Summer fishing is generally a brutal affair. Hot days, tired fish ignoring your lures, and the general allure of cold beer and porches with shade provide a mighty test of resolve. Which is why goal-setting and being comfortable with massive sweat stains is all the more important. And as my summer in MA winded down, I realized I had yet to accomplish one particular task – catching a trout from my beloved Pearl:
Why is this such an important goal? For those that haven’t memorized every single blog on this site, catching a trout was one of the original storylines and motivations for getting out there in the first place. Catching a trout at the Pearl has more to do with this dink-head once claiming they didn’t exist at my favorite fishing spot:
I immediately spent the rest of that particular summer fishing the Pearl until I caught one – it only took a casual month or so of daily fishing in 90 degree heat. And ever since then, I’ve made it a point to catch at least one trout in the summer there just to make sure Tommy never forgets my heroic effort to prove him wrong. However, there are just a few obstacles:
- Trout don’t like warm water, which 90 degree heat generally provides.
- To avoid this, trout move into the deepest parts of a body of water.
- The Pearl, despite it being very small, has one extremely deep part.
Thus, when fishing from the bank the problem is to deduce where the deep parts are and figure out how to get a lure all the way out there. Luckily by now I am well-practiced in doing this sort of thing (i.e., bomb way-too-big lures out there and hope something happens). I ended up using a huge 3/4 oz kastmaster type lure. It is essentially a chunk of metal designed to go very far and, as the kids would say, is very much “OP” for a small former reservoir.
I fear very few of my audience will understand that reference/terrible joke. “OP” means overpowered. I believe the term is derived from when violent video games makes certain guns/weapons too strong and the game becomes too easy. But I can’t say for sure, because I don’t play violent video games. In my case, a kastmaster that size is really meant for much bigger fish/bodies of water.
Anyways, the last trout I caught at the Pearl was actually by accident. He was a little guy that didn’t look too healthy and was feeding up in the shallows, which is often the case when they are put in ponds that can’t stay cool or clear enough:
This time around I was hoping to get something a little bigger and stronger in the deep part of the pond. So on one particular Sunday, I started casting directly into the deepest part of the Pearl when all of the sudden…..
…….
……….
I kept casting. And casting. And casting some more. It was very much a practice in patience, much like reading one of my blogs to get to the good parts. And the problem is, you can get caught asleep at the reel:
Because I actually hooked a trout! But I wasn’t paying attention after a million casts and barely set the hook. The fish was strong and looked great but got off just as I was reeling him onto the rocks I was fishing at. Thus, I had to return home with nothing to show for it. Fast-forward to the very next day and I decided to cast from a slightly different spot where landing the fish would be easier but I could still reach the deep part:
It only took a few casts before a fish smashed the lure! Given it was so far out, it put up a really tough fight – so tough in fact I thought I might have a large bass on the line, not the typical stocked trout. But once I landed the fish, I realized I had caught a lunker trout!
This fish was a really good size for a stocked trout in a Massachusetts pond, they really don’t have the resources/environment to get much bigger. And from the fight and the coloring, it was clear it was very healthy which translates to very tasty. I immediately brought it home and made sure everyone was aware of my amazing accomplishment:
The fact the trout was as big as it was made filleting it a pretty easy job. In other words, my filleting skills are terrible so I need to factor in losing some meat – I can be quite the butcher. I opted to season the trout with just some Himalayan pink salt I found in a cupboard ( according to Tom Brady it provides immortality or something) before pan-frying it in butter/olive oil and garlic:
The final product was a couple tasty fillets. A key thing I should note is that unlike other fish, feel free to leave the skin on trout. It gets crispy in the oil and provides a nice crunch with your bite. I put some crushed parsley and rosemary on for a little fancy garnish to finish it off:
So despite not catching a ton of memorable fish this summer, I was able to end it strong. I’ve since headed back to NY and am really looking forward to fishing in the fall, which in my opinion is the best time to fish in the Northeast. I’ll be hoping to catch some more lunkers and try some different recipes (I’ll still be frying most things). But the first step is of course to….
Cast and pray,
Jon (see below for obligatory photo of Bubz)
Great blog. Sad about bubz but looks like he’s on the mend. He’ll be back eating goose poop in no time. Also that is a sizable trout. The perl continues to surprise. Just such a random body of water. Won’t say I’m jelly, but definitely am jelly of the MA summer. Glad to see the blogs back in action too, thought you’d gotten lost in the woods or something and that was it. Your loyal readers need the content!
Great report! I gotta say, the fish are out there! Back at the end of June, I hit the Ten Mile River (east side of Dutchess County) with a friend. Usually by the end of June, the Ten Mile is fished out, and all of the stocked trout are gone. But on one open and shallow stretch, I got (and lost) a lovely bass! Then, farther down, there was a trout rising and striking at flies. I was still using a crankbait, good for bass but lousy for trout, so even through the trout at one point struck right next to my bait, I couldn’t hook it. So the fish are there … I appreciate your story of how your persistence paid off. I also gotta say, the pictures of the cooked product … yum!!