August, 22, 2015 – Some Pocono Trout to End a Dry Spell

Smoke on the water.

I have not fished since Ken and I got out nearly three weeks ago, and I was really itching to wet a line.  It’s been hot and dry for weeks.   I haven’t even cut my lawn in over 2 weeks (and it was still starting to burn out).  But the whole region received a full day of rain on Thursday this week, with flash flood warnings to boot.  While not crazy about floods like that, I was excited to have a good rain in August, followed by some cooler temperatures, so I was watching the gauges all day on Friday hoping the creek would keep dropping.  When Ken and I fished the Brodhead on August 2nd we had our spinning gear, but I saw a lot of pocket water that I was dying to throw a fly into.  The creek was low that day, under 40 CFS, but I was praying for 120 CFS today (it was 4 or 5 times that on Thursday).  I got 100 CFS and a bit stained, so conditions were not bad at all.

A pretty spot on a beautiful morning.

I was up at 3 AM, dressed and coffee-ed and out the door by 3:30, anticipating false dawn by 5 AM.  Man, the days are getting shorter already!  Three weeks ago, it was light by 5:30 AM, but today I began my one mile hike into the stretch I wanted to fish in almost total darkness, compounded by the fact that I was in a valley with good tree cover.  The forecast was calling for fog, but the most I saw was some “smoke on the water” as I climbed down into the upper limit of this stretch.  The water was 62 degrees at my first drop in, but the air was 56, so I stayed on the bank and perched on boulders trying to stay dry for a while.  I was surprised to hear, and then see, a couple other fly fishermen drop in below me in another deep, quiet hole, but we kept our distance, and I only saw them one other time late in the morning.

To begin, I fished a couple deep holes with a variety of nymphs and small droppers because the one or two fish I did see show themselves early appeared to be chasing emergers, but water clarity was an issue here.  The deep holes did not produce for me, and a huge carp was creating a startling amount of noise for so early in the morning, but I did pull two good rainbows out of the riffle at the head of the pool before I took a walk to put some distance between myself and the other guys. 

First of the morning, perched on a rock while staying warm and dry.

The faster riffles were clearer, and fish were actively feeding in them.  I had success on small green caddis nymphs, as well as a larger flashback hare’s ear.  I had a WTF moment after dropping a couple, including a decent wild brown, on the caddis.  I didn’t have the net with me and I was tired, I suppose, but something wasn’t right.  I had a good hookset and played the fish fairly well for being in fast, boulder-strewn pocket water.  It didn’t make sense.  After reeling in and inspecting my rig, I finally ascertained that I was unwittingly using barbless hooks on this particular caddis nymph.  I can’t see anymore, I guess.  To that end, I actually bought a pair of cheater glasses for tying knots this past winter.  I wouldn’t have cared much about dropping a fish or two, but I would have liked a picture of the only two wild browns!  The bows here are pretty pristine though, having been stocked as fingerlings, so I had to be content with photos of rainbows.

A pristine rainbow.

I ended the day swinging a soft hackle with success, though I had another WTF moment when I lost a good fish.  A solid bow took the soft hackle that I had tied below a heavier beadhead hare’s ear, which was really just a weight to get the soft hackle down.  After a short fight, the fish took a good run and POP!  I thought I had tied a hasty, bad knot, but the actual hook on the hare’s ear broke at the point where I had tied the dropper, which was a first for me.

Swinging a wet fly in the current was effective.

I wound up catching at least 8 trout, and missed a few too, so it was a good morning despite some minor mishaps.  I caught fish where they were supposed to be, which is always a lot of fun.  Seams and soft water in front and behind boulders were productive, and the jolt through the rod you get while swinging a wet fly in a fast run is a blast, especially when the fish takes a leap right after being hooked.  

A pickle.

This stretch of the creek is beautiful too.  Even at the end of the morning, the highest water temp I measured was 64 degrees, which I will take on August 22nd after the previous hot and dry 3 or 4 weeks.  After not fishing for three weeks, this morning was better than expected.  With the semester starting in a week, it may be another 2 or 3 weeks before I get out fishing, so I am glad I had the opportunity to sneak out on a weekend and still find relative solitude and cooperative fish (if not cooperative terminal tackle. WTF!).

By 10 AM, I was ready to quit, so I began my hike back.  My final WTF moment of the day came as I came back upon the Suburu.  I had a note on the windshield warning me not to park where I had parked.  Maybe someone was giving me fair warning, or maybe someone doesn’t want me in his fishing spot?  At any rate, I guess a longer hike is in my future the next time I fish here.  Or I will make Kenny or Joe drive?

August 2, 2015 - Brodhead Creek- Early Morning August Wet Wading

A much tamer late-summer Brodhead Creek

I hung up the fly rod for today and headed to the Poconos with Kenny for some August wet wading with the spinning gear.  The plan was to target a stretch of the Brodhead that only receives a stocking of fingerlings every few years and has a decent population of wild browns too.  In order for a creek to have this type of stocking, it must be able to sustain favorable year-round conditions, so short of a limestoner, tailwater fishery, or a small, heavily forested mountain trickle, this area of the Brodhead was one of the few good bets for this time of year that was within a reasonable drive.  The flows looked good for August, slightly above normal at 37 CFS, and there was even a good flooding rain on July 27^th, so I was not surprised that the plan worked out, but I am always grateful that a plan works when I have another fisherman along for the ride.  I knew we only had a short window to fish, from about sunrise to 9 or 10 AM, before it got too warm and too bright to fool some fish, especially the skittish wild browns, so Ken was at my house by 4 AM.

Ken wet wading into position to target a nice pocket of water.

After parking and a little hike up the railroad tracks, we dropped into the water and began casting Rapala CD 3s and 5s.  The air temperature was a comfortable 62 degrees at 5:45 AM, and the water was reading about 64 degrees.  I had wading boots and long pants and even a layer of wools socks, but Kenny in shorts and a t-shirt was borderline hypothermic for the first hour, I think.  After his third piss in less than an hour, he asked me if his lips were blue.  They weren’t, and he survived, even catching a few nice rainbows and a little wild brown on an arsenal of spinning lures.  I think he got one on each type of lure he threw: Rapala, spinner, soft plastic, etc.

A fingerling who grew up to be a strong, healthy rainbow with a taste for other little fish.

The creek in this area, especially in high flows during the spring when whitewater enthusiasts sometimes give it a run, is like one long riffle.  I love the Brodhead in general, but fishing this type of water in particular is some of my favorite because fish are in pocket water and behind mid-stream boulders and bankside runs and riffles.  Rainbows seem to thrive in this fast mountain water, and they did not disappoint today.  Besides one nice brown that I fooled on a zebra midge that I tied as a dropper under a trout magnet, it was all nice rainbows.  They fought well, much better than the average stockies, as they have been around fattening and strengthening up for a few years in some fast and fertile waters.  Hatches were minimal today, however, some midges, though we were headed home before 10 AM.  I did catch one lone yellow stonefly in my hand, I believe, and found stonefly husks on a few rocks.  Ken found live stoneflies turning over a few rocks, big 1/ 2 inch black ones, so I know what I will be tossing on the fly rod next time I visit!

Some beautiful stonefly water.

I landed 9 rainbows and had a least a hit or some action in every stop, so I was pretty content.  The highlight of the morning, besides my fishing partner decked out in pick-up basketball gear and flats booties, was my tenth fish, a great wild brown.  The Rapala only managed to trick one bow out of a hole that I knew had to hold a dozen fish.  A couple other fish showed themselves chasing emerging midges, so besides the fact that it was one of the few legitimately deep holes in this otherwise mile long riffle of the Brodhead, I just knew we couldn’t leave it without giving the hole another approach.  I tied on a purple trout magnet and a float and quickly landed another bow.  

A few rainbows on the trout magnet too.

I still believed 2 was not enough for this prime spot.  While looking for another color magnet, I saw one to which I had previously tied a dropper with a zebra midge on some prior trip—and lazily never clipped, separated and put away.  I tied that “dropper rig” on the line and got two more bows on the white trout magnet.   But the last fish I fooled in the hole took the midge, and it was a solid wild brown trout, what I was secretly trying to catch all morning.  

Mission accomplished.  Wish we had found more!

We pushed on and had a few more fish, but after about 9 AM fishing slowed.  We still were getting hits, but more often than not we were missing fish or just getting noncommittal follows as the sun made its way over the valley.  Instead of beating ourselves up, we decided at around 9:40 AM to hike back to the car and let Ken finally warm up.  We were home before noon, tired, but happy to catch double digits during the dogs days of summer.

One long riffle if there were higher flows.