Striking Steel

[TubeDude]

Thanks TD.  Getting to know a new lake is always a fun challenge.  But it always helps to have some intel going in. 

I spent a lot of time at Flaming Gorge but it isn't as good as it used to be so Starvation might be a good base of operations for a while.  Are the browns in there very prevalent?  I was shocked to see one come up.  I didn't expect that at all.

There are always browns present in Starvation...replenished by spawning up in the Strawberry river.  But their habits are very different than the rainbows.  Not as many either.  Most browns I have caught have either been while casting cranks right after iceout...or fishing near the bottom during warmer months.  Then they get more active in the fall before they do their spawn thing.  They feed mostly on small perch but will also munch the numerous crawdads.  So casting around rocks with plastics will sometimes bag smallies, wallies and browns on the same day.  And almost always a few stray bows and perch in the mix.  Whatever food resource draws one species to an area usually attracts the other guys too.  

In short, the browns in a lot of our waters are like walleyes.  A high percentage of those caught are caught by anglers primarily fishing for other species.