October 9, 2025 – Small Stream Sneaking in the Skinny Water and Finding Some Success – NEPA

Early success (but not too early).

It became very clear that the little bit of rain that happened this week had not made any difference on my chosen crick this morning.  I arrived about 8 AM after letting it warm up some following the coldest night since June, so there was enough daylight to dispel any hope that a little stain or a boost in flow was present to help the cause.  I like challenges, and I like to be proficient in less-than-perfect conditions, so instead of heading to a bigger creek, I accepted the challenge.  I know this stream intimately, too, so I knew where to fish and how I might have to fish it in order to make lemonade.  By 2:30 PM, I had landed about a dozen trouts, a few of them very decent for a small freestone crick, so I was glad I stayed.  With one exception, a couple of young bulls tossing spinning rods and high-holing me, I had the crick to myself, so I took advantage of that situation.  I was covering water fast because I was skipping yards of boney, clear water and targeting higher percentage spots, so I actually covered a few miles of water, making two or three short drives and many long walks over exposed rocks.  I ended near the lower stretches, hoping to intercept some big, seasonal interlopers or lovelorn wanderers looking for a place to settle next month, but I only found a couple holdover bows down there.  Still, it was worth all the steps and drives.  I have never seen this creek so low, and that is information.  I made mental notes of the spots within the spots, less obvious cover, deep depressions, things I would not see in normal flows.  That is invaluable time on the water, and the fishing was solid, all things considered. 

Caught some fishes despite the low water.

Deep plunges were the first order of business, but because the leaf cover is still significant enough to offer low light until 9 or 10 AM, I did pay a little attention to deeper holes.  Fish can only do three things, or a combination of those three things, in water this low: hide under cover like rocks and ledges and wood, go deep out of diving range of birds of prey, or tuck up under the white water (or whitish water today).  I found my first fish and a second much better fish tight to a plunge.  Another good fish shot out from under a boulder to eat.  As the day got brighter, I could see fish in the deep holes and, with stealth, was able to target a couple.  At times they were with big suckers, a behavior I see in winter from time to time and during sucker spawn in early spring, and that resulted in me tagging a 20+ inch white sucker that provided the best 15 second fight on a 3 wt. in fly fishing!  There were some dinks and average small stream fish along the way, and even three rainbows, including one solid one in good shape.  I was fishing 5X with a 16 frenchie on the anchor and a smaller dropper, like a midge or riffle nymph.  With some small BWO’s around, the mayfly nymphs seemed to get more love than any caddis larva imitations, despite cased caddis regularly finding their way onto the hook of my anchor fly.

Boney enough to sight-fish a river monster ;)

My first stop was the longest, both timewise and walking-wise, and it produced the three or four good browns you see in the photos.  The second stop was short, involved me targeting a nice wild male and tangling with a relative of Karen the white sucker.  The college boys in sneakers and spinning rods that I let high hole me without comment were also a feature of stop number two.  My third stop was after 12:45 PM, so well past primetime, but also a hail mary.  I know from experience—and lost access to a stretch now posted—that big fish move through seasonally for the spawn.  They often stayed through the winter, as well, resulting in some solid pre- and post-spawn browns.  The creek is changing rapidly, and I have not intercepted this seasonal movement in a few years now, but with the high sun and low water, I was hoping at least to see a couple.  Here I caught a two-year old wild brown and two rainbows.  One bow was skinny like she’d just barely made it from the spring stocking and had washed down, but the other bow was far healthier.  It looked like a multiyear holdover, and my first impression said male.  Looking at the anal fin, that first impression may not have been wrong.  I am not saying wild, by any means, I am just saying that the Comish stocks females and mutant triploids.  This one may have been a wanderer or a club stocker, something different.  It was not a wild brown, but it was a fun fight and a nice surprise.

A couple more nicer fish.

Thursday, yo!  The reason I had so much water to myself—besides the windy, cold front conditions—was that I was out on a weekday.  I am using up PTO because I start a new job later this month.  Back to my roots.  For those who have read the blog for years, for some of you 10 years at the end of this year, you know I used to have time off for 100+ days of fishing.  I am not promising that with this new job, but I am saying that I will have more than double the days off in 2026, something like 41 paid days off.  I can’t wait.  Even with having to earn that time at a new job, I will still have an extended Thanksgiving and two weeks off for the holidays, a spring break.  I will continue to be a weekend warrior for the time being, but I do have a camping fishing weekend next week with Josh, Brian, Larry and Josh’s brother in law.  Rain would help, but today’s success proved a theory I have held about the fall for some time: low water or not, the better fish have to eat if they want to make babies in November.  Let’s hope I am proven right again on Penns next weekend!

A good long day and the first cold morning in months.