The brookie Salvelinus Fontinalis

There are happenings in life that inspire moments of awe. For some folks that moment may come from a glimpse of their dream car or a day's end back dropped by a serene wilderness. 

For myself those moments come from a much smaller source. you see I have seen my country, in fact I have hitch hiked it, driven it and flown it. From coast to coast, Newfoundland to British Columbia and as far north as Baffin island 800 km above the arctic circle.



Some of the sights I have seen personally have been no doubt awe inspiring but what really stretches the seconds out for me more than anything I have seen any where else is Salvelinus Fontinalis or Brookies.

I love to toss flies for atlantic salmon there is no better fresh water fight to be had but the appearance and for me awe inspiring colors of the brook trout can't be equaled anywhere else in Canada.

This blog is all about them and their color, shape, identifying characteristics and a hole bunch of closeup photo and video to help it along.

Brookies come in all kinds of colors. Purple, green and silver gray highlighted with reds and blues, golds, white, olive and black in endless combination's.







When I first catch a brookie there is so much to do with so little time. First he or she gets a look over while the hook is removed. Photos quickly taken and some times video of the catch and or the release.

 

 

 

 The few fish selectively harvested for whatever reason usually to gill damage get treated with reverence. Photographed, troutopsied for stomach contents, finely filleted and prepared with the care it deserves.



Nothing makes a Brookie stand out like it's fins. Red and black with the pure white outer edge make it easily identifiable from other species.





Watch in this video how the brookie uses it's fins to put on the breaks when he investigates my camera.

This is the first brookie I have managed to film and I got to say it is every bit fulfilling as getting him on the hook.

I try to get close ups of any landed fish belonging to other anglers who tend to eat what they catch and the occasional one I eat myself. Also if the ice is wet enough I like to lay them down for a quick shot on the ice.




 Check out these brookie skins that I use for screen savers









 Another way to identify a brookie is the wavy lines in is dorsal fin and tail also the tail is a little less square than that of a brown trout.



Females and males are easily identifiable at a older age. Notice the kype on the brookie in the photo he is clearly a male.



I love catching brookies no matter it be on the fly, a spinning rod, through the ice and now on film. They are defanatly awesome. I hope you enjoyed the brookies...FishinDan