11-15-2014, 03:54 AM
There are a few trophy brown trout stillwaters in the state. They just aren't managed for it or advertised by those who fish them. Its still a very hard sale as the time required to get them and the conditions fished in are prohibitive for all but the most dedicated. Lake trout get larger and although they are not easy by any means, it's easier to catch a trophy lake trout (20+ lb) than a trophy brown trout (10 lb). Add to that the maturity of the lake trout fishery in terms of notoriety and number of guides at the gorge and it's a huge uphill battle. Tarponjim can probably give you a good idea about the paying customer and their expectations. Are they willing to fish super late or early in often very cold conditions?
I would love to see a truly trophy brown trout fishery somewhere in the state, I just don't believe there is a big customer base for it unfortunately. FWIW, I use to be a pretty avid trophy brown hunter - and then kids got in the way. I've caught a grand total of 3 browns over the 30"/10+ lb. mark and all 3 were from rivers (non-spawning resident fish, not migratory spawners and not in the fall).
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I would love to see a truly trophy brown trout fishery somewhere in the state, I just don't believe there is a big customer base for it unfortunately. FWIW, I use to be a pretty avid trophy brown hunter - and then kids got in the way. I've caught a grand total of 3 browns over the 30"/10+ lb. mark and all 3 were from rivers (non-spawning resident fish, not migratory spawners and not in the fall).
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