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| A big, young eagle did not spook easily, but the trout did. |
After the minor beat down on the Brodhead on Wednesday, I
loaded up and drove up to a section just below where we fished that day and
took another shot, believe it or not. It
just seemed too promising. Some years
the creek is flowing way too high to fish effectively this early in the spring,
but that is not the case this year.
Well, the water was still nice, and even 55 degrees, plenty warm, but
still no consistent insect activity. For
all the driving and walking and boulder hopping, I tangled with one stocked
fish, which I lost. A skunk by any other
name…. At least I saw a mink and a
juvenile American eagle, which means the nesting pair up-river successfully
reared at least one, who is huge now. He
is mottled still, but clearly the size of an adult, though not quite as spooked
by humans. No doubt, there have been
people and dogs and people with dogs under his/her nest since day one. As I was leaving for the day, I saw a dude
with a float stocking barrel, his wife or lady friend spotting from the bank,
so there’s that for next visit, I guess, and I think this is a fingerling stocking
year too. Still, I want to tangle with
Walter and Walter Jr. sometime this spring, summer or fall so more long drives to my home away
from home stream are in order, skunks or not.
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| I ain't mad at ya. |
I have just started using my new 10 foot 4 weight rod,
and I am definitely not as quick with the hook set as I have gotten with my
shorter, lighter TFO BVK. I missed a
couple strikes on Wednesday and Thursday that I am confident that I would have
gotten under most circumstances with the rod I use 90% of the time. Convinced that I just need to have the 10
footer in my hand more, I headed to the Bushkill near Easton on Friday. I figured fishing the long, long rod on
another larger creek would help my body adjust.
I started right by the parking lot, working out the kinks on some
stocked rainbows and one brookie. But
the plan was to venture into the “unstocked” special regs section.
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| A warm-up with some stocked bows |
After warming up with a handful of fish in the open
section, I started hoofing upstream, watching for rises. The water was still stained, so I guess the
rain was for real in SEPA earlier this week, and tree pollen was
everywhere. As I got into view of the
first bend, I was surprised to see another fly guy on the other side of the
creek—so much for my plan to cover a 400 or 500 yard stretch of pocket
water. I let him have at it, but when he
vacated a nice run at the top of the bend, I slipped in and made an afternoon
of it. Because it was swift and deep, I
tied on a big tungsten golden stone, but I also saw small dark caddis in the
bushes and my cloths (even my car on the ride home), so I dropped a black
beadhead from the big fly. I was
frustrated when I missed another strike, especially because I expected a pretty
wild brown to be on the other end of the line, but I concentrated with the long,
long rod and hooked the next strike with authority. A moment of disappointment followed when I
brought a brook trout to the net. He had
taken the black copper john, so I re-rigged with a couple of Sam’s tungsten
nymphs, a caddis pupa and a sexy walt’s worm.
They would get deep without the bulk.
I even put on a new 9 foot, 5X leader.
Like I said, I was resigned to make a trip out of this run/hole.
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| Sam's sexy Walt's worm works. |
This brook trout was a pretty one, though, and feisty, so
I was not mad at him. I have found huge
rainbows in this stretch, but I assumed they came up river seeking cool water
and maybe even love if they held over the summer and winter in the stocked
stretch below. Even below one of the
limestone tributaries today, however, the water was 60, so I don’t know if that
plan will work this summer! That said, I
have caught brookies here too, while targeting the elusive wild browns, mostly
over the last 5 years or so (which correlates with the declining quality of the
creek’s wild population). I sent an open
letter to the local TU chapter on a certain fly fishing site, but if they are
stocking, they may not own up in such a judgmental forum. I am glad for the action, so I am not
judging, and these fish are hardly pelletheads, but I wonder if it’s a sign
that the stewards are giving up on the lower end of the catch and release
section.
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| Industrial trout fishing, |
When not contending with the closely overhanging trees
and a back eddy of tree pollen (no, the fish below did not bring a bouquet with
him) I landed about four more nice brook trout before I had to call it quits to
get the boy at the bus. I only saw one
splashy rise the entire time I was there, and that could have been a pissed off
recently released fish for all I know.
Kevin reminded me on Wednesday that there is short April lull on bug
activity before the carnival of May and its bigger meals, so better times are
coming with sulfurs and march browns and more caddis.
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| No, this 14 incher did not bring me flowers. |
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| Nice fins and liked Sam's caddis rolling on the bottom. |
I did get better with the 10 footer, and I left it rigged up to fish next week, even if where I go is not the perfect place for the
tool. I am also going to start fishing
for stockies with a sighter line, so I am better prepared for the pocket water
nymphing to come. I can see some
advantages, especially when trout’s vision is in play. The plop factor, i.e. the sound of the
indicator striking the water, is over-sold, I think, probably by the sighter
line companies (like the one in my YouTube feed all the time J). If a thingamabobber makes a noise when it
lands that scares trout, how is that not the case with the heavier flies and
split shot needed to tightline nymph?
Each method has its place, I think.
With my 8’6” I am pretty good high-stick nymphing without an indicator
or a sighter, so I would hope that the sighter line would only help. Of course, that will be another learning
curve with the long, long rod!
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| They saved the day, so I am not judging! |
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