Personal nemesis

[Troutmeister]

I'm talking streams here, anyone have a stream that is unusually tough, one where they struggle to catch fish?

Yesterday I went down to the Little Lehigh FFO section. It was cold and windy but sunny. This section was supposedly stocked early last week. I fished for about 3 hrs. without seeing a fish or getting any hits. I fished a variety of flies, mostly nymphs with plenty of weight in runs and pools.

This stream always gives me fits. Rarely do I get into double digit catches even in season after they stock. Although that has more to do with fishing pressure I think.

By contrast other streams in the valley and elsewhere I seem to always catch fish and 20 - 40 fish days are pretty common (not talking preseason though)

How about it, any one else have a stream that is tough to consistently catch fish?

 

[Mike]

Since you have the right skill set based on your report, then the other reason for anglers being skunked is typically fishing in the wrong conditions for the usually successfully employed skills to work. Those "wrong conditions" can be a myriad of things, such as low water, high water, cold water, warm water, falling temps, rising temps, time of day, amount of direct sunlight, etc. In this case perhaps the stream temp was falling, which often puts fish down in lakes, streams, and rivers.

The other possibility is that the stocked fish moved. You may recall the trout residency studies that showed post-stocking downstream movement on a considerable number of streams. I would expect, however, that if this were the case and if you are a regular user of that FFO stretch, you would have noticed this problem in the past.

I don't have a direct answer for you, but unless there is a red notation on the PFBC stocking schedule that says something to the contrary, the stream section was stocked as scheduled.

 

[joebamboo]

Big Spring owns me!!!!

 

[Canoetripper]

The trout laugh at me at the Letort and Big Fishing Creek. There are other limestoners in the Cumberland Valley as well.

 

[Prospector]

Troutmeister wrote:
I'm talking streams here, anyone have a stream that is unusually tough, one where they struggle to catch fish?

Yesterday I went down to the Little Lehigh FFO section. It was cold and windy but sunny. This section was supposedly stocked early last week. I fished for about 3 hrs. without seeing a fish or getting any hits. I fished a variety of flies, mostly nymphs with plenty of weight in runs and pools.

This stream always gives me fits. Rarely do I get into double digit catches even in season after they stock. Although that has more to do with fishing pressure I think.

By contrast other streams in the valley and elsewhere I seem to always catch fish and 20 - 40 fish days are pretty common (not talking preseason though)

How about it, any one else have a stream that is tough to consistently catch fish?

Fished the Little Lehigh FFO last year for first time. Everyone I talked to that showed me their flies were using sz20-24 little worms (Al’s Rat) type patterns. They had to use tweezers to pull them out of their fly box. They all agreed that double digit fish days were rare there. So its not you.

I took the approach that I’ll fish like I do in NWPA and NCPA where I catch a lot of trout and also I’ll be doing something different than everyone else since the fish in the LL don’t see big flies. So of course I got skunked, but learned a good lesson. That whole, “when in Rome” thing

 

[Dave_W]

Troutmeister wrote:
How about it, any one else have a stream that is tough to consistently catch fish?

Big Fishing Creek and Slate Run often send me packing with an increased sense of humility.

 

[allthingsfishing]

Mossy Creek in Virginia gives me the fits.I might be a little too sloppy for a technical stream like that.

 

[Swattie87]

Good thread. Of the big, popular Central PA limestoners, I too find BFC noticeably more difficult than the others. Spring and Kish are on the easier end (for me). Little J and Penns are in the middle. Don’t have enough time in on Yellow to accurately say.

I don’t even try to fish the CV springs other than at their mouths in the Connie. For me, they’re just a walk with a fishing pole...Hard to call what I’m doing on those streams actually fishing.

Outside of high, dirty water, Valley Creek is very difficult. Valley is a very “flashy” stream too with all the development in its watershed, so your window to catch it up and off is often very brief, as in a just a few hours.

In terms of freestoners, Slate and Cedar live up to their reputations as being difficult for me too. The fish are definitely there though. I think this is mainly conditions related. You have to hit them right. I’ve had similar slow results on other similar, but less popular NC PA watersheds. But in the right conditions...

 

[just_jon]

Slate and Cedar Run for sure. Logged lots of days there for little reward except for the beautiful setting.

 

[afishinado]

While I've had some good days fishing the Letort, getting blanked there while knowing there are so many nice fish in the stream is more than a little humbling. The same can be said for certain days on Penns as well as the upper Delaware. But that's what keeps me coming back.

 

[wbranch]

Troutmeister wrote;

and elsewhere I seem to always catch fish and 20 - 40 fish days are pretty commo

Were you expecting numbers like those where you "always catch fish?"

Wow, those are awesome catch numbers. Maybe your expectations are a little off center. Getting skunked once in awhile is good for us. Teaches us humility. I rarely have ever caught more than 20 trout in one day. Most of my days are less than 10 and more likely 4 - 6.

This is the second post in abouut as many days where guys are landing a couple of dozen a day. I must be doing something wrong. I think I need some tutelage from these members.

 

[krayfish2]

I will narrow it down from an entire watershed to a 100' long stretch of marginal water. For 8 years, I've chased a fish on this one specific bank. It's in a section of relatively fast flowing / non-descript section of water. There's a 12" wide soft spot on the bank that is perfect for fish to hide in the shade out of the current. The fish are in this spot for only a few weeks in the spring. The spot typically has held 1-4 fish but the flows have to be between xxx cfs and xxx cfs. Over 8 years, I've hooked 6 fish off the bank, on dries, using 4x. One straightened hook and 5 snap offs. I've watched wade fishermen pass by, bank anglers walk by and boats zip on by. If you weren't looking right at the spot as a fish rose, you'd never pay any attention to the spot.

I hope to see what has been evading me before I get too much older and can't get to them.

 

[Prospector]

wbranch wrote:
Troutmeister wrote;

and elsewhere I seem to always catch fish and 20 - 40 fish days are pretty commo

Were you expecting numbers like those where you "always catch fish?"

Wow, those are awesome catch numbers. Maybe your expectations are a little off center. Getting skunked once in awhile is good for us. Teaches us humility. I rarely have ever caught more than 20 trout in one day. Most of my days are less than 10 and more likely 4 - 6.

This is the second post in abouut as many days where guys are landing a couple of dozen a day. I must be doing something wrong. I think I need some tutelage from these members.

WBranch,

You are into extreme quality of fish and not quantity. That’s what keeps your numbers down. I don’t blame you though, the trout you catch are awesome. I went back and looked and I had 7 out of my 45 days last year with 20+ fish (63 was max). But you would hate it. Most are heavily stocked streams in ideal, off color water or a small wild trout stream where half the fish are smaller than the streamer you use.

 

[Bamboozle]

Time and experience heals a lot of wounds...

I'm not trying to boast, but the nemesis have decreased dramatically over the years as I've become more experienced, less stubborn, more patient and stopped trying to overthink things.

It still cracks me up when I think about how bad I used be at catching fish; the days when I couldn't buy a fish as places like the Letort or Big Spring, when Big Spring wasn't a manicured fishery and the Ditch was a destination.

That being said, I've said many times that I am SO GLAD I don't have the heavily pressured Southeastern PA (Delco, Chesco, Bucks or Phila) stocked streams as my only option to fly fish for trout.

I cut my teeth fishing down there. If the opportunity presents itself, I try to hit one of my old haunts at least once a season, usually in late May or early June, long after the last truck.

Those "cricks" at that time can humble the best of us. It amazes me how tough it can be and how much water I have to cover, just to catch a handful of fish on flies down there.

No wonder I was always so frustrated as a kid!!

 

[Troutmeister]

wbranch, No I wasn't expecting a big day on the Lil Lehigh. I would have been happy with 4 or 5 in those cold conditions. Just kind of aggravating how that creek usually humbles me.

Last week I fished a DHALO freestoner and caught 11 fish, 8 of them wild browns. Was tickled to do that well in the preseason.

The numbers I mentioned in my initial post usually come from stocked streams in Apr through early June.

 

[Tigereye]

A certain Rhododendron choked blue line with a ~14" hen brookie. She's been there the last 3 years at least. I see her during hunting season and would classify her as impossible to catch given her choice of residence.

I dont even try.

 

[Solitariolupo]

wbranch wrote:


Were you expecting numbers like those where you "always catch fish?"

Wow, those are awesome catch numbers. Maybe your expectations are a little off center. Getting skunked once in awhile is good for us. Teaches us humility. I rarely have ever caught more than 20 trout in one day. Most of my days are less than 10 and more likely 4 - 6.

This is the second post in abouut as many days where guys are landing a couple of dozen a day. I must be doing something wrong. I think I need some tutelage from these members.

Don’t feel bad 20 fish in a day 5 fish in a day should all be a good day fishing. There’s days I fished the same creek and get skunked. Honestly it’s not even fun for me to catch that many fish anymore to much work (taking them off the hook lol). None are any size to even brag about.

 

[laszlo]

Funny this thread came up because I've been having a bad year. I live about 10 min, from Codorus so I can get out most weekends for an hour or two. This stream can be very challenging but I always manage a fish or two. So far this year, zip, zero, nilch. There were several outings when I never even got at hit. After being skunked so many times you begin to wonder if you lost what little ability you had. Finally yesterday my streak ended, without feeling the take I had a small fish on but soon realized the fight felt funny. I false hooked a 4 inch brown what a let down. Then later I landed a beautiful, chubby 14 inch brown. I despise when I see guys do this but I nearly kissed that trout.

 

[SmoothOperator]

The whole upper Delaware River system...... Every time I've been there either super high sustained winds, thunderstorms that have rolled into the valley and stayed for days, low flows and on and on.......Tried it three different times and bad luck every time ......

 

[gfoledc]

Slate Run