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3. brookie vs. brownie

i have a question about these two species,
do brown trout strike flies with more aggression than brook trout?
or keep the fly in their mouth longer?
for some reason i was having a really hard time setting the hook for some brookies, they would spit the fly almost as soon as they hit it, but the same fly when hit by a brown would give me no trouble and this happened several times?
or was it coincidence?

I would say that brookies are definitely the spunkier of the two species, or so it seems to me. My friend AftonAngler describes them well when he calls them "little ninjas." I laughed when he said that, but it's true. They're like energetic little pike smolts when they're in the mood, albeit a little prettier.

Although I have had 7" brookies give me more trouble than browns twice their size, so their normally feisty attitude can't always be taken for granted when it comes to decieving them.

As far as the hookset goes, I've had days where I hook maybe 1/6 of the brook trout that strike my fly (or even less). I would suggest slowing up on the little ninjas, letting them get a good mouthful of your fly. I guess you'll just have to experiment!

It probably depends on many variables. Sometimes smaller fish will spit a hook much faster than a bigger fish. Are the brookies smaller than the browns you are used to catching? Also, small fish may have trouble with big bushy flies. Even so, I prefer bigger flies with brookies, since on lightly pressured waters they may try hard to swallow a smaller fly and get it hooked in the gills.

yes the brooks would be bait for the browns i'm used to ,
i was using a #19 caddis this particular day that got me frustrated.



thanks for your input and advise.

Jasen,

As Louis suggests their are many variables. However, I wouldn't characterise Browns being more "aggresive" on their takes than Brookies, I think "decisive" would be the better word.

Sounds to me what you were experiencing is what most would call "short striking"...Brookies and Rainbows generally make slashing type strikes. In other words, they start to turn away from the fly a split second before the take. And that's why the majority of your hooked Brookies and 'Bows will be at the corner of the jaw.

In effect, a short strike is a fish rejecting the offering at the last possible moment. I suspect that the wings of your caddis flies were (are) tied too long which caused the short strikes by the Brookies. Brookies are much easier to catch than Browns (they'll go after damn near anything) and that's why I make the above deduction. It could be that your timing was off that day as well. Concentration is key, when you see the flash of the sides, strike! This is not a "hard" strike just a simple raising of the rod tip. Because the fish is going "away" from the offering, it hooks itself. With practice, it become almost instinctive. FWIW.

Dano