World Record Lake Trout : 102 Pounds

40 pound brown trout, and 50 pound rainbow trout may be recent news, but the size of those fish pale in comparison to this old record Lake Trout, from 1961.   It was taken using a gill net in 1961 and weighed 102 pounds.

The largest lake trout ever taken on the rod and reel weighed 72 pounds, caught on Great Bear Lake Canada in 1991 by Lloyd Bull.  That lake trout must have been a great bear of a Lake Trout. 

Lake trout, unlike Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout are technically Char, like their brothers the Brook Trout, Arctic Char, and Dolly Varden Char.

Albright Fly Fishing Weekend Sale

Some great deals here at Albright Fly Fishing.

There are $250 reels on sale for $85, Rods for under $60. I might just own a new GP 7/8 weight before the weekend is over, I could use a better steelhead combination. Go have a look.

Great Lakes Angler : View From Point Betsie

A Photograph from Point Betsie taken a couple of months ago, photographs like this on the computer help make the long winter a little bit shorter.

Colorado Rainbow Trout : User Submitted

An old room mate and long time friend of mine, Howie, photographed this trout.  This was one of his first (but not last I'm sure) trout on his fly rod.  Howie spent the summer in Colorado working for the forest service.  I hope to meet with him soon to drift flies through long sweeps in the Milwaukee River, waiting for a Steelhead to explode from the water with one of Howie's flies in it's lip.

Thanks for the photograph Howie, may there be thousands more like this one in the years to come.

Howie is a student at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, he still shoots slide film and I have a lot of respect for his decision to do that.  I'm sure this 35mm slide looks just about as beautiful as the actual trout did on the sunny day he landed it.

This is the river from which he caught the fish.  An amazingly beautiful place.

Steelhead on the Root River : Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine

I found a great article in an old WDNR Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine from April 1997.

Have a read:

Fly-fishing for steelhead

Most steelheaders use fly rods to pursue rainbows in medium or fast water. Load the fly reel with 100 yards of fly line backing (20-30 pound test dacron line) then 100-200 yards of six- to 10-pound monofilament line. Fly line is rarely used because you are typically casting only 10 to 20 feet of line upstream and drifting through runs and rapids. Rainbows prefer to lie in current breaks near fast water.

The fly rods we see anglers using for steelheading are nine- to 10-feet long and usually seven, eight or nine weight. Remember, fishing the Root might yield a 20-pound trophy fish and the odds of landing such a huge fish are greatly increased if you have a stout rod. Also consider a fly reel with a disk drag and multiple retrieve. These reels can be pricey. An affordable favorite I've seen on many rigs of experienced steelheaders is the Martin, Model 72R. The disk drag will allow you to play a large fish with one hand while freeing up the other to help you keep your balance and wade downstream.

For tackle, try yarn, egg imitation flies, spawn and various streamers, nymphs and wet flies. We like to drift a homemade yarn fly, a piece of colored yarn tied to a size 4 or 6 steelhead hook. Varying amounts of split shot are added to make sure the yarn fly drifts through the run near the bottom, in the zone where the steelhead lie.

As a general rule, fish yarn early in the season and when sight-fishing for trout near their spawning beds. I prefer brightly colored yarn unless the water is very clear, which is rare for the Root. Productive colors included chartreuse, orange and hot pink. You can combine one of these bright colors with a softer color in infinite combinations. I pre-cut one-inch pieces of several yarn colors and compose new flies as I go. Some folks use a vise and pre-tie the yarn on the hook shank. I use a snell knot and slip the yarn through the loop as I fish to find combinations that produce strikes.

Popular flies for steelhead include Woolie Buggers, stone fly patterns, mudler minnows and Woolie Worms among others. Local patterns vary, but I've learned that darker patterns work well on the Root. Fish nymphs, streamers and wet flies later in the spawning run, in deeper pools and especially after the suckers enter the river. Suckers will dominate your catch when fishing yarn once they move into the river.

Whatever your methods, you're bound to have action if you can find fish in the river and you are persistent. The Root River and other Lake Michigan tributaries offer wonderful opportunities to teach kids the thrill and satisfaction of hooking, playing and landing a silvery, magnificent steelhead.

How to Tie a Yarn Fly : A Root River Classic

From the WDNR's website.

These can take early season Steelhead, fished by adding weight and swinging through the very bottom of a fast bend in the river or when Steelhead are bedding. I know a fellow who landed a Brown Trout on the Root river that topped the scales at 30 pounds. Impressive.

Blog of Interest : The Northern Angler

A recent find of mine while flowing through the river of the internet. The Northern Angler, a blog, similar to this one, only from Northern Lower Michigan. Reports on the Manistee and Betsie (which sports a run of naturally reproducing salmon, which I learned only after reading this blog).

Feel free to take a look. You may click the link above, or have a look at the link on the right column. Enjoy.

Wisconsin Inland Trout Season Now Closed

A reminder to all who love to pursue trout on the thousands of beautiful miles of trout streams in Wisconsin. The trout season closed yesterday, September 30th. Early catch and release barbless season will re-open on the first Saturday in May. Early season trout fishing is, in my opinion, some of the best trout fishing you will experience in Wisconsin. The trout are eager, the bugs are non existent, and the spring sun on your back for the first time can certainly make you forget those winter blues.

My favorite spring fishing rivers include the Kinnickinnic River in River Falls, Wisconsin. The trout in this river are largely naturally reproducing, and have great color. The fly rod and small elk hair caddis flies will take fish, such as the one photographed above.

Another favorite is the Willow River in Hudson Wisconsin, I have taken large Brown trout, large Rainbow Trout, and brook trout up to 12" long all in one fishing trip before on this river. This great state is an angler's paradise, it really is.

Chicago 2016 : What it Means For Fishermen

With the decision from the International Olympic Committee only hours away, I can't help but wonder if by tomorrow afternoon, fishermen along the lake front of Chicago my see numbered days.

I'm hoping that Chicago does get the bid, as it will mean Chicago will likely clean up Northerly Island and may even make quality improvements along the lake shore as a whole. I would be surprised, however, if at least some fishing access is lost along the shoreline.

Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha Salmon Fishing Forecast : October 1st

October is upon us, and things are looking up. Rain that will start later today and extend until the weekend should push a heavy load of King Salmon, Steelhead, a few Coho Salmon, and maybe some Brown Trout up into the Milwaukee River, the Kinnickinnic River, the Menominee River, the Root River, the Pike River, and Oak Creek.

It may be tough fishing in the rain, but when the flow goes down afterward and thing settle out, fishing should be amazing.