i thought about not continuing reporting my exploits in york county. i do not want to appear to be "bragging" i was just going to keep these trips to maurice and myself, but after overwhelming pms of tellme how much ppl love my reports i have decided to continue.
the past week has been very frustrating on this stream with the big wild browns. the larger browns are becoming angler wary very quickly as i have been harassing them. my suspisions of the larger browns eating up the smaller fish to get big has been confirmed. the largest of the browns chase the minnows and chubs in the shallows. i have watch him this for days now. early in the week he chased schooling minnows right up to my position. his back was out of water and he just sat there starring at me! it seemed like forever, but then he swam away unspooked! it was amazing and something i will not forget for a long time! :-D the fish has very large eyes and is very colorful. after watching this u would think that he would be easy to catch. this is just not so. this fish is a true predator but is also very lazy. he wont chase the minnows vey fast. i think because of his size he is conserving energy.
i tied some special flies just for this fish.i have not seen this fish rise and hasnot even looked at my dryfly offerings. the one is an extremely larger beadeyed black bugger. it has green an red christmas tinsil in thebody. i left the black hackle very long so it fol over the body and takes away some of its flash. i also left the tail very long for extra action. so yesterday after watching him chase some minnows, i threw this fly at him. he was coming for it and then the unthinkable happened. another nice fish took it! not nearly as large by any means but a nice wild. the fight spooked the big wild and he ran to his roots he hides in never to return for the rest of the day. figures. here was the fish i caught:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t76/salvelinusfontinalis/the%20stream%20in%20york%20with%20the%20big%20browns/HPIM3137.jpg
and of course the other very wary big wild brown he shares the hole with was already hiding as always.
so i was foiled. i headed upstream to where another wild is and had him take this fly in one cast! and again he came off the hook. these fish fight so hard and thrash thier heads so hard the barbless hook doesnt have a chance. then this fish ran under its undercut bank never to be seen again :-(
another day of disappointment. score: fish 10 sal 0.
boy they are kickin my butt!
today i was feeling lucky! so i headed out there and made my way to the fish. of course as always the second i got there.... the smaller big wild brown ran into his roots and that was that.
:roll: i dont think anyone will ever catch that fish in low water!
again the larger one was cruising the shallows. i watched him swallow a chub that was about 5 inches long. i tied on that special fly and gave it a shot. and again i caught a smaller trout first! urgh! and again he ran spooked into the roots. you have got to be kidding me! here was the fish i caught:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t76/salvelinusfontinalis/the%20stream%20in%20york%20with%20the%20big%20browns/HPIM3147.jpg
so foiled again i headed upstream and was suprised. just up from the undercut bank was 2 large browns! so 2 are sharing that hole also. they were rising to what seemed to be tricos! i tied one on and had a take! finally! but the fish snapped me off. *sigh*. both big browns ran into the undercut and again that was that.
score: fish11 sal 0!
well this all happened in the morning and rather than going home i stayed for awhile. figured i catch some smaller trout.
i went back down to where the biggest one was hiding. i caught about 4 nice little browns. it was the last one that was the key.
i was tossing at those roots hopin he would come out. a small brown was sitting in front of it. he took my bugger. while the fight was on that big brown came rushin out and smacked him hard! not mouth open but did knock out blow to make him easy to eat. i quickly brought that fish in with the large wild following. the fish was knocked out and it took me some time to bring him back to his sences. the fish knocked out:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t76/salvelinusfontinalis/the%20stream%20in%20york%20with%20the%20big%20browns/HPIM3146.jpg
now the big wild was in the middle of the hole. i figured he had a taste now and was hungry. i tied on a size 10 bh yellow/black bugger and drifted it to him. it hit the streambed floor right in front of him. the way the fish angled himself i could tell he was looking at it. i slowly and easily drug it on the bottom like a nymph and he gobbled it up! this time i hooked him in the meaty part of the lip. if he doesnt snap me...i got him. the fight was the most epic battle i have ever had. there are undercut rocks deep he tried to get into. he tried for those roots again making me reel him in under 2 trees. it was an amazing battle. i was shaking the whole time.again i had him beat! he was coming in on the side. then i saw it again. that last run and again right at me. was gonna jump that log again! but as the trout learn i do also. i came right for him also very fast. scaring him back into the middle away from the log. a short order later the fish was in hand! I GOT HIM!
and here he is!:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t76/salvelinusfontinalis/the%20stream%20in%20york%20with%20the%20big%20browns/HPIM3149.jpg
i had to take one more too!
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t76/salvelinusfontinalis/the%20stream%20in%20york%20with%20the%20big%20browns/HPIM3150.jpg
let this b a lesson. i deserved this fish. after all the exploring ive done, battling wits with this fish, fighting this fish,and spending about 100 dollars in gas. i finally won! :-D
then i thought hmmmmm. i went back up to the undercut with the other 2 wilds. took my yellow bugger with me. i figured i had one really spooked, the other might strike. ad he did! heres this wild fish:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t76/salvelinusfontinalis/the%20stream%20in%20york%20with%20the%20big%20browns/HPIM3151.jpg
i can tell they are wild cause of the fins and the red tip on the one fin. beautiful fish.
yes! fish 11 and sal 2 but my 2 is worth so much! i will never forget this stream and these endevors. it was some of the hardest fishing i have done! i can finally leave them alone now.
i hope have enjoyed my story and report as much as i have enjoyed my day down there. i can finally move on to the next stream. i gonna hit that one u have been tellin me about maurice! :-D
here are some various pics i took enjoy!
big wild sittin in the water
greenie weenie
a froggy
