Salvelinus, Oncorhynchus & Others

Not my biggest Chromer, but probably my most rewarding

About Me/ An Overview

    Introduction

      I'm Nick, an aspiring Fisheries Biologist with a passion for Trout and Salmon Fishing. More specifically, I tend to target trophy Brook Trout in the spring and summer months, and migratory fish whenever possible, especially Coaster Brookies, Steelhead and Chinook Salmon. I'll fish anything from 6cfs spring creeks to the massive Nipigon River over the course of a season. I love this sport and everything that comes with it, and I'll use just about any technique, whether its drifting tiny nymphs to docile winter Browns or throwing 1 ounce spinners for giant Chinooks off river mouths, and everything in between. I'll also keep the occasional fish or two, releasing the vast bulk of my fish, including all fish above average size. Selective Harvest is a great tool for maintaining quality size structure in the ultra-productive creeks of The Driftless, where fish populations often become stunted. Think Pine Creek by Maiden Rock. These are generally Browns invading sensitive Brook Trout fisheries.

Chasing Trophy Driftless Brookies

     Trophy Brookies keep me up at night. Seriously. Pouring over google maps and shocking reports, I'll spend hours looking for the next trophy spot to add to the list.  There is no fish I'd rather chase. Most people see Brookies as a beautiful, feisty fish that seldom exceeds 10" long. After stumbling into a couple of outlier streams with larger fish, I learned this not to be the case. I've since spent the last several years perfecting my own methods on chasing these fish that most believe haven't been in The Driftless since the first cut over. These aren't the size of the legendary fish of The Albany, Nipigon, Winisk, or Sutton, but I've found fish up to 4 lbs less than an hour off of I-94. 
     
     I like to think anything 15" or greater is a trophy for a Driftless Brook Trout, and at this size, they will give you an awesome fight, better than any Brown of the same length. These are truly wild Brook Trout, not pale, chopped fin tank scrubbers released into marginal water to surprise a bridge dunker. Not that there is anything wrong with that, its just not my thing and not any sort of challenge for me at this stage of my angling life. I like wading miles up these streams and finding fish that haven't seen a lure all year. Fish that exhibit aggressive behavior better suited to Pike than to, "The Gentlemen's Trout", "Aphrodite of the Hemlocks", or whatever superlative filled description you have of our Native Char. These fish will crush huge spinners many anglers would scoff at, and blow up on mice imitations generally thrown at Browns 8" longer. Make no mistake, they're predators and they can still get pretty damn big if you give them the chance. 

Migratory Salmonids

     Growing up in Northern Michigan, I was introduced to Salmon at an early age. I encountered my first Chinook when I was 6. Though I was already a veteran of many wars with Bass and Panfish on smaller lakes, nothing prepared me for the chaos that ensued when my dad handed me his rod and told me to hold on for dear life. I'd never had a fish take line, let alone rip 50 yards upstream in the blink of an eye. The battle lasted for maybe 2 minutes before she got loose, but the grin lasted much longer. 

     Upon moving to Minnesota when I was 12, I lost touch with these beasts from the lakes, but reconnected in my one year at Lake Superior State in the UP of Michigan, and haven't looked back since, following the runs from Thunder Bay all the way down to Racine every fall. Steelhead and Coho will catch my attention during their runs, especially the spring run on the N Shore of Superior. These fish pull double their weight, one of the finest wild strains in the world. Coaster Brookies have also earned a spot on the angling calendar. Native to Lake Superior, these fish have made an impressive comeback over the last 30 years, and are now present in fishable numbers all the way down to Duluth. I've only landed a couple, but they are an absolute treasure. These trips aren't light on the wallet, but damn are they worth it.

     I hope you all enjoy my write ups on my upcoming adventures, if any of you would like to get together to fish, bird hunt, have questions about an area or just want grab a beer feel free to hit me up on here. Have a good one and tight lines.