March 1, 2016 – A Crowded Pickering Creek DHALO

Sun and healthy rainbows.

I have gotten so used to not seeing a soul while fishing this winter that I was shocked to see close to 10 other guys on the Pickering Creek today.  Granted, the DHALO stretch was stocked on February 23 or thereabouts, and it was sunny and warm, but it was a Tuesday morning, man!  I was fooled into thinking I was alone because no one was parked at the end where I began fishing, and I had the first good hole to myself, but when I came around the bend, I saw anglers fishing and walking around in pairs, most of them not all that friendly because they probably thought THEY were going to have the place to themselves on a Tuesday morning.

Started with the tungsten green weenie.  Fish were not that active for the first hour, though I dredged up 5 or 6.

I landed a fish early at my first drop on a green weenie, and I would have stayed in that hole had I known I would encounter someone at all my favorite spots.  I picked up 5 or 6 rainbows, jumping around and giving the mix of fly fishermen and spinner fisherman as much space as I could.  The water temp was nearly 43 degrees, which was not bad, but the fish didn’t really turn on until about noon.  A blue winged olive or two came off, but nothing took notice.

One of many on a jigged hares ear.

The stocking crew did a good job of spreading the fish out, as I caught fish in little pockets here and there over a 400 yard stretch.  I didn’t do much walking because my early attempts led to more fishermen.  Not all the fish were spread out, though.  I found an untapped honey hole where I spent a good hour of the day.  I must have landed close to 15 trout from the same little run on a jigged hare’s ear.  I started by high sticking a couple out from a deep pocket, but by the end of the hour I was casting upstream and getting takes on every other cast.  A couple of the bows were hot!  I had two very nice fish about 14 inches long and fat take 3 and 4 leaps and good long runs, but all of the fish I caught were healthy and plenty green when I returned them to the creek.

A fat acrobat, probably one of the best of the day.

I knew I was running late for work, but I decided to quit when I reached an even 20 fish for the day—gluttonous, I know.  I reached that mark after about 3.5 hours of fishing, so I would say it was a good day, despite the surprise crowd.  I have enjoyed chasing wild browns all winter, and I know stockies are easy, but I still like to tangle with an angry 14-inch redband rainbow trout no matter where he was raised.