doubletaper
Posts: 1920
Joined: 10/15/2007
From: clarion, pa
Status: offline
|
The day before the ‘1 fly’ event this year Jack, indsguiz, presented me with a 6 piece fiberglass fly rod he restored to fishing condition. He knew how I like fishing ‘glass’ and thought the pack rod would fit well with my motorcycling and fishing adventures.
I happen to mention, the week before Halloween, that I was going to try it out on Saturday. Jack sent me a private message and told me it would be cool if I could get a picture of a trout with the ‘glass’ rod. ‘Easier said than done’ I thought. Plus just any fish wouldn’t do the beautiful rod justice, it would have to be a nice enough fish that would compliment the strength of the rod, wouldn’t it?
Trick-or-Treat Rainbows!
I met Troutslammer in Leeper at about 1:00pm Halloween day under overcast skies. Through the sprinkles of rain he laid his gear in my van and we headed north to fish Spring Creek in the ANF. On rte. 66 I clued Troutslammer in on Spring Creek which I’ve fished many a days and know it very well. I told him the water is always cold and compare it to the cold waters of East Hickory Creek. It is not very wide and in most places you can cast a fly to the other bank but there are deep holes throughout, good rocky riffles and submerged branches and dead-falls for protection. Though it gets fished hard the first couple of months of the opener and is close to camps and fished by the local campers, it still holds enough fish throughout the year to keep me visiting it now and then.
.
We pulled into the gravel parking area along the dirt road. The rain had ceased but the unpredictable gloomy sky still showed signs of precipitation. Getting out of the van we can already hear the water churning over the rocks that lay across the creek below the bridge. Walking on the bridge the water is running higher and faster from the previous days of rain. This widens and deepens the water which makes more area for the trout to roam. I describe the good holds upstream and downstream of the bridge. The water is flowing with a tinch of cloudiness but not muddy like farming or agriculture streams. As we walked back towards the van to gear up Troutslammer, in his always positive way, assures that we should ‘slam’ them today.
.
Back at the van he assembles his $50.00 2 piece 8’ Cortland fly rod with his $180.+ Orvis LA reel! I pull out a simulated leather case 17” x 4” wide. I unzip it and pull out the 6 pce. fiberglass fly rod Jack presented me at the ‘1 fly’.
“What the h3ll’s that?” Troutslammer asks chuckling
Looking at the dark pumpkin colored fiberglass rod with rich blood-red wraps over small snake eye guides and metal ferrules it sort of looks like an erector set. I smile and tell him the story about receiving the rod from Jack as I piece the 7’ rod together.
“I got to get a picture of a trout with the rod” I exclaim.
After attaching the Orvis Battenkill reel, with 5wt. dt line, we put on our Halloween fishing costumes and headed across the dirt road towards the creek.
.
Somewhere in the distant woods a shotgun blasts twice, either from a grouse hunter or turkey hunter. Semi bare trees line the creek as their dropped leaves lay upon the ground or along the waters edge. A few dark green hemlocks stand tall among the oaks and maples and add a little color to the surrounding Autumn forest. We step into the soft dirt along the waters edge and strip line from our reels. Troutslammer has selected a white bunny leech and roll casts it into the wide pool from above. I tied on an olive woolly bugger and cast across the same pool below. Our flies drop deep through the slower top water and starts to swing with the swifter undercurrent.
“This water’s really cold” he says
“I told you so” I reply
We slowly wade downstream along the bank. I point out points of interest against the far bank under bare branches and submerged limbs. As I lead the way we stop at the first bend and concentrate fishing the curvature of the stream. Troutslammer notices 4-5 trout, about 12 feet from us, suspended holding in the current flow. Our slow movement didn’t attract attention for them to clear the area. We drift our buggers towards them and they move downstream in unison and hold further out in the middle of the creek. Still within sight through our polarized glasses we try for them but they are uncooperative. Troutslammer gets to shore and walks down the trail to the riffling waters as I stay put trying to coax a trout to hit a nymph.
.
As we fish down stream time passes by unnoticed. I catch up with him in a big pool of water that came to be known as the swimming hole. A large pool of deep water that extends across the creek beyond casting range. The end of the pool shallows just before its water spills over a partial beaver dam and rocky section. From there the water tumbles in the shallower water for a stretch than turns a bend and opens up to a much larger and deeper riffle of water. We venture beyond the bend but I turn back to again fish in the swimming hole while Troutslammer casts streamers in the swift waters below.
.
I move out onto a small piece of grassy island above the water surface just out from the bank of the swimming hole. I tie on a white woolly bugger and cast into the center. After letting the bugger drop deep I throw a slight mend downstream to start the bugger to move with the slow top water current. To keep the bugger from touching the unseen bottom I short strip line and watch my fly line as it swing to the end of the pool. From there I strip in line with longer strokes as the bugger rises to within sight. I cast out a few more times with the same technique but nothing stirs or looks to follow. My next cast I over hand the bugger down and across. Only letting the bugger drop about a foot but still within sight, I keep the rod up and jig the bugger towards me. Letting it drop a couple of inches than short stripping it towards the surface and letting it drop again I catch a flash of silver, rise from the deep, below my bugger. I see the last movement of the bugger before it is engulfed by the silvery fish. I raise the rod and set the hook pulling the line sharply with my line hand. Feeling the tension I let tensioned line slide through my fingers. Knowing it’s a decent size fish I let him struggle with the bent ’glass’ rod with my fingers performing the drag tension. After getting the fighting trout under my control I yell out to Troutslammer like a kid with his first hooked steelhead. A picture with the fish was on my mind as I cautiously played the fish. Not knowing if Troutslammer heard me I call out again in exuberance! He answers me as he is already walking towards me through the brush covered forest.
“Get your camera out, I got a nice rainbow” I laugh “Jack wants a picture!”.
Knowing the fish is worthy of a picture with my new ’glass” rod I take out my net for the retrieval. Holding the 16”, appx. length, rainbow with the rod beneath it, Troutslammer snaps a couple of quick pictures.
My task is completed! The pressure is off! ‘There you are Jack!’ I thought out loud as I released the fish back into the pool.
We fished the pool a little while longer than drove upstream and worked our way back down to the bridge. I was casting to the trout we had come across earlier when I heard Troutslammer call out from under the bridge.
“Ooh boy”
I got out of the water and headed towards the bridge.
Within sight I seen his fly rod flexing good and a fish fighting along the surface water.
“Get’m in so I can take a picture” I called out to let him know I was near.
“Here, I’ll net him” I said as he tussled with the big trout.
He held the rainbow up with a big smile as I snapped a picture.
We finished our Halloween fishing at dusk and headed towards Leeper.
.
After dropping Troutslammer off at his truck in Leeper I head south on rte. 66. Just past the crossroads I see a red glow of a flashlight swing slowly on my side of the berm. I slow down to see a line of witches, ghosts and vampires with trick-or-treat bags walking through the yards. After passing them I light a Garcia y Vega cigarillo and crack open the front windows.
‘That was a good trade off’ I thought
‘I received a pack rod from Jack for making him a thank you card for the tremendous job he does with the ’1 fly’ event’
‘I think I got the best of the deal’ I smiled at the thought of writing this story.
.
The daylight gloomy sky has now vanished. In its place dark gray clouds streak the sky like stationary thunderbolts against the darkest bluest atmosphere. One bellowing gray cloud is outlined by a hazy shimmer of white from the hidden moon behind it.
As I cross the river hill bridge the bare tree limbs, reaching up from the hilltops, look like skeletal arms and fingers reaching towards the heavens.
.
Happy Halloween….Sorry it's late, we were out searching for rainbows!!
~doubletaper
< Message edited by doubletaper -- 11/5/2009 8:14:12 AM >
_____________________________
it's not luck
if success is consistent
'jeremy and the hellgrammites'
http://streamsidetales.blogspot.com/
|
Printable Version
Trick-or-Treat Rainbows - 
Thank you!!!
RE: Trick-or-Treat Rainbows - 
New Messages 
Hot Topic w/ New Messages 
Locked w/ New Messages
No New Messages 
Hot Topic w/o New Messages 
Locked w/o New Messages