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| It's really a shame that the scenery is not more beautiful on this creek.... |
My wife and son had plans all day on Saturday, which gave me a good 8 hour window to have a fishing adventure. Despite low water everywhere in NEPA, in looking at the stream gauges online, it looked like the Poconos got a little jolt of water during the week, and they even had a chance of rain on Friday night until 3 AM on Saturday. After nearly a week of bass fishing, three men on a 17 foot boat, in Canada, I decided to go in an entirely different direction and hike in alone to one of my favorite little trickles in the Poconos. The creek runs through SGL property for a few miles, and even though it’s public land not far from civilization, with turkey season over now, there was a good chance I would have little to no company. The fish are small, but they are usually plentiful and challenging.
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| The morning's final destination, looking very different with very little water flowing through it. |
I set the alarm for 3 AM, anticipating a 2 hour drive. I had an unexpected bathroom stop (not a good sign when facing a 3-6 mile hike in and out) and had to stop for gas, so it was about 5:45 AM when I pulled into the gravel lot at the lower end of the SGL. Much to my surprise, a young couple was suiting up to take a hike in and fish the same water. Instead of leaving for a different spot in the area, I asked the nice young guy what his plans were, and I shared mine, and together we hatched a workable solution. He would take his wife up to the brook trout water, above the set of falls a couple miles from the lot, and I would try my luck with the wild brownies, ending my hike at the falls. He and I were happy, and his wife, who had never been here before, would get to see the most scenic part of the hike. I appreciate a fisherman, even with a partner along with him, who knows how to play nice and appreciates the relative solitude that hiking into unstocked waters gives you. I have played hopscotch all morning with others in similar situations, and the fishing and the good times suffer for all involved.
It was hot and humid with the promise of mosquitoes as I made
my way down to the stream. I was rigged
up with two nymphs on my 3 wt 8-footer, but when I saw how low the creek was, I
knew it would probably be a dry-dropper day.
I anticipated having to pick apart each remaining pocket of water deep
enough to hold a trout who would not spook the moment I came within 10
yards of his lair. Even sneaking around
as much as one can sneak on a boulder- and moss-strewn uphill mountain hike, I
did spook many fish before I was in casting distance. This is par for the course with these wary
and wily wild browns. A good rain is the
only way to catch many of them off guard.
A heavier flow and a bit of a stain do wonders. Today, I would do my best to be stealthy and
enjoy the walk in beautiful country (reapplying bug spray liberally and often). I decided to wet wade, donning just my wading
boots and some quick drying pants. The hike
to the falls is steep enough, with plenty of down trees and rocky outcroppings to
skirt around or climb over without the added discomfort of chest waders (though
I welcome them here in the winter!).
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| Some ruins hiding one of the few deep holes. |
To give the couple a head start upstream, I sneaked down to a some favorite spots below the drop-in point. One spot is a pocket about the size of a manhole cover at the base of a plunge. I landed my first wild brownie of the day here, all of 6 inches long and darkly colored from the summer moss and plant growth in the creek, whose water temperature was reading a good 56 degrees. The next likely spot surprisingly held not one fish for me. It is by far the deepest spot on the lower section of the creek, running under an old ruin of an aqueduct, but it has a deep plunge pool and competing currents, not to mention a good overhanging tree (today with the added challenge of a bee hive dangling not 8 feet above the water).
I started hiking upstream and found a lot of low water
where I usually find fishable, albeit small, pockets to target. I did more hiking than casting as I had to
limit my fishing to the deepest plunge pools and log jams. I caught a handful of fish during the cloudy
morning on nymphs until it started to brighten and I could see a size 14 elk
hair caddis, which another handful of fish jumped on readily.
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| A typical wild brown in this creek. They were looking drab with the amount moss growth in the creek this time of year. |
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| A good number aggressively took the caddis dry fly. |
At most of the likely spots, I a) swung and a missed, b) spooked a fish, or c) caught one. I counted 12 small browns that came to hand, but just as many fell into category a) and b) too. As I got closer to the falls it became obvious that the young couple had been at some of the good holes, and fishing slowed to nothing, so I turned back and quickly fished an Ausable Wulff in a few spots where I had nymphed successfully. I caught a couple more small browns skating the high floating dry over bankside slower pockets, but not as many or as large as I would have liked.
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| A plump one who ate the dry fly during my return downstream. |
I was determined to catch a couple fish out of the aqueduct hole below the parking lot, so that was the final destination on my mind. By about 12:30 PM, I was standing back under the beehive and the ruin, this time with a tungsten bead caddis nymph and some split shot. Finally, as the indicator drifted back into the plunging white water, I hooked my last fish of the day. It was not the 12 incher I was sure had to be lurking in this prime spot, but it was a solid, dark and lovely wild brown who accounted well for himself on my light gear in the deep hole. Badly in need of hydration, I hiked back to the car, but not before spooking a lone whitetail fawn into the ferns. Missing the chance to snap a picture, I once again covered a, b, and c with this opportunity, but I didn’t mind. It was a memorable way to end a good day.
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| A dark and lovely one to end a good day. |
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