Brook Trout!
June's Wild Food of the Month
Of all the trout in New York State waters, Brook, Brown, Lake and
Rainbow Trout, my favorite is the smallest, the Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis),
and my favorite place to fish for them is the Adirondacks.
Contrary to popular misconceptions about the adirondacks being
"dead" from decades of acid rain, the Adirondack region has some of the best
Brook Trout fishing in the U.S. and from ice out in the spring until the last day of the
season, Adirondack trout fishing can be outstanding all season long.
 I've heard many an old timer say "June is the best month to
fish for Brookies," so that's why Brook Trout are my June pick for wild food of the
month, but don't let that stop you from going out any time in the season.
The DEC's list of waters
that they stock is a great place to start in order to pick a lake or pond to head to.
I prefer those ponds, small lakes and stillwaters that are off the beaten path a bit, but
as long as DEC stocks them, chances are good that there's a healthy trout population, even
if you can drive up to shore.
If, like me, you prefer fly fishing or ultra light tackle fun in pursuit
of Brookies, then pick a destination that DEC stocks only with Brook Trout. Those are the
places where the Brookies have no competition with other trout species.
Pictured on this page are a few of the many beautiful trout we caught
after bushwhacking deep into an Adirondack Wilderness area to fish several beautiful
mountain ponds. In May you may still find
snow or ice in low places to keep the fish fresh before cooking them up, and in July the
males are spectacularly colorful, (above right) with beautiful copper or ruby glow to
their bellies.
Which one was bigger, Kyle's male above or the female I caught (right)
is debatable because we didn't measure, though we should have. What you couldn't measure
is the fun we had.
Our pondside dinners have been as good as the fishing, so bring a fry
pan and a backpacking stove for a real treat. Here's my favorite rustic Trout recipe.
So, what are you waiting for... GO FISH!
-Roy Reehil
Related: A Forager's Spring Feast |
