jifigz
Well-known member
I have been spending a fair amount of time up at my girlfriend's house which is about 18 miles up the road. There is a small stocked stream that is 3 miles or so from where she lives, so I am able to sneak off and fish it for even short stints. The stream is listed as a natural reproduction stream by the PFBC. I haven't explored much of it yet, but it is definitely a stream that will stay plenty cold and I see no reason why the stockies shouldn't be able to hold over. I have only pulled one brown trout out so far that appeared to be a wild fish, but it sure looks like a brookie stream but I have yet to encounter them.
Anyways, of my experiences this year on this stream some days I am satisfied, other days I go off wondering why I even bother fishing it. I just can't seem to turn up the wild fish where they should be, or many of the stockies, for that matter. It seems like the remaining stockies are concentrated in only the best of holding areas.
I have noticed pretty good hatches on this stream. I have seen yellow sallies, lime sallies, a variety of caddis, very thick sulfur hatches, bwo's and, just the other day, Green Drakes. I went out on memorial day just an hour before dark and was fishing up through and couldn't catch a fish. I was starting to wonder why I went that night. And then I see huge mayflies. Then I realize they are green drake spinners. Then I find fish rising to them. A cream bodied wulff style dry with olive bucktail wings and a grizzly hackle was able to fool quite a few fish. I found lots of risers in two particular locations and had a blast with them. I left thinking, "okay, this stream ain't so shabby." Just before dark the trout switched to eating spent sulfurs that night, they were floating by in the thousands.
Last night I returned and took my girlfriend along as I am trying to teach her to fly fish. I went downstream to a location and she was able to get on to eat a dry fly, but I saw very minimal insects. There were some little BWO's and that was about it. I headed a few miles upstream into the mountains and then there they were again, plenty of green drake spinners. We found one nice pool that had some rising fish and we stood there together and caught maybe 4 or 5 leftover stockies. It was a great practice round for her and I loved finding those drakes where I didn't expect them.
I am scratching my head a little bit as to why I can't turn up more wild fish on this stream. It doesn't have excellent holding water, but I have caught natives out of next to nothing. The hatches and bug life seem fantastic for a mountain freestoner. I just don't get it. I plan to explore the stream A LOT more here in the coming weeks just to satisfy my curiosity.
Anyways, of my experiences this year on this stream some days I am satisfied, other days I go off wondering why I even bother fishing it. I just can't seem to turn up the wild fish where they should be, or many of the stockies, for that matter. It seems like the remaining stockies are concentrated in only the best of holding areas.
I have noticed pretty good hatches on this stream. I have seen yellow sallies, lime sallies, a variety of caddis, very thick sulfur hatches, bwo's and, just the other day, Green Drakes. I went out on memorial day just an hour before dark and was fishing up through and couldn't catch a fish. I was starting to wonder why I went that night. And then I see huge mayflies. Then I realize they are green drake spinners. Then I find fish rising to them. A cream bodied wulff style dry with olive bucktail wings and a grizzly hackle was able to fool quite a few fish. I found lots of risers in two particular locations and had a blast with them. I left thinking, "okay, this stream ain't so shabby." Just before dark the trout switched to eating spent sulfurs that night, they were floating by in the thousands.
Last night I returned and took my girlfriend along as I am trying to teach her to fly fish. I went downstream to a location and she was able to get on to eat a dry fly, but I saw very minimal insects. There were some little BWO's and that was about it. I headed a few miles upstream into the mountains and then there they were again, plenty of green drake spinners. We found one nice pool that had some rising fish and we stood there together and caught maybe 4 or 5 leftover stockies. It was a great practice round for her and I loved finding those drakes where I didn't expect them.
I am scratching my head a little bit as to why I can't turn up more wild fish on this stream. It doesn't have excellent holding water, but I have caught natives out of next to nothing. The hatches and bug life seem fantastic for a mountain freestoner. I just don't get it. I plan to explore the stream A LOT more here in the coming weeks just to satisfy my curiosity.
