Got the word Friday that they were going to open the gate to Bench that afternoon, so decided to check it out. I alternated between trolling with a black woolly bugger and still fishing with worms.

Gorgeous day, with fantastic scenery. ( See Pics) I ended up pulling out a 20" Bow and a 25" ' Bow that weighed in at 7.5 lbs. ( Both on worms ) The big guy came in at about 4:30 in the afternoon.

Normally, that would be good for at least a '4' rating....Except for two things:

#1. Bench is loaded with little 'dink' brookies that kept grabbing my bait before the 'Bows could get to it. I fished for a good three hours, catching nothing but these little guys before I hooked my first rainbow. ( It's so bad that the Game Warden who checked my Res Permits told me NOT to throw back any dink brookies that I caught. )

#2. The only thing biting harder than the brook trout was the mosquitoes. If you plan to visit Bench any time soon, bring LOTS of bug repellent, and make sure it's the good stuff.

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