What's This I Hear??

I recently spoke with Dave Hise of Casters Fly Shop in North Carolina (check out the website here, great content, videos, etc.!) and he mentioned, in passing and very casually, the name of a fish I've rarely heard spoken in those parts. It peaked my interest and he agreed to an interview about it. He's somewhat of an expert on these matters, so I listened closely!

Me: Where was this fish discovered?
Dave: In the Appalachian Mountain Chain.

Me: What flies does it seem to prefer?
Dave: Anything that touches the water. Just be sure to make a stealthy approach and present your offerings delicately. It is a very opportunistic creature but is also very wary, like the Abominable Snowman. Some have said that it has a particular liking to cigarette butts but I haven't tried a cigarette butt pattern yet.

Me: Do you think it will overtake other fish in terms of popularity?
Dave: Not necessarily but there is definitely a cult following. People in these parts worship the little fellas. By little, I mean little. Most of the streams have minimal biomass therefore there is very little for them to eat. These streams are often over-populated; a combination of that and the lack of food stunts their growth.

Me: Do you offer guiding for this new fish yet?
Dave: Not really. Well... I mean, Ill take people out for them but I have a difficult time charging normal guide rates for a "do it yourself" species. If you are willing to hike 4-8 miles a day along a copperhead and rhododendron laden stream bed, then you can fish for these wily critters. Live by the cooler rule (the rule states- certain anglers can only go so far with a 12 pack of tall boys in their cooler so if you hike beyond that point you will find yourself in the mecca).

Me: And finally, what is the name of this almost unspoken-of fish?

Dave: Brook Char

Me: I think there are more species yet to be identified out there. Misnomers abound in literature, catalogs and blogs. What do you think?
Dave: Well, I have fished for and heard of numerous species but they continue to elude me. Most notably, the lake char, Atlantic brown, and bull char; the lake char resembles that of the lake trout; the Atlantic brown resembles that of the Atlantic salmon; and the bull char resembles that of the bull trout. I have caught the bull trout and lake trout and oddly enough, they seem to look very much like a char. Don't get me started on the Atlantic salmon. I thought salmon died upon the completion of their spawning ritual but those damn Atlantic salmon live on to spawn another day. They must be a special kind of salmon or maybe even the relative of a trout.

(...a little Monday fun.)