Learning to Talk Trout
Carson
A journey from beginner to avid fisherman. Here is the story of how Carson “learned to talk trout”.
Growing up in the suburbs of Sun Prairie, life wasn’t too hard most summer days. Street hockey and backyard football were a staple most afternoons, with short breaks running through the sprinkler to cool off. One week every July, the family would pile into the Dodge Caravan and head up to Oneida County for a week in the Northwoods.
These lakes were everything a 7-year-old angler could ever dream of. Jumbo perch the size of a ruler, panfish waiting underneath each lily pad, and northern pike on every cast of a copper spinner bait. A decade or so of ice hockey would replace this fishing craze in a hurry. That was until the hockey chapter came to an end itself.
Fast forward to the year 2020. It’s 1 AM, and I’ve found myself inside a college bar in downtown Whitewater. My buddy Anders from Viroqua spots me from across the room and comes over to exchange banter. He asked me about my plans for the weekend, I shared with him the exploration I had charted. There was a bit of hiking planned for the morning as well as some fishing on the nearby lake that afternoon. The next words to come out of his mouth I will never forget. “You should try trout fishing. It’s hiking and fishing all at once.”
Looking back, that was a pretty good description of trout fishing for an inebriated 21-year-old at 1 AM. It also stuck with me well enough that I remembered it the following morning after a few more Coors Lights that night. The only issue was I had no idea where to begin.
Where do trout live? What do they eat? How can you target them? How do I know what streams they’re in?
These would all be questions I would have to find the answer to myself. I had never heard of anyone trout fishing in Wisconsin before. It was time to learn how to talk trout.
One of my first discoveries while researching trout was the abundance of these creatures in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. This portion of the state had already fascinated me for years and instantly made me invested. While the rest of the state was leveled and flattened by the glaciers, millions of years of history were preserved in these bluffs and valleys.
Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout. I learned had three different species to target. Brook Trout are native to this state. They have been here for millions of years. Brown Trout were brought here in 1887 by Europeans. Rainbow trout arrived in the 1880’s as well. My next challenge would be finding where a trout lives.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that my hometown was also home to a class II trout stream. I was taken away in awe. These fish have been living right under my nose this entire time. Most water is not suitable for trout and will not hold enough oxygen. But there was one healthy enough stream in town. I headed to the stream with a handful of spinnerbaits and a goal.
It was here that I learned you can spook a trout like you can a whitetail deer. These fish would require a stealthy and quiet approach. This was a new lesson for me in the fishing world. This is also where I learned how to fish in moving water. Another unbeknownst to me growing up fishing lakes. I learned to cast upstream and reel in with the current. This made the presentation look as natural as possible for the trout.
After 3 visits I still had nothing to show for.
On the evening of March 13th that year, I pulled up to my hometown stream once more. I had tested out a few other more prominent creeks but wanted to stop in one Friday evening as time allowed. I pulled my new ultralight rod out of the car along with my aluminum net from Walmart.
Temps were in the 40°s and were dropping rapidly. I had one hour of sunlight to catch a trout. I worked my way upstream without any luck before approaching the first bend. At approximately 6:06 PM I cast into the hole at the tail end of the bend.
I was met by a fish.
I pointed the tip of my rod to the sky and watched the fish put a healthy bend into it. He ripped some drag out before I horsed him in out of pure excitement. I was mesmerized by the gorgeous, bright red dots the trout sported which were surrounded by glowing blue halos. It was an 8” brook trout. I had caught plenty of fish in my life, but this brook trout was the most beautiful fish I had ever laid my eyes on.
Carson’s First Trout
Catching that Brook trout was a relentless pursuit. It was a learning experience from beginning to end. Those constant lessons each time I’m out on the stream are what fuel my passion to this very day.
Carson Sanders, 2023
