There should be. In the spring of 2009 the state started stocking Brown Trout in the lake near some of the creek mouths in hopes of having a legitimate trophy Brown Trout fishery along the shorelines and in the streams in the fall. They were stocked at about the same size as the Steelhead Smolts that are stocked each spring in the tributaries. Brown Trout in the other Great Lakes run into tributary streams in the Fall to spawn with Steelhead and other Salmon. These fish already ran in the streams last fall after just 1 summer and ranged from 14-17″. We caught quite a few last fall. Those fish that didn’t run should be doing so this fall and we should start to see fish in the 20-25″ class. This in addition to the trophy Steelhead that run the Erie streams adds a new wrinkle to a day of fishing that is already world class.

The only Browns we had before were from adult trout stockings done on a few of the streams in the spring for regular trout season. Those that survived the spring fishing would head out to the lake as most of the streams in Erie County are not suitable to hold trout over the summer. Those fish ran with the Steelhead in the fall but mostly were few and far between. Some big ones were caught every year and if you were lucky you would find a pod of Browns to fish over in one spot. In 10 years I wasn’t that lucky and have seen just a handful and have caught 2 in the 4-5 lb range. I look forward to having a shot at catching many throughout this season and future years. This is another wonderful opportunity and another great reason to visit our streams.

Big lake Brown Trout behave similar to Steelhead and can be caught using the same techniques. Jigs, Flatfish, flies, and any baits below a float can fool a Brown just like a Steelhead. In the lake you may find Browns staging earlier than Steelhead. Here spoons and spinners are the most effective options.

I’ll let you know when I see these fish this season and I will certainly post any pics of ones I or my clients catch on the streams. There are not many fish as beautiful as a large Brown Trout and it’s nice to know we may not have to go all the way to the Lake Michigan or Lake Ontario streams to catch them.

-JB