First trouts of the year

This has been a very late start to the soft water fishing season.  Usually I'm on the water two to three weeks earlier.  Ice has only been out for a week or so at most of the Calabogie lakes.  In the past, ice-out has produced some big fish.  So far not this year.  I've been out three times.  After 3 hours at one of my favorite rainbow lakes, I hooked this one on a Vampire Leech on a #3 sink.  My fish finder is in repair so I can't tell you temperatures nor the depth of the fish but my feet are freezing up on me after an hour or so.  I was told by another fisher that the water was around 48F, still a bit cool for the trout to get active.  They also might be suffering from a bit of oxygen deficiency as the lake mixes up.

I have a lake which I don't tell people about that has Brook Trout in it and you use your floating line.  On my first visit I landed two 12" or 2nd year brookies.  The stockers are in now and they jump all over the dry flies.  At another Brook Trout lake we tried, there is no activity at all, so this place is special. On my second visit four days later, I got the grand daddy of the pond.  Small lakes don't produce very large trout but this one was definitely a 16" senior with it's darkened mouth and sharp teeth.  He took a white Phentex Humpy.  I think it represents a Boatman which I saw a few of flying around. I got one more twelve incher.  Pretty good for an easily accessible lake an hour away from Ottawa.