Giant, gorgeous spawning male brook trout??

[Dave Smith]

About 15 years ago I was on a quest to catch one and never really succeeded. I haven't fished for them in YEARS. I did get one at 18" out of Hosmer back then (tons of 15 inchers and some huge salmon)and it was really deep bodied and pretty breath-taking. Without revealing the places you are catching them, are any of you on to any these days? Are there any still around in the Fall anywhere in Oregon? I know that East Lake is pretty much over for Brookies. Are they still in Hosmer? Does anyone make an effort to catch them? Would love to see pictures or hear stories. PM is fine. THANKS! Dave

[TheCamel]

Hosmer has HUGE brookies, but they are very difficult to entice with a fly.

[troutski]

Hosmer still has Brook trout and Atlantic Salmon, and booth are very difficult to catch. But deffinetly worth it, not to mention the views....breath taking. Good luck.

[leadeyedbugger]

I can think of 3 other lakes in central oregon besides hosmer that give you a shot at 20+" brookies......its up to you to figure those out....actually i could probably argue that the other three might give you better chances at them.

[LurkerDave]

There are still plenty of big brookies pushing 20" in Hosmer, but they're the tough onses See my post from last weekend. There was one big burly, colored up dude in the channel near the small channel into the dock. He had a split in his tail and two big scars on one side. I all but bounced my flies off his nose but he wouldn't even move. Got a small 16" fish that took the fly right in front of his face. dang. Oh well, there's always next year.

[uhmw]

I caught a brook trout fat as a foot ball(closest to a trophy fish on a fly for me) that was weighed in @ crane prarie resort @ 7 lbs a state record in about 20 states but not even close to oregons 9 pound mark. The store attendant thought crane will produce the next state record he said they been getting bigger and bigger in recent years feeding on stikle backs on the bottem in cool water. Same way I had patterned my fish. I would look at that fishery first for oversized brookies. I have a nice picture thats is still up in the store next to a couple of 8 pounders of course.

[Dave Smith]

uhmw that is awesome. Crane is the most recent place I have tried for one, but it seems like your trying to find a needle in a haystack in that lake. Also, about the time the brookies start to really get colored-up, the creek channels close to all fishing (where most of them go to spawn). I wish they would open the Cultus arm for C&R only. Dave

[PittsburghD]

Not sure about this time, but high mountain lakes on Hood with creeks coming in are great right before the snows really hits. And then there is Gold Lake, which I have only done in Spring so not sure how fat they get now.

--D

[TheCamel]

The brookies at Gold do not get real big due to their healthy over population. There are some large Rainbows in Gold, but they are catch and release only. Limit on Brook trout is "no limit" for quantity or size.

[troutski]

I caught my largest Brookie in Waldo, it doesn't get much presure - tough fishing the water is to clear, but the rewards are football sized Brookies. The south end of the lake, early am and of course evenings(magic hour) in the fall.

[B-RUN STEELIE]

If its really something you want " A big Brook trout".. Henrys lake Idaho in October is were you can make that happen

[MarlinMark]

Hey Dave,

I saw your post on that fly fishing website that I have reffered to as..."Leftfly." Don't take it personaly. They are rude like that to all "new" people over there. I have stopped any posting or otherwise over there (except the recent one to defend you and take a shot at their attitude.) There is good info but you have to search for it. They are kinda "special."

As far as brookies goes I have heard stories of huge brookies in Elk lake right there next to Hosmer. Crane too, but the ones we've caught in Crane weren't that handsome. If I was joining you on your quest (and I wish I could but I'm hunting in MT this fall) I would want to camp at Elk lake and fish/troll flies and gear in Elk lake and fly fish in Hosmer. The camping at Hosmer is fine but no water and the bugs this year are bad. I would fish 'mini-leaches" at Hosmer right along the cattails in Hosmer. I hear the way to go in Elk is a troll rig/flasher setup with a night crawler. Let me know if you want me to elaborate on any of this.

Mark

[JohnOD]

Dave I’m the guy on “Leftfly” that sent you a P.M. Mark while I understand your assessment were not all left leaners over there, so of us have more self control than others.
Fish this size are pretty much the standard fare on C.P.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v144/JiB111/Z2.jpg

This is my personal best C.P. brook trout so far…
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v144/JiB111/Brookie.jpg

I spend quite a bit of time on Crane, and have not seen many brookies in the last month or so, but I have been targeting the bows so that doesn’t surprise me. Being fall spawnwers the brookies tend to school up near the inlets at that time of year.

Good luck, John

[PTS]

John,
I knew you were the Davis bass master and the Hosmer brookie master and now Crane, too! Awesome fish!

[JohnOD]

Phil even a blind hog finds an acorn every now & then :wink:
John

[MarlinMark]

Those are awesome fish John. Good work. I might be headed that way Friday. I will let you know.

MC

[Dave Smith]

Guys, I can't thank you all enough for your posts. John and Mark, you guys, and others have really gone out of your way to guide me and I appreciate it! In defense of the folks on the other site, I really did go about that all wrong- I was in a hurry when I typed my message and I didn't really intend to pry for information- really just encouragment- I just started asking for help as I kept typing- he he. John, what a gorgeous fish- nice work on that one. That is about my "ideal" fish- if I could be super picky (and I can't) I would hope for one with a red belly, so later in the Fall, and maybe somewhat of a hump-back but again, that one is really beautiful- lot's of "Char-like" characteristics.
Once again, if I can help with anything that I know about, I would love it. I have alot of experience with catching big Bass, I can help with waterfowl hunting- and advice or help with finding a good fish replica artist or helping anyone interested in trying to make one, themselves. Thankyou, guys!
Dave

[Subtlety]

If you cared to venture to N Cali there is a beautiful stretch of flyfishing/catch n release only water on the Trinity river just above the town of Lewiston (half hour west of Redding).

There are monster browns there due to the fact that they release hundreds of thousands of smolt upstream about 2 miles.

Throwing a sink tip with anything silver/white/smolt colored early in the season (like the middle of the week after the first weekend opener) usually gets your heart pumping pretty fast.

[Dave Smith]

Wanted to bump this up and see what the latest brook trout news is- anybody caught any more nice ones? My best friend that had the brook trout dream with me- the one that was with me when I caught the one decent one, has since passed away so I had given up on the idea of trying to catch one altogether until a few days ago. Now I feel like, more than ever, I need to get out and catch a big brookie in spawning colors. It's ridiculous how my friend and I had started this idea so long ago (now over 20 years) and I let him down. I know he will be watching me and expecting me to finish what we had started together and I gotta do it.
Considering Henry's Lake or Kirman Lake- can't afford Fortress lake. I might try Timothy, Hosmer, Elk, or Crane, but all but gave up on them on my last attempt about four years ago.
DS

[Wreckless]

Has it REALLY been 20 years since the quest began!!??

Wow!!!

The stories of the "meat pit" still make me smile.

If you need a secret weapon, I have a couple of Dale's fly boxes.

[kill2hunt]

bookies are my favorite fish and crane is my favorite place! i have caught some really good fish out of crane, i think my biggest from there is right at 20". i have found a few out of the way lakes that have some huge fish, i caught a 26" fish and hooked one other that was bigger that broke off. saw my father catch a brook out of marion that was 23 or 24". and he has pictures of some really nice brooks out of lost lake. if i were on a QUEST though i would look at waldo, not from personal expirience but on what i have heard. not alot of fish but bigguns! good luck i hope you succeed and we all get to see the pictures!

[Dave Smith]

bookies are my favorite fish and crane is my favorite place! i have caught some really good fish out of crane, i think my biggest from there is right at 20". i have found a few out of the way lakes that have some huge fish, i caught a 26" fish and hooked one other that was bigger that broke off. saw my father catch a brook out of marion that was 23 or 24". and he has pictures of some really nice brooks out of lost lake. if i were on a QUEST though i would look at waldo, not from personal expirience but on what i have heard. not alot of fish but bigguns! good luck i hope you succeed and we all get to see the pictures!

kill2hunt you're a good man and nice work on those huge brookies- you're a better man than me because I have tried a Crane and got my you-know-what handed to me by the brookies in there :redface:
I'll do some research on Waldo. Super nice of you to mention that. What I am dreaming about more than anything is a DEEP bodied one with a red or orange belly. Doesn't have to be huge, just has to be spectacularly gorgeous and deep. Here's a pic of my "dream" fish though I would be hapier with much smaller as long as it was cool looking. I'm not sure if there are fish like this in Crane that are catchable? By the time they get really colored-up (assuming the do) and hump-backed, they might be up the creeks? IDK, I just never see any pics of fish from Crane that are in full spawning colors. For that matter, hardly any in Oregon in full spawning colors?? Even the 18 incher I caught in Hosmer in October was lacking in color, despite being really cool shaped. Check out this YouTube video- thjese fish are ridiculously awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONyYDd8fbvw

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g33/arcticstar/henryslakeOMG.jpg

[snag32]

I have caught some nice sized (12"-16") all colored up when up in the Cascades elk hunting. The Waldo Lake lead is a good lead Dave. They are there and they are beauties! Especially when you are reeling them in and can see them in that crystal clear water.

[B Run Banker]

south twin on the colville res has the prettiest brookies ever.....but they fire up in the fall

[Dave Smith]

Bumping this thread incase anyone has any new info or cool pictures. I am planning on heading to Henry's Lake this fall. but am also going to try some of the local lakes suggested.
DS

[orarcher]

My first Brookie caught on 7/3 on bugs at C.P. and she was puuuurdy :)

[Dave Smith]

My first Brookie caught on 7/3 on bugs at C.P. and she was puuuurdy :)

Nice one- yup, that's a purdy one! Thanks for the pic!
DS