Backpacking With Salmonoid(s) - 2015 Expedition

[Swattie87]

Haven't done a lot of trip write-ups recently, but this one was definitely worthy...

For several years now I've ventured into the northern PA wilderness with our own local salmonoid in search of well...salmonoids, and a few nights "unplugged" from the real world of office life, emails, and cell phones. As has usually been the case, we turned up more than just Trout, and had a really nice trip complete with all the bears and rattles.

We had originally planned an early trip this year, for mid April. However blown out conditions caused us to postpone that trip and by the time our schedules fell in synch it was mid-June. Coincidentally, it seems like it hardly rained in the area since mid-April according to the tell-tall USGS gauge further downstream in the watershed of our adventure. Luckily the area caught a few Tstorms in the past week or so, and flows were brought up to about the seasonal average. Salmonoid's brother joined us this year and after a rendezvous at 8:00 AM in the lot at the trailhead, we were off for the 5 mile hike to our destination. After arriving and setting up camp, we hiked downstream a mile or so and fished back up to camp. Fishing was just mediocre for this stream, but fair numbers of legal sized Brookies were brought to hand. The highlight was a 14" Brown that took the same size 12 Ausable Wulff I was throwing in search of the Brookies. I had a really good day fishing attractor dries for wild Browns in fast, broken water runs earlier in the year, and had mentally committed to fishing this style for this trip...worst case scenario, I would just turn up the Brookies. I only caught one Brown during the trip, but it was well worth it. A gusty thunderstorm came in just as we were preparing dinner, but served nicely to cool things off for sleeping in the evening.

Saturday saw slower fishing than Friday, partly due to a mistake in judgement on our part. We opted to fish upstream from camp and found the water running out very quickly, and the fish very spooky. (After the hike out today, and seeing the nice water conditions lower in the watershed, we realized our mistake.) On the other hand, we possibly wouldn't have gotten to see our third rattler in three years had we gone downstream, as salmonoid came across a relatively small, but strikingly dark colored one on a streamside slab rock while fishing lead. (Note the large spider to the left of the snake as well.) That evening, while doing the dishes, Salmonoid noticed several YOY Trout sitting the shallows. They were surprisingly not very spooky, or scared of light, and several allowed for close-up photos. Pretty neat. We had a bit of a Tiger? debate on the one pictured below, but eventually settled on it most likely being a Brookie.

Salmonoid was up to his usual night fishing antics, but I'll let him recount those. The hike out this morning made the trip complete with a bear sighting, as a single adult crossed the "trail" about 50 yards ahead of me. Other than a lot of wet, stinky laundry, it was a very rewarding and refreshing long weekend in the woods with good company.

 

[wildtrout2]

Sounds like you guys had a nice trip. I was up there last Sat with similar conditions/results. My best was a 10" native, but I did see a brown that was in the 17" range. Also saw a good sized bear!

 

[Fishidiot]

Very nice indeed - sounds like a great trip.

That timber is a very uniform charcoal gray color black phase snake. Perhaps he's close to shedding? Anyway, a neat looking snake. Is that water behind the snake and are those tadpoles? Maybe he was hunting frogs(?).

 

[streamerguy]

Nice write up and photos. Looks like a fun weekend!

 

[k-bob]

well there you have it... the PA fishing hell rock... I hate those spiders

 

[k-bob]

great that you guys and wildtrout2 saw bears. I saw one last week, after no bears for about a year. good to see the bear, and watch it for a while before it sensed that it was time to move off. have not seen a rattler for about a year. picture is a good reminder to watch. I saw a bobcat only once way up north.

 

[dryflyguy]

Looks like a great time for sure.

Although, personally, I'd rather not come across bears and rattlesnakes

 

[pcray1231]

Great report, I'm jealous.

As for the critters. I like seeing bears. I like SEEING rattlers but hate the thought of the ones I don't see but know are around. For instance, I could imagine myself in the stream coming towards shore and stepping on that rock that the rattler is under.

The 2 pictured fish are very nice fish indeed. Again, I'm jealous.

 

[Swattie87]

I don’t think the bear ever saw me. He was ahead (downstream) of me on the trail and crossing at an angle away from me. If I was walking facing due south, he was walking southwest and his head was mostly pointed away from me. There was pretty good brush on either side of the trail at that point and I only got a brief look of about 3 or 4 steps as he crossed and entered the brush on the other side. I was by myself at this point and just stopped and waited for about 5 minutes because I lost sight of it when it reentered the brush. It never bolted, which every other bear I’ve seen that I know saw me too has done. After waiting about 5 minutes I continued on, making A LOT of noise for the next ¼ mile or so.

As for the snake, he was remarkably dark in person. Darker than the picture turned out it seemed. Perhaps it was approaching a shed, but its eyes were still very clear if it was. This one was exceptionally mild mannered (even for the normally relatively well behaved Timber) and let us get pretty close without moving or rattling. When they’re shedding, they’re usually a bit more irritable. This probably was the most docile one I’ve ever encountered…would have made a good Rattler Rodeo snake probably.

FI – Yes, those are tadpoles…the stream was loaded with them. You can see a bit of a v-notch in the rock on the top left of the picture. That notch led into the streamside brush and I suspect he was laying in ambush of mice and the like funneling down that notch to the stream. Fortunately, the opening on the rock he was sitting under was facing downstream and he was in relatively plain sight as you approached from below. Definitely makes you wonder how many you pass by and never know are there though…I've never doubted on these trips that my $50 snake gaiters weren't worth the money!

k-bob – If there was a tick on that rock, I’d totally agree…that’s the only one it’s missing! Unrelated to this trip, but I saw my first bobcat this year as well in the Poconos.

 

[PatrickC]

I love it there. Jealous. Want to do that trip with Kevin some time as well. I have yet to see a rattler there, but I know they are around. We followed fresh sow and cub tracks out last Summer. Nothing better than being lost in that drainage for a few days!

 

[pcray1231]

k-bob – If there was a tick on that rock, I’d totally agree

The true PA menace.

let us get pretty close without moving or rattling.

There are those that believe that with the number of rattlers that are killed by humans, we are artificially selecting and creating a population of rattlers which are less likely to rattle.

 

[Swattie87]

pcray1231 wrote:
There are those that believe that with the number of rattlers that are killed by humans, we are artificially selecting and creating a population of rattlers which are less likely to rattle.

True or not, all of the ones I have seen never rattled. Granted, I didn't purposely agitate them either...just observed and took some pictures. Still, I was within 5 or 6 feet of them. I never got the impression they perceived me as a threat.

 

[k-bob]

I have seen three definite and one likely rattle snakes, still haven't heard a rattle ... after seeing one in my path that didn't rattle, I try to really watch my step.

 

[csoult]

Good stuff.

 

[Chaz]

Saw a pretty big one on Reynolds Spring Run, in the headwaters of Slate Run last year, about 5 feet long, didn't rattle, it was laying in the road sunning. It was very dark, and the eyes were not cloudy.

 

[icyguides]

I did a 4 day trip in that watershed at the end of may and ran into similar conditions and similar fishing. We saw a black phase rattler too. Same snake? If i remember i will try to post a photo of it tonight.