The challenges and rewards of chasing Alberta’s brown trout on the fly

Advertisement

On small streams, browns can be found in the same spots each year

BROWN BEHAVIOUR

Brown trout weren’t exactly given a hero’s welcome when they were first introduced to Alberta back in 1924. Anglers accustomed to our native species said they were ugly, lacked fighting qualities, and weren’t particularly appealing on the palate. They were also thought to be exceedingly predatory on native trout and, perhaps worst of all, reluctant to take a fly. We now know those accusations to be total falsehoods, except perhaps for the argument they can be difficult to fool.

Brown trout love cover, so they’re most often found along undercut banks and logjams, and beneath overhanging trees or shrubs, all difficult places to cast a fly to. And they’re notoriously easy to spook, meaning you typically have just one chance to get your fly in the right spot before they figure out something’s up and refuse to rise.

Advertisement

Contrary to common opinion, small brown trout are eager and relatively easy to catch, readily taking dry flies. Not so with large browns over 18 inches, however. They are ruthless predators with finely honed survival skills, and it’s these sly mature fish that give browns their reputation as being the toughest of our trout to catch.

Big brown trout are like white-tailed deer—if they see you before you see them, your chances of fooling them are near zero

As one of my fly-fishing mentors, the late trout authority Barry Mitchell, once remarked, “Ken, big brown trout are like white-tailed deer and coyotes—if they see you before you see them, your chances of fooling them are near zero.” On the upside, it’s because of those very survival skills that, wherever brown trout live, there will be some big ones. The challenge for anglers is to find and catch them.

Brown trout feed most actively during early mornings, evenings and overcast days; on bright days, focus on water that’s out of the direct sunlight. And they’re typically more active in stained waters than in the crystal-clear rivers we most often associate with trout. Browns are also relative homebodies, especially on small streams, where many anglers tell of catching the same trout in the same spot year after year, often giving a name to their “pet” fish. It’s a sad day for those anglers when their brown trout is no longer where they expect it to be, having died of old age, or been eaten by a predator or taken out by another angler.

Advertisement

Keeping all this in mind, you need to further adjust your tactics accordingly depending on whether you’re targeting browns on a freestone stream or a spring creek.