Sundays treat

As usual for Spring, my Sunday consisted of stumbling around the area looking for new places to fish.    We came upon a stream, not knowing much about it, not even listed in any in of the class a,b,c, or d for wild trout in the 2007 PFBC revision updates.  Not being listed on such is certainly a deterrent from even checking the stream, but can be something worth checking, because it's not documented to have native fish.  Lots of work and about once a year, we find something worth revisiting.  A friend did catch an 8 inch native in the lower stretches a few weeks back, so we thought it'd be worth checking the headwaters, where the water would be cooler.

So .. on we go to the stream at about 11:00 am.  A bit of a walk back in the woods.  The water was clear, and a bit warm for this time of year and my thought of the stream were that not much existed.  But the previously noted fish he caught kept our interest.  Around 12:00 I swear I saw a green drake in the distance.   By 12:30 the air was full of them and fish were rising everywhere.   We went on to work about a quarter mile stretch of stream for about 2.5 hours, getting about 20-25 rises a piece.  Many of the rises were from the same fish, and many fish we couldn't hook.  The bugs were too big to fit in their mouths.    It was comical watching them struggle to each the drakes.  Sometimes they'd have to come back to them 3-4 times.  Every run, riffle, and seam produced a strike.  Even water 2-3 inches deep with dark bottoms held fish  -- multiple fish.  

It makes me wonder why I've never risen even a fraction of wild brooks on class a brookie streams.  Does the publicity affect the trout populations/waryness that much.  I've done well on brown class a but never on brookie class a.  Clearly, this stream is not fished or disturbed with any regularity.  A gem in today's world.  Certainly a stream I wouldn't consider fishing in the summer heat.  I'm surprised those fish survive.  They've done it for 10,000 years so maybe I shouldn't be.   All in all, it was one of those silly fishing days where every cast you thought that should produce a strike -- did and you get tired of catching fish.  They are very rare days ...   It's been a few years since I've experienced that.   The added bonus was native trout eating huge bugs.  Don't ask me why I even had green drake patterns with me.. last thing on my mind.  We did catch a few on caddis, but those fish were definitely tuned into the drakes.  Their mouths were full of them.

Excuse the quality of pics...  we forgot the digital camera (didn't expect much action) -- cell phone only.

very cool
 
nice fish

One thing I am very good at is feeling the water and knowing close to the temp.  Probably comes from summer steelheading .. temping the water then feeling it.  Most experience comes from 55-73 degrees.
 
I'd say the lower part where we started was 66-68 degrees, probably more like 68... it was a little cooler as we headed upstream but not much.  I'm impressed with the brook trouts ability to survive.   If I went to there by myself and it was .. say 67 in May, I would have left and never thought twice about going back.   I was fishing for little browns last week and the water was cold, probably about 52-56.
 
We did see a snake yesterday.  (shocker) - want to see a snake.     Come fishin' with me.     About the size of a full grown copperhead.. same colors and patterns, but I'll have to call what I saw a watersnake.  Copperheads head is pretty bright .. don't think this ones was.
 
Here's a few pics of the browns and some brooks from last week.  I've been trying to fish streams with brooks and browns.. looking for that 1 in 8,000 wild tiger trout.  Good luck, huh.
 

 

 

 

 
 
The J is a bit high but certainly fishable.  We hooked about 7 or 8 last night ..    It took many many casts to get a rise.  They passed up a lot of duns on the water and took a few careless strikes at them as well.  They are still unsure of the sulphurs.   Bugs came off early decent, actually better than I had seen any evening last year, for sulphurs..  Shut off at 8 .. then started up again at dark.  Saw a FEW spinners.  One cahill.
 
 

We did see a snake yesterday.  (shocker) - want to see a snake.     Come fishin' with me. 
 
Jon,
 
We called my fishing buddy in high school the "snake magnet."  When he was along, we saw snakes in places that there had not been snakes seen since the dawn of time.
 
I saw one last week.  It had its head bit off.  Right before I got to where I found it, there was a very large Heron perched on a blowdown.  I wonder if I interrupted its lunch.
 
Give the Sulphur thing a few days, I think.  They need to become accustomed to having them to eat.
 
We drove around some of the parking areas on Sunday and it looked like they were having a raffle.  I actually had to do a 3-point turn to get out of the parking area at the Gorge because there so many vehicles parked there.  Over half were not PA plates.  Not complaining, just amazed at the attraction.
 
 

Nice pics!!! Wish they were a little bigger.

ORIGINAL: pxatim

Nice pics!!! Wish they were a little bigger.

 
The photos or the trout?
 
Sorry, that was way too easy.

I fished this little brook that I had never fished before last weekend, SWPA, not SCPA.  It's on the stocking list for brookies only.  And it's on the natural wild reproduction list.  I caught no stocked fish.












So imagine my surprise when I saw this guy rising, and caught him on the first drift.  13/14"

No fair using the dog to locate fish -- LOL.
 
Wonderful day on the stream.  That bigger brookie is truly a trophy for that type of water.

There aren't any trestles on this creek -- hence, no trestle sparrows.
 
Try to pay attention when Anderson speaks.