When approaching a brook trout stream, keep a low profile and utilize any available cover. If wading, slow down and lift your feet out
of the water only when necessary. (Shutterstock image)
Epiphanies, revelations, eureka moments—whatever you choose to call them, those flashes of insight when essential truths of fishing or hunting suddenly become clear are times we sportsmen live for. My eureka moment with stream brook trout came years ago, on a day in which I spooked fish after fish with errant wading and by hurling flies into overhanging vegetation.
Frustrated and with only one tattered pattern left in my fly box (and too tired to “attack” another hole), I slowed my pace greatly and gently dropped the by-then nondescript fly into a run. The brookie that struck wasn’t all that big, but its impact on my fishing strategy was huge. After I...