly I like to switch to one that is more like a nymph. There are no visual clues with the sunken technique so you'll have to feel the hits.
I think another important aspect of fishing this way(particularly with flies) is the line you use. In the Uintas I use only 4lb line on the reel with a 2lb leader between the swivel and the hook. I like Berkley Trilene XL the best. In the Uintas it is very rare that the fish break the line because of their size. A properly set drag makes up for the thin line and allows the best presention of the bait.
I don't use lures much because the two techniques above produce so good. By way, when fishing with worms, I use the same tackle and set up as I do when fishing with flies. With worms I fill the bubble compleley full to get it to the bottom. For flies, the bubble is half full(or 3/4) for fishing on the surface. I avoid lead weights because it just leads to snags.
I hope this helps. Good luck to you.
m
[signature]
Personally, my favorite place to fish is in the Uintas and consequently I've reeled in more than a few brookies. I use two main techniques.
First, if you are not proud, nightcrawlers work well early in the year. There is one characteristic that brook trout have that, once you are aware of it, makes them much easier to catch. Brookies like a moving bait. I get most of my bites while I am slowly moving the bait or immediatley after it stops. This is most effective with worms. The retrieve is typically on the bottom and very slow.(I never use powerbait or those types of baits in the Uintas except at the road-side lakes) Usually it is okay to do pull the bait arcoss the bottom but at some lakes you will end up with a lot of snags or your bait gets covered with weeds and junk.
Second, from mid-summer on, fishing with a fly and a bubble is very effective. You can cover a lot of water and the fish pretty much hook themselves. I like a pretty slow retrieve. Watch just behind your bubble for strikes but don't be too quick on the set. And don't set too hard. Wait for the pull from the fish. The store-bought flies that I like best are renegades and mosquitos, size 16. I have a few patterns of my own that work really well. If the fish are not jumping on the surface, fill the bubble completely full. Then fish your fly as close to the bottom as possible. And again, a very slow retrieve seems to be best. Also, for fishing near the bottom with a fly I like to switch to one that is more like a nymph. There are no visual clues with the sunken technique so you'll have to feel the hits.
I think another important aspect of fishing this way(particularly with flies) is the line you use. In the Uintas I use only 4lb line on the reel with a 2lb leader between the swivel and the hook. I like Berkley Trilene XL the best. In the Uintas it is very rare that the fish break the line because of their size. A properly set drag makes up for the thin line and allows the best presention of the bait.
I don't use lures much because the two techniques above produce so good. By way, when fishing with worms, I use the same tackle and set up as I do when fishing with flies. With worms I fill the bubble compleley full to get it to the bottom. For flies, the bubble is half full(or 3/4) for fishing on the surface. I avoid lead weights because it just leads to snags.
I hope this helps. Good luck to you.
m
[signature]