The Milwaukee harbor is starting to swell with Brown Trout and Steelhead, which will park themselves in the harbor until spring. This is great news for any angler who may be sick of reeling in zombie King Salmon.
The final count today was somewhere in the range of 1 king salmon, 5 brown trout, and 3 Steelhead. Mike, Keith and myself found ourselves hooking up every 10 minutes or so from first light until around 10:00, when things slowed down.
My first Brown Trout of the day.
Upon my arrival Keith and Mike had both already hooked up, Keith with a Brown on a tube jig, and mike with a King on Brown Trout spawn under a float. Things were encouraging, before I could finish stringing my line up mike hooked a King and Keith netted it. Before I could get a second cast in Keith lit up another brown trout, which he landed this time. I then plucked a brown of my own after something like 10 minutes. In the first 2 hours we had bagged 4 and lost at least as many more.
Using an blue/white x-rap I landed my first, my second hook up came on a super rooster tail, I then lost a 15 pound + brown trout who snapped my line and took my lucky x-rap with it into the depths. My big fat female brown was bagged on spawn under a float, as were the rest of the fish (except Mike's Steelhead, which he hit bouncing spawn along the bottom).
I didn't even plan on going out this weekend, it was a frigid, enjoyable morning, and I'm happy I went. All but 1 brown were released today to spawn, we had one nice female brown who took some spawn down deep, we will use those eggs this month in Milwaukee and Kenosha for more Brown Trout action.
Enjoy the rest of the photographs, and I'll see ya out there.
I wish you would not hold the fish by the gills, especially if you release them -
ReplyDeleteThanks for the concern. I generally try to keep my finger running against the inside of the gill plate and to never touch the gills. But you have a good point. I'll do my best to use alternative methods of holding my catch.
ReplyDeletethanks for the response - I forgot to say that I love your site and check it daily. - tight lines - seeya out there
ReplyDeleteNo problem, glad to hear you check it often. You'll see no photographs of me gilling released fish from now on.
ReplyDeleteThanks again.
Where in the harbor is this? I usually hit the marina.
ReplyDelete