The Atlantic coast of Maine is a harsh environment for a brook trout, yet these hardy natives have existed in the streams and ponds of Acadia National Park since the last ice age. Brook trout require cold, clean well-oxygenated water to survive, and . . .
Read Morefly-fishing for brook trout
Video: Fall Beaver Pond Brookies

Little Rhody is not known for its trout fishing, but Chase and Aimee Bartee have found some great, hidden spots. Their latest video captures an autumn day on a small pond in the woods, where . . .
Read MoreClassic Video: Fall in New England, A Love Letter

Chase and Aimee of Tight Loops have produced a gorgeous paean to the late season in their native New England. From the cinematography to the slow-motion action to the music, this. . .
Read More“Porcupine Brook,” by William G. Tapply

Finding a wild-brook-trout stream by accident is the best part about wandering through the woods.
Photo by Phil Monahan
I happened upon Porcupine Brook while exploring some promising woodcock cover last October. Burt, my Brittany, had wandered off, as he often does, and when I could no longer hear his bell. . .
Read MorePhil’s Top 10 Dry Flies for Mountain Streams
In late summer, many of the valley rivers in Southwestern Vermont get low and warm. That’s when I head for the hills, by which I mean the Green Mountains. This beautiful stretch of the Appalachians is veined by tumbling freestone streams that are home to native brook trout, as well as the occasional brown that … Continue reading “Phil’s Top 10 Dry Flies for Mountain Streams”
Read MoreTips for Fishing High-Elevation Lakes for Brook Trout
My friend Jeff and I recently took our families to explore a high elevation lake and stream in the Uinta Mountains of Utah for a couple of days. The hike to the lake was only about a mile, but we had heard good things about it. When we arrived, . . .
Read MoreBook Excerpt: Brook Trout and Beaver Ponds
With the exception of small freestone streams, no type of aquatic habitat is more identified with brook trout than beaver ponds. In areas such as interior Maine, they are more important to the brook trout angler than freestone streams, which are often . . .
Read MoreVideo: Finding the “Wildness” in Your Heart

The buzz in the air was palpable. Thirty women, all fishy and many with extraordinary pursuits beyond the water, filled the room. I was humbled to be among these talented and fabulous. . .
Read MoreThe Doc, the River, and Lessons Learned

Doctor Hays casts one of his Leonard bamboo rods–left to him by his father–on Maine’s Rapid River.
Photos by Sandy Hays
Although I had been a fisherman since early childhood, I didn’t learn to fly-fish until I was in graduate school at the University of New Hampshire. My older brother, Brian, lived nearby, . . .
Read MorePodcast: Catching Big Brook Trout, with Mark Melnyk
We’ve all heard about going to remote camps in Labrador or Quebec for large brook trout, but less well known are the drive-in rivers of Ontario. Ontario has some amazing wilderness fishing for large brook trout that can be accessed without a. . .
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