Dinosaur Brown Trout

It has been a while since writing, and if you follow along, I will attempt to bring hope of the next cast in every word.

Winter has come and gone; spring has finally arrived. This winter seems to have been extra-long due to its abnormally high snowfall and low temps. It's the end of March now and trout season is approaching at light speed. My tying bench is filled with feathers. A new JP Ross Coherence sits in my arsenal waiting to be christened. Songbirds are starting to sing on my morning walks, soon the forgotten fall grass will turn from a dull brown to the vibrant spring hue of green. Earth is waking up as the angler's soul begins to wane for the first trout of the year. 

The new season brings hope of what may come. For us here at JP Ross, this hope has been put into our new PHAT GLASS. I was fortunate enough to be one of the first to try out this prototype last fall on a Lake Ontario trib. This is my account of that adventure chasing Dinosaurs. 

This trip was in November when I normally would have been in the deer woods, but the allure of Dinosaur Brown Trout was irresistible. I had received an invite from a great friend to join his crew's annual fall Ontario tributary trip. This would be my first Fall run trip.

On Friday, I arrived and was graciously shown the river with its immense potential. Brown trout could be seen moving up stream, and a few were caught right in front of me. I spent that afternoon acquainting myself with the river attempting to figure out these fish.  Alas, the fish won this day, and my learning curve was apparent.  That evening we headed to the local watering hole for dinner and stories from the day. I happened to learn a few tricks and the excitement of the morning would keep me tossing all night. 

Morning did not come fast enough as my anticipation of this day was on high alert. A quick stop at the local Dunkin for coffee and to-go breakfast sandwich and we were off. The morning was just starting to come to life as I tagged along with one of the crew. I was shown a spot with absolute great potential. I was fishing between two of our crew members. They were into fish right from the start, and I was still figuring things out. Around 8am they came to give me some instruction on my set up. Things began to come together enough to fall completely apart. 

I finally hooked into a trout only to have my leader break from running along the rocks. It wasn't long and I was into another beast of a trout. This fish took me on a run. This is where the PHAT GLASS really showed what it was capable of. This trout was close to 30 inches, and I had 4x tippet with no fear of breaking my line. I fought this fish for some time only to have him straighten out the hook. While the rod protected my tippet, it did not protect my mind from this loss. 

I took a moment to gain composure. The struggle and frustration of these losses were felt. Yet, I would not let them break me. One thing about me is that I never quit and I will not be beaten down by anything.

 With my psychological mind set, I shut down my camera allowing me to take in the moment of this experience. Sometime around 2pm I hook up on what would be my first Dinosaur. The line was tight; I could feel the raw power of this fish as it worked to free itself from my woolly. Across the river, upstream and down he would run. The rod held true to its purpose by saving me from my mistakes, allowing the fish to learn that a fast run would no longer free him from the thin line that connected us at this place in time.  This battle went on for a few minutes, and this beautiful Dinosaur Brown Trout was now in my hands. 

What you may not know is this was a lifelong quest to catch a 20inch plus brown trout. The feeling that I had that moment will stay with me for a lifetime. From frustration and struggle to a moment of triumph, the journey here shows us to never quit as success could be in the next cast. I later caught another dinosaur as the realization set in that every cast gives us the experience needed for the next adventure. As night approached the day on, the water was coming to a close. A few of us headed back to the truck to celebrate the day, a day that will not be forgotten. 

Sunday morning came with fridged temps, rain and wind. I chose to sit this morning out; while enjoying coffee with a friend, we became mesmerized by the crashing waves out the window. I said my goodbyes, knowing that I will be back to this place to chase dinosaurs. 

There is something about the PHAT GLASS, I’m not sure if it’s the smoothness in your hands, the throwback feel, the power to fight big fish, or that it’s just plain cool. If you chase dinosaurs, you're going to want to check out this rod. 

You can find this adventure on my YouTube channel with the link below. 

https://youtu.be/vA8O8xDcz-8?si=827g20JgMAIE1YnP

Adirondack Trout Bum