Matthew McKinney

Matthew McKinney
Lemont, PA

Fishing Location: Whipple Dam State Park, PA
Size of Fish: 22"

Fished out of my canoe for thriteen hours straight yesterday and four hours today, a bit up the small stream that feeds into Whipple's Dam. I found a beautiful nineteen inch Brook Trout and watched it for about three hours at twenty feet away before working up the nerve to cast to him.  I threw a live minnow past him on the smallest hook imaginable and the Trout darted and ate the minnow with one giant gulp before I could blink.  It was such a blast to feel him tug on my line, but in the end, he twisted the fishing line all around and under and over various logs in the stream and was able to snap the line.  I headed back today and was able to find him nearby his previous spot.  It was amazing to watch the hole event transpire with polarized sun glasses in a very clear strea...the Trout was startled at first, but then he couldn't resist the struggling minnow. I was able to apply enough tension early to keep the Trout from tangling among the logs, forcing him out into the open water to fight it out where he couldn't tangle the line.