ORIGINAL: jolie

also just out of curiosity, does a trout that size take regular flies this time of year.  Or is stripping streamers that game for monsters like those? 

In certain rivers with a lot of aquatic insects, trout will still feed on bugs once they hit the 18"+ range. Not to say they don't enjoy a nice chunk of meat from time to time.

In the limestoners around my part of PA I catch my biggest fish on nymphs.

ORIGINAL: jolie

Its worth being near the deer carcasses.
....

rereading this with a friend and found something a little problematic about what I said.  I didn't mean exactly "right near the deer carcass", in fact I wasn't.  Moreover, I haven't waded in the river much recently.  There's ice chunks in the rivers, sometimes coming from the railings by the dam.  potentially, these ice chunks could be a little dangerous.  Since I fish at night, Until a warm spell strips much of the railing ice of the tailrace wall, I would wade very cautiously IF at all.

you're certainly welcome to fish the "river"- year round.  but please use your head and don't do anything dangerous.  My walleye came from the tailwaters.   They're in there.

there's irony in me posting a walleye in a "trout" thread and in the wrong part of PA, too.  but I like you guys and wanted to share it with my friends.

That's a nice brown Kreamy. If that was caught where I think it was, it tends to be a good holding area for big fish. I've come across a few there myself. 

I'm setting my goal at getting out to fish at least once a month. I'll worry about catching them next year.