I love it when a plan comes together!

I was back fishing a small stream today with a mate of mine, Neil. The last time I was at the stream I was wading and I spooked a few big fish, It was difficult to fish the overgrown stream and get close enough to the fish without spooking them. The thought crossed my mind of trying for them with the Ultralight spinning rod, that way i could cast way beyond where i was wading and the water bulge would not spook the fish either. I'd much prefer to catch trout on the fly, but i was interested in a big one this time round and i couldn't ignore the most likely form of success.

I did start with the fly rod but with the wind making it difficult to cast in a jungle stream that is all ready challenging enough, I popped back and got the ultralight rod and box of tiny bean lures out the car.
Neil, doesn't yet have waders so although I had mine on, I opted to stay on the bank with him, so we walked and fished where we could get access. Not too long after fishing with a bean i got a hit and saw the fish turn, a quick re-cast and the trout took again, an enjoyable fight followed with lots of jumping. Not one of the big un's I've seen but a decent sized fish all the same.

 

We carried on fishing and dropped a couple of small fish off before things started to go quiet. That quiet spell was broken with a fish that I'll remember for some time. I was fishing a small narrow but deep pool when a trout of about a pound came flying up and snapped at my bean, it didn't connect so i cast back out again but this time further down the pool. I'd just started to retrieve when something hit hard, the fish then started to motor and my reel was making the best sound known to man! Again lots of jumps but with a fish of this size it was even more spectacular. Finally in the net, i peered in to see a big trout, big for my standards anyway and certainly a fish to fulfil my ambition of catching a big wild brown trout. Preferably I would like one on a fly rod, but I'm not turning my nose up! One thing kind of preys on my mind though, is it a brown trout, or could it in fact be a sea trout?

 

I did some research on the Internet to try and find out which one it could be, the fact that it had a couple of red spots, slight red edge to the adipose and olive fins does in fact suggest its a brown trout, but it looks so much like a sea trout colouration? Although the smaller fish I have caught all have this same colouration so I'm not really sure at all. To be honest I'm just chuffed to bits what ever it is and it doesn't really matter either way as if sea trout, it was once a brown trout too. fascinating that you can catch such decent fish from tiny bits of water!

I'd done a batch of my bean lures just recently and it was these that the trout really wanted.