Fish Tales with Mike Brower

The Unicorn

I have been fortunate to have caught many species and subspecies of fish, bass, bream, walleye, and trout in freshwater, and shark, barracuda, flounder, marlin, and redfish in salt water, to name a few. However, I do have a couple of rare fish on my radar that I wish I could catch.

The first is a “Tiger Trout,” and the second is a “Golden Trout.” These fish are kind of like a Mean Mouth or a Golden Largemouth as they are pretty rare to catch, and even though they can be bred via a hatchery, they are rare in the wild.

I have caught Rainbow, Brook, Brown, Lake Trout, and even Dolly Varden, but I have never even hooked one of my Unicorns. I have seen a Golden in a stream in Montana but couldn’t get it to even look at any fly I sent by it. It could have been because they are more intelligent than I am, or I’m just not versed in catching one. Either way, it is still on the wish list.

There are some wild native Tigers in Montana and a few Goldens. When someone catches one, it’s a BIG deal since both are rare and from interspecies breeding. Of course, I may never catch one, but it won’t be because I didn’t try. I haven’t caught a Permit yet, either. I was guided to a school of about 200, but they would not get into casting range, so the hunt continues.