MA guy looking for help.

[Tuna Meltdown]

Hi guys, my friend and I have recently stumbled upon an awesome fishery, similar to the one you guys have in NY but it's in MA.  In the fall the landlocked salmon run up the tributaries from a lake to spawn.  Following those salmon are some rather large rainbows and brown trout that enter the river to eat the salmon eggs and then spawn in the spring.  We stumbled across the trout by accident while fishing for the salmon a few years back.  The trout are really quality fish for our area and we have given up on the salmon and focused our efforts on the trout.  A few weeks back I lost a monster on a spawn sack that was pushing 10 pounds.  My friend I fish with caught and released a 4 pound female brown last year and just last weekend he caught and released a beautiful 7 pound male.  Most of the better fish have been caught on spawn sacs or night crawlers.  My question is this, is there any other tactics that we should be trying?  I've thought about beads but I really have no idea about using beads or how they work?
Here are the pictures of my friends two nice browns.  Not big by NY standards but really nice fish for MA.  Thanks for any help in advance.

[Locoman]

A tiny jig tipped with a spike grub under a bobber floated through some deep pools is one of my favorite ways. Minnows are a killer bait also if you are allowed to use them. Nice looking browns you have there.

[westernmas]

Congrats, those are some beautiful fish.  If you have a fly rod I'd try some wooley buggers or egg sac patterns.  Even if you don't have a fly rod you could drift those patterns under a float like they do up in NY.

[bigredfishing]

we have a similar fishery in lake champlain tribs, with browns and steelies following the LL salmon up.  i have done my best bottom bouncing egg sacs, but when the water temp is above 35 degrees or so, they will readily take a streamer and/or beads.    

[bcons]

Egg sucking leeches can produce well, they're a weighted fly that can be used with spinning tackle too with practice.

Beads work well when trying to duplicate natural presentation.  Single bead same color as natural egg. slide bead on line before hook.  Slide bead 1.5-2.5" above the hook.  They sell "peg" material, but if not a common method in your area, it may be hard to find. Thick mono works well, or toothpicks.  Basically you're just trying to jam material into the hole in the bead to bind the bead in place so it won't slide.  Then break or cut off and material that sticks out of bead.  Fish under a float. Split shot placement is key here though. Depending on current learning proper placement can have a long learning curve.

Good luck! Nice looking spot.

[St.Croix.Boy]

...and keep in mind that those browns may be coming into that fishery to spawn, as well. Browns and salmon have kinda similar spawn schedules (mid to late fall), at least here in our Finger Lakes tributaries. It's common to catch a salmon on one drift, and then a brown on the next. So I wouldn't be surprised that those fish gorgeous - and my heavens they are some beautiful brown trout - fish are spawning, too.

Next time you whack one of those fatties, check for a couple of things 1) is the belly unusually gorged on a male, which could mean he's full of milt 2) if you catch a female check her bunghole to see if she's spilling eggs. I know that you're probably practice C & R, but you may wanna squeeze the eggs out of her before putting her back. Perhaps this isn't something you'd like to do, but trout eggs are a better bait than salmon eggs, IMHO.

[Tuna Meltdown]

They are definitely spawning too.  My friend caught the female that was paired up with that big male a few hours before he caught the male.  They were both actively making a bed in the middle of the river.  I got some fresh spawn sacs and some trout beads that I'm going try this weekend.  Hopefully I can hook into one of these bigger fish.

[fishryc]

A tiny jig tipped with a spike grub under a bobber floated through some deep pools is one of my favorite ways. Minnows are a killer bait also if you are allowed to use them. Nice looking browns you have there.

Lake Ontario trib. favorite = very tiny white Marabou jig tipped with a wax worm under a small clear plastic float ("Cleardrift", etc).

[rakerdave]

I have even caught them on minnows.  Don't be afraid to try all different color beads 
. Dip them in a Lil smelly jelly

[Tuna Meltdown]

Thanks guys!  I caught and released my personal best brown from MA on Saturday.  I couldn't be happier.

[westernmas]

You get a weight on that big boy?

[swampbucks1]

Thanks guys!  I caught and released my personal best brown from MA on Saturday.  I couldn't be happier.

Beauty.....watch out..gonna be 100 people there on Thursday to pick those fish..

[rakerdave]

Wow nice colors .

[Raquettedacker]

What a great fish...    Congratulations.....

[chrony59]

WOW ! that's a slob .......................length ? weight ?