 |
| More fun with filters: Stylized treacherous beauty. |
After having a good day earlier in the week, chasing
smallies on the fly rod, I figured I would try to find another productive spot
or two. I have fished the river a bit
over the years from a boat, but finding accessible spots that fit the bill not
only for bank or wade fishing, but also fly fishing is a different story
sometimes. The area I targeted today was
in New Jersey, actually, only because the access to the PA side is tough with
miles of rock walls, initially constructed back in the day, I assume, to
protect the canal levees. I thought
of Tom C and his comments about bringing a rope with him to the Lehigh River,
even Batman and Robin climbing the side of buildings in the campy 70’s version,
but I decided to cross the river and find easier access instead. I drove and walked more than I fished today,
but I caught a few fish for all the effort, and I found legal, accessible spots for
the future.
 |
| Made me want to trout fish, unfortunately! |
The topography or geology of the area I fished today,
even though it was probably only 10 miles from the location of my previous trip,
was quite different. It felt like a
trout river, and I even tried nymphing some pocket water after seeing caddis in
the trees and some small stoneflies hatching.
Fry, perhaps shad still making their way back to the ocean (?), are
feeding everywhere in the flat water, but at this time of year they could be
any type of young of the year. I bet the
striped bass are having fun in the evenings!
The wading was a bit hairy, and even though I brought my staff, I left
it behind in the ‘Ru for some reason. I
was tired from a long day of work on Thursday, but I waded as aggressively as I
felt comfortable doing, at least for the first couple of hours. I fished and explored from 10 to 2, and I
only tagged a few small fish.
 |
| Still put up a fight at this size, but they were hard to come by today. |
The weather had changed, a cold front was still moving
through, so the high pressure and wind was a big change from the last two
weeks. I am sure that contributed to the
lock jaw. I tried it all: I went smaller, different colors, deeper (and
lost plenty of flies that way, of course), faster, slower, even hung a small
wet fly off the back of the swinging bugger.
My casting was better, however, even in the wind, and the area I fished
was gorgeous, so it was still a good day.
 |
| A bit smaller today! |
I will try this area again next year or in a different season because it
looks too fishy not to produce, unless it gets pressure that I am not aware
of. There is a boat ramp or two nearby,
but boats can only pass through here, not slowly fish every pocket and
run. My trip on Wednesday was definitely
in a less accessible area, and that has been an experience I have had with the
Delaware River, in general, and one that probably ensures the sale of jet boats
for years to come: if you find spots that are hard to reach, the fishing
improves exponentially. I guess I will
just have to work harder next time... and bring a rope ladder.
 |
| I'll be back on a better day. |
No comments:
Post a Comment