mike_richardson
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2010
- Messages
- 1,564
I set my alarm but woke up late. I was hoping the stream was not chocolate milk as it was when I came home from work yesterday. I got the stream and checked a spot above to see what it looked like. It was up considerably, but it was green. Perfect for how I like to fish that stream.
I went to the hole I wanted to fish and knew it was going to be a great day. Or so I thought anyway. Well I made my first drift and missed a nice fish. I put it back out and caught on one my anchor soft hackle. I let him go, a nice healthy rainbow about 12". I was pretty pumped and just knew these were perfect conditions. I went a head and hit the main feeding lie again. Had a nice take and set the hook. Felt big but it threw the hook. When it did this it put me up into a sumac tree above me.
There are some big boulders at this spot so I climbed up. I only had one anchor fly left and I wasn't about to lose it with the stream being up. So I climbed up the rock and started to pull the tree down slowly to reach my flies. I had to reach way out to get them. SNAP!! The branch breaks and I go falling about 4' onto another boulder below. Smashed my hand. REALLY! But I got my anchor fly back so I was happy.
The very next cast I end up losing that fly. LOL!
So I was pretty optimistic about the rest of my time on the water as the stream was up pretty good, and all I had were size 16 and 14 nymphs. I only use tungsten beads so it wasn't the end of the world. I made a few adjustments to my rig, and moved down stream a little bit to get the drift I would need, now that my flies weighed considerably less.
Then something awesome happened. I had my bow in the bag. I caught a few more bows, then I caught a stocked brookie. Cool I thought. Maybe Ill catch all 3. So I kept fishing. I decided to hit the edges as a lot of times when the stream is up fish will hang there. Also when the stream gets stocked I feel pushes wild fish out of the main feeding lies.
I'm making a drift and think I am going to get hung up so I lift and feel a little tap. I give a light hook set and pulled in a native brookie. NICE!!! It is a bonus on that stream as there isn't a high population of native brookies. Fish had beautiful par marks but considerably lighter colored compared to what I am used to catching.
I hit another run and set the hook. I see a gold flash. NO WAY! lol I didn't see him before, but knew instantly I had on a goldy. I brought him in and he was quite pretty. Deep red cheeks, nice thick stripe. NICE!! I enjoy catching these guys as I know a lot of guys try for them.
Well now I had the rainbow, the brookie, and now the golden. Only one more and my favorite. The brown. I had a 10 minute warning alarm set on my phone so I had a warning before I had to leave. I moved to a pool where I know I typically find a few browns.
I hit the back side shallows and get a take. I set the hook and see about a 5" brown on my line. This was about 5-6 minutes after the warning allarm went off. I am bringing him in and go to get him in the net and he flops off. NO!!!!!
I knew I only had a couple minutes so I hit that same run. Nothing. Hit is again, Nothing. DANG!
I made my next cast and the buzzer rang. I got a take. Set the hook and see a nice butter belly. I bring him in carefully and land him. A nice wild brown! I love the wilds on this stream. Sparse spots, and just solid little fish.
I did it. Finally got the PA Slam and with the brookie being native, and the brown being wild, boy did it make it sweet. I am on cloud 9 right now. It was chilly and 57 degrees out side with the water temps in the low to mid 60's this morning. Of course I didn't take a hoody with me, and got sun burned this weekend. Made for a quick dash to the car after landing the brownie. I had caught a few other stockies in between the fish mentioned above. One being a big old pellet head bow around 18".
Just goes to show when the conditions are right you gotta fish. I don't care if it is only 45 minutes like I had this morning. Hit that water!!
All fish were caught on soft hackle nymphs. The majority were on a merriams turkey tail, coyote, and grouse pattern (size 16) (I put a step by step on that pattern in the fly tying forum) , and a few took the eastern turkey tail, squirrel, and grouse.
Just an outstanding morning before work trip that I almost didn't make. Ill remember these fish and this adventure for a long time. Always neat to accomplish something new, and with beautiful fish it always makes it sweeter.
I went to the hole I wanted to fish and knew it was going to be a great day. Or so I thought anyway. Well I made my first drift and missed a nice fish. I put it back out and caught on one my anchor soft hackle. I let him go, a nice healthy rainbow about 12". I was pretty pumped and just knew these were perfect conditions. I went a head and hit the main feeding lie again. Had a nice take and set the hook. Felt big but it threw the hook. When it did this it put me up into a sumac tree above me.
There are some big boulders at this spot so I climbed up. I only had one anchor fly left and I wasn't about to lose it with the stream being up. So I climbed up the rock and started to pull the tree down slowly to reach my flies. I had to reach way out to get them. SNAP!! The branch breaks and I go falling about 4' onto another boulder below. Smashed my hand. REALLY! But I got my anchor fly back so I was happy.
The very next cast I end up losing that fly. LOL!
So I was pretty optimistic about the rest of my time on the water as the stream was up pretty good, and all I had were size 16 and 14 nymphs. I only use tungsten beads so it wasn't the end of the world. I made a few adjustments to my rig, and moved down stream a little bit to get the drift I would need, now that my flies weighed considerably less.
Then something awesome happened. I had my bow in the bag. I caught a few more bows, then I caught a stocked brookie. Cool I thought. Maybe Ill catch all 3. So I kept fishing. I decided to hit the edges as a lot of times when the stream is up fish will hang there. Also when the stream gets stocked I feel pushes wild fish out of the main feeding lies.
I'm making a drift and think I am going to get hung up so I lift and feel a little tap. I give a light hook set and pulled in a native brookie. NICE!!! It is a bonus on that stream as there isn't a high population of native brookies. Fish had beautiful par marks but considerably lighter colored compared to what I am used to catching.
I hit another run and set the hook. I see a gold flash. NO WAY! lol I didn't see him before, but knew instantly I had on a goldy. I brought him in and he was quite pretty. Deep red cheeks, nice thick stripe. NICE!! I enjoy catching these guys as I know a lot of guys try for them.
Well now I had the rainbow, the brookie, and now the golden. Only one more and my favorite. The brown. I had a 10 minute warning alarm set on my phone so I had a warning before I had to leave. I moved to a pool where I know I typically find a few browns.
I hit the back side shallows and get a take. I set the hook and see about a 5" brown on my line. This was about 5-6 minutes after the warning allarm went off. I am bringing him in and go to get him in the net and he flops off. NO!!!!!
I knew I only had a couple minutes so I hit that same run. Nothing. Hit is again, Nothing. DANG!
I made my next cast and the buzzer rang. I got a take. Set the hook and see a nice butter belly. I bring him in carefully and land him. A nice wild brown! I love the wilds on this stream. Sparse spots, and just solid little fish.
I did it. Finally got the PA Slam and with the brookie being native, and the brown being wild, boy did it make it sweet. I am on cloud 9 right now. It was chilly and 57 degrees out side with the water temps in the low to mid 60's this morning. Of course I didn't take a hoody with me, and got sun burned this weekend. Made for a quick dash to the car after landing the brownie. I had caught a few other stockies in between the fish mentioned above. One being a big old pellet head bow around 18".
Just goes to show when the conditions are right you gotta fish. I don't care if it is only 45 minutes like I had this morning. Hit that water!!
All fish were caught on soft hackle nymphs. The majority were on a merriams turkey tail, coyote, and grouse pattern (size 16) (I put a step by step on that pattern in the fly tying forum) , and a few took the eastern turkey tail, squirrel, and grouse.
Just an outstanding morning before work trip that I almost didn't make. Ill remember these fish and this adventure for a long time. Always neat to accomplish something new, and with beautiful fish it always makes it sweeter.
