Second chance

[Andrwhite610]

Yesterday I was fishing a stream that I guess is considered a spring creek. It starts out of no where and ends at a lake. It is also very rich with weeds/vegetation. It is crystal clear water. It was broad daylight around noon.

Anyways, I was sort of jigging a small 2” streamer against the current around some of the vegetation when a large to me Brown trout (16”-18”) shot out from under some cover and slammed the streamer. I had previously in the morning been fishing a different creek for small brookies and had on 6x tippet. I never changed that tippet when I tied on the streamer. Needless to say with that tippet and my slightly aggressive hook set it broke off immediately.

My question is can I get a second chance at this fish now that I know where it is located??? I’m gonna give it another go this coming Sunday as early in the morning as I can. Probably around 6:30 AM so I can somewhat see. I will probably use a streamer again of a different style and color. Will this fish remember our encounter? Should I try a different style fly? Regardless I’m still gonna give it another shot haha. Thanks

 

[DomR]

I'd say you would have a shot, I've caught the same wild brown on the same streamer, from the same lie 2x but it was with a much longer time gap. That said weather conditions might play a bigger part as will if the fish is hungry

 

[tjsingle]

Yesterday I was fishing a stream that I guess is considered a spring creek. It starts out of no where and ends at a lake. It is also very rich with weeds/vegetation. It is crystal clear water. It was broad daylight around noon.

Anyways, I was sort of jigging a small 2” streamer against the current around some of the vegetation when a large to me Brown trout (16”-18”) shot out from under some cover and slammed the streamer. I had previously in the morning been fishing a different creek for small brookies and had on 6x tippet. I never changed that tippet when I tied on the streamer. Needless to say with that tippet and my slightly aggressive hook set it broke off immediately.

My question is can I get a second chance at this fish now that I know where it is located??? I’m gonna give it another go this coming Sunday as early in the morning as I can. Probably around 6:30 AM so I can somewhat see. I will probably use a streamer again of a different style and color. Will this fish remember our encounter? Should I try a different style fly? Regardless I’m still gonna give it another shot haha. Thanks

Maybe, give it a shot! I've located larger browns on previous trips and caught them a few weeks later.

 

[Andrwhite610]

I'd say you would have a shot, I've caught the same wild brown on the same streamer, from the same lie 2x but it was with a much longer time gap. That said weather conditions might play a bigger part as will if the fish is hungry

Right on that’s what I wanted to hear haha. Looks like similar weather to yesterday so I’m hoping maybe going right before daybreak could make a difference.

 

[dc410]

Go for it! I hope you stick it. I think you definitely have a chance. If it was a carp you would probably need to give it more time than that, carp are smarter than trout! 😉

 

[troutbert]

Anyways, I was sort of jigging a small 2” streamer against the current around some of the vegetation when a large to me Brown trout (16”-18”) shot out from under some cover and slammed the streamer. I had previously in the morning been fishing a different creek for small brookies and had on 6x tippet. I never changed that tippet when I tied on the streamer. Needless to say with that tippet and my slightly aggressive hook set it broke off immediately.

This topic was discussed a lot recently at this thread:

Is it possible to tie 6X Flouro tippet to a size 8 wooly bugger (just being lazy)?

Say I am nymphing with a size 22 perdigon, and am using 6x flouro tippet, but then I come upon a stretch where I want to quick tie on a size 8 wooly bugger, is there a way to do this? Would a good trilene knot hold it? Basically, I want to quick snip off my size 22 perdigon, temporarily place...

www.paflyfish.com

The bottom line: When fishing streamers, use 3x or heavier tippet.

Trout will often break 4x tippet when fishing streamers, but very rarely break 3x leader.

 

[Andrwhite610]

This topic was discussed a lot recently at this thread:

Is it possible to tie 6X Flouro tippet to a size 8 wooly bugger (just being lazy)?

Say I am nymphing with a size 22 perdigon, and am using 6x flouro tippet, but then I come upon a stretch where I want to quick tie on a size 8 wooly bugger, is there a way to do this? Would a good trilene knot hold it? Basically, I want to quick snip off my size 22 perdigon, temporarily place...

www.paflyfish.com

The bottom line: When fishing streamers, use 3x or heavier tippet.

Trout will often break 4x tippet when fishing streamers, but very rarely break 3x leader.

Yea I saw this thread yesterday and in confirmed my mistake/laziness of not changing tippet. My question now is will that fish be hesitant in the same scenario exactly a week later? Also if a streamer doesn’t work can I come back to it maybe 30 min later and try a different method? Thanks👍

 

[Andrwhite610]

Go for it! I hope you stick it. I think you definitely have a chance. If it was a carp you would probably need to give it more time than that, carp are smarter than trout! 😉

Me too. The next challenge will be landing it. I’m pretty much gonna immediately have to jump into 3 feet of water completely loaded with thick vegetation lol.

 

[CRB]

Go and fish. I've caught same trout on the same fly same day a few times. you'll never know until you try it, in a month that trout wont be there..

 

[klingy]

I have found big browns to be creatures of habit in a lot of the spring creeks I fish. Once you know their hangout, and you get them to move on a fly, if you return in a reasonable amount of time, they’ll likely still be in the area and will at least look at it again. I’ve had several Letort fish be in the exact same spot over a several month period. Now landing them is another story.

 

[Mike]

That sounds a lot like Peters Ck. In the past a wild Brown in that stream would have been unheard of, but since the sedimentation problem has degraded the ST habitat and population, it may now favor Browns, although temps are a bit cold for good BT reproduction, so any in there might be migrants. There is also a recent find of a sub-legal RT in there. A source of wild Browns could be the Class A equivalent segment of Moselem Ck and an isolated stretch farther upstream could have been the source of that wild RT. Both would have had to do some traveling, run a gauntlet of predators, and make a hard left to get into Peters.

 

[troutbert]

Yea I saw this thread yesterday and in confirmed my mistake/laziness of not changing tippet. My question now is will that fish be hesitant in the same scenario exactly a week later? Also if a streamer doesn’t work can I come back to it maybe 30 min later and try a different method? Thanks👍

I'd try the same spot on a different day. I wouldn't fish it again the same day. But maybe that's just me.

 

[Andrwhite610]

That sounds a lot like Peters Ck. In the past a wild Brown in that stream would have been unheard of, but since the sedimentation problem has degraded the ST habitat and population, it may now favor Browns, although temps are a bit cold for good BT reproduction, so any in there might be migrants. There is also a recent find of a sub-legal RT in there. A source of wild Browns could be the Class A equivalent segment of Moselem Ck and an isolated stretch farther upstream could have been the source of that wild RT. Both would have had to do some traveling, run a gauntlet of predators, and make a hard left to get into Peters.

Correct. I saw very small fish darting throughout and above the small dam. Possibly the brook are more above that. The brown I encountered and another maybe 10-12” were the only 2 I saw that I could confirm what they were. Also a few bluegills and a muskrat at the bottom. I’d be floored with a RT. As a new fly fisher that creek is almost impossible to fish. What makes Peters and Laurel run so insanely different than other local streams? Are there others similar to them in the area?

Also is it worth investigating Moselem meaning would I have access or mostly private land?

 

[Mike]

Laurel goes through changes throughout its length with wild Browns in the headwaters and almost down to Temple, then a shift to no trout, then a shift to no water at times, and then a rebirth as a limestoner from springs near the river. It is a Class A Brown trout stream in Laurel Run Park. There aren’t large fish, but there are plenty of plump small to moderate size fish. There was a time when there were no trout in the park, so the stream has greatly improved apparently since spring source flows have been restored in that area.

In the headwaters there is an unconfirmed report of a small brook trout trib where the stream splits.

Moselem has a nice wild brown population for about a half mile. It is a true limestoner. Unfortunately, due to the habitat degradation caused by a historic dam that partially breached the wild trout population peters out in the area of the former impoundment. I have always been a little surprised that a sportsmen’s group interested in wild trout hasn’t given this stream a little “love.”

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Yesterday I was fishing a stream that I guess is considered a spring creek. It starts out of no where and ends at a lake. It is also very rich with weeds/vegetation. It is crystal clear water. It was broad daylight around noon.

Anyways, I was sort of jigging a small 2” streamer against the current around some of the vegetation when a large to me Brown trout (16”-18”) shot out from under some cover and slammed the streamer. I had previously in the morning been fishing a different creek for small brookies and had on 6x tippet. I never changed that tippet when I tied on the streamer. Needless to say with that tippet and my slightly aggressive hook set it broke off immediately.

My question is can I get a second chance at this fish now that I know where it is located??? I’m gonna give it another go this coming Sunday as early in the morning as I can. Probably around 6:30 AM so I can somewhat see. I will probably use a streamer again of a different style and color. Will this fish remember our encounter? Should I try a different style fly? Regardless I’m still gonna give it another shot haha. Thanks

Definitely a chance. A friend of ours broke off a trout in the upper Slate Run one morning. He flogged the same hole all day until he caught the same fish to retrieve the fly he lost.

 

[wgmiller]

I made it out yesterday to explore both Laurel and Peters. New water, high sun, etc., all added up to a skunking, but I did see/move a *few* fish. I also checked out Willow in the area of the sewer plant. Nice water, but no action. Overall a nice day to be out and exploring new water is always fun. Peters is next level and not for the faint of heart though...

Peters Creek

Laurel Run

 

[Andrwhite610]

I made it out yesterday to explore both Laurel and Peters. New water, high sun, etc., all added up to a skunking, but I did see/move a *few* fish. I also checked out Willow in the area of the sewer plant. Nice water, but no action. Overall a nice day to be out and exploring new water is always fun. Peters is next level and not for the faint of heart though...

View attachment 1641234289
Peters Creek

View attachment 1641234291
Laurel Run

I gave peters a shot last week. Went back to the same tree where the nice brown broke me off. No one was home or interested. I didn’t see any fish. Absolutely difficult to fish. I challenge anyone to try to catch something there and report back haha..I wouldn’t even try it once the brush grows back in for summer …is the picture of Laurel down closer to the river?..I stopped in there last spring and all the vegation was dead so I didn’t even fish it. I had gotten a few bites from 4”-5” fish in there the previous trip.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

WWDRD?

What would Dusty Rhoads do?

When you see dudes on YouTube catching monster trout, like Hardman too, they most likely moved a fish in the exact spot before. The fish may have a few haunts, but that fish will likely go back to that spot. I have caught the same big fish a few times in or near the same spots months, sometimes a year or two apart. Not uncommon at all, and their memory may be shorter than we give them credit for.

So, yes, you have a good chance at redemption with 3 or 4 X tippet next time! And post a pic!

 

[Swattie87]

If you’re gonna go after a big fish that lives amongst the salad like on Peters, might as well use 2x IMO. Or break out some regular old 10 lb mono you’d use on a Bass set up. Gonna be pulling more weight than just the fish in that scenario, if you hook it.

And yes, it’s possible to catch fish on Peters. Not easy, aside from the dam pool maybe, but definitely possible. I’ll stop there.

 

[Andrwhite610]

If you’re gonna go after a fish in the salad like on Peters, might as well use 2x IMO. Or break out some regular old 10 lb mono you’d use on a Bass set up. Gonna be pulling more weight than just the fish in that scenario.

This post was from last year. Many lessons learned. And yes last week i used a cut back butt section of a trout leader. No redemption was had.