The spool is turning slowly, as I grab the line and drive the barb to its bony destination. The return tugging is sharp and pronounced, but despite protests, I pull 15 inches of speckled beauty into the light of day. While we're admiring the bluish halos and crimson dots of the fish's glistening hide, the willowy stick over Dad's hole is again laid waste by another steam-rolling brook trout. Needing no further prompting, Dad rigs his lines so they'll free-spool with the inevitable next strike. With our initial doubts waning rapidly, we spend the afternoon being indoctrinated into the mysterious underworld of mud-flat brook trout.
Most brookie anglers know vast expanses of shallow water.
In summer, our paddles sink deeply into the silt-strewn bottom, as we make our way to more promising waters. Despite the colloquialism, loons have little to do with it. The shallow water and soft, flat bottom are the result of an accumulation of rotting vegetation, called detritus. This layer consists of decaying aquatic plants, as well as terrestrial vegetation like moss, wood, and leaves blown into the lake. In summer, shallow flats are not considered productive for angling.