April 7, 2017 – A Walk on the Wild Side to Change Things Up – Berks County Browns

Doctored Rapala CD 3: one set of hooks removed, the remaining barbs pinched, sometimes an oval split ring.

With the heavy rain on Thursday and the drizzle today, I got the itch to chase wild browns with the spinning rod on some little trickles.  I had so much fun at the first stop that I never visited another, but that leaves a couple other spots to hit after the next heavy rain.  The weather was unsettled all day: sun, wind, rain, clouds, cold, repeat.  Had it been a little less volatile, I am sure the fish would have been ever hungrier.  I did catch 7 trout and at least 4 acrobatic chubs in a short time, so no complaints today, especially after a hot shower and a cup of coffee to shake off the bone chill.  

Running rather high after the rains.

For this kind of fishing, I doctor up a Rapala CD3 or a Dynamic Lures HD Minnow.  You may be able to tell from the picture above that I pinch down the barbs on the rear trebles and I remove the front hooks.  If I am feeling especially anal, I replace the front split ring with an oval one, which seems to cut down on the number of times the plug fouls in the line.  If the creek is less flooded or smaller, I can also get away with a CD1, which only has one set of trebles, and I pinch down those barbs too.  When the creeks are muddy and running high like today, I think the trout need a bigger target, plus my chances of catching large fish often doubles, and gold and black or silver and black out-fishes any other colors.  Wild fish rarely hit it on a straight line retrieve; it has to act injured or at least real.  Short lifts of the rod help some days, others require jerks and pauses. Today was a lift kind of day, nothing crazy or violent provoked strikes.

First of the day, a very pretty one in good shape

The creek was running high, as expected, but it was fishable, and there was no debris floating by, so I was not surprised when I landed a small but lovely brown at the first run.  I fish plugs upstream, casting way upstream at times, targeting eddies, pockets, and wooded cover with copolymer line or NanoFil with a fluorocarbon leader.  The NanoFil casts a mile on big creeks, but since the creek I fished today is normally 10 to 15 feet wide, I threw my 6’6” ultralight with the copolymer line.  The take feels softer than it would on NanoFil or braid, but that telltale, funny extra weight, or soft pause is enough to get a successful hookset out of me most days.  If they are being really short and finicky, a low stretch line like NanoFil or braid does help, but I have to play with the drag and use a moderate or slow action rod so as not to rip the plug away too quickly.  Unlike spinner fishing, casting a sinking plug is rarely a visual type of angling, although plenty follow it to my feet without committing the first time or ever (usually the biggest, smartest one in the hole, of course).  If they don’t taste the hook, however, they will come back too, just like streamer fishing.  Regardless, with either line/rod set up, after fly fishing for months and months on end, there is often a re-learning curve for me, so I was pleased that I didn’t miss the first hit of the afternoon (Oh, I missed others, don’t you worry).

A skinny 12 incher

Another decent sized brown

After the first two fish of the afternoon, I had a couple follows at holes more convenient to fishermen, but after a bit of a walk, I found the honey hole and landed 5 more in short order.  I missed a few, and I saw one that was a little bigger than the two 12 inchers that ended up being my biggest of the day.  I ran out of unposted water pretty quickly, so I tied on a Dynamic Lures HD Minnow in black for the walk down.  This is a suspending plug and bigger than the Rapala, so I was hoping I could change the mind of big mama or Walter on the way back to the Suburu.  No trout, but I found a pod of aggressive 8 to 10 inch chubs that hit the plug with aplomb.  When I got back to my parking spot, it was about 2:30 PM, so I got a head start on early Friday rush hour and headed for home.  I considered taking a couple casts at one other nearby spot, but I probably would have been late for the bus (again) so I filed that spot away for the next rain event, especially one that is not followed up with a crazy weather day like today.

About average for the day, 8 to 10 inchers.

Spring is taking its time now after a very mild winter.