So, I got out to the creek today around 3:30 with a hankerin to try a few new things. So, I went to a new spot - near access 4 and also vowed to pull a few streamers on my sink tip line that I've meant to use for the last ten times I've fished, but have always been to lazy to re-rig with.
I started out nymphing some fishy, but fast water and after a few fly adjustments and a few weight adjustments I hooked two lightning bolts I didn't have a prayer of landing. It was nice to fool them though. In lower flows, the water I find will be perfect, and the fish more catchable.
Moved downstream a bit to the next likely spot and probably hooked 20 or more fish on about 70 casts into the same soft water abutting a strong flow. But, these fish were very wily and I only brought a few to hand. There were trees all around me and more than once my flies came unbuttoned and flew up into the trees above my head. That can be tricky - and annoying - but I was hooking so many fish I didn't care.
After slamming those fish for a while I hiked further downstream and put on the sink tip line and on my 3rd cast with a streamer, BAM, hooked a pig, but he got off. Got three or four more grabs from planters, and then hooked another nice native - about 16 inches, but he came unbuttoned near my feet.
Pulled the streamer through all the likley holes around the split and pulled up several more planters.
Toward dark (there was a great mayfly hatch going the whole time I was on the creek today), I tied on a mayfly emerger and a pheasant tail and landed a few nice natives - to 14 inches. Got a few little ones on dries to wrap it up and met another nice guy - casey - who reads all our posts but doesn't post himself. Post away, casey!
Anyway, flies of the day were #18-#20 flashback PT and a green crystal bugger. A CDC mayfly emerger (grey body) size 20-22 was pulling up some nice fish on a dead drift and tighlining.
Just before dark I tied on a CDC dun (brown) about size 20 and on my first false cast a dragonfly ate it right from midair. I tried to get him off the hook, but when I grabbed the fly the dragonfly's legs sort of grabbed my finger which totally freaked me out. So I just cut the damn thing loose. I'll post a picture when I get it off my camera.
JL, It sounds like you had a nice day on the creek. When you mentioned the dragonfly grabbing your finger I had to laugh. Once while fishing for bluegill and crappie on one of my favorite ponds, I caught a frog. It was a perfect, fair hook in the upper lip. He took a #20 Griffith's Gnat. I couldn't believe it. When I tried to pull the hook out, he kept pushing my hand away with his hands. Talk about freaking me out! I had never seen such a thing. It's a good thing fish don't have hands.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
Sounds like a great day! I haven't fished around access 4, but I am going up this afternoon so I might check it out. It's been a week since I have fished and I am anxious to get back up there. Saw JT up there last week...made me look bad by catching fish where I was just skunked...but he does it so well it is a joy to watch. Hopefully I'll see some of you guys up there this week.
wow by the sounds of it looks like ill be having to make a trip up there myself very soon, maybe thursday, do to it being my day off. well if anyone ends up going up there ill be there. more than likely near the damn but who knows i might get a lil bored and moved down stream but as of right now thats the only place i know how to fish, and i need to practice my roll cast, hahaha. well hope to see someone up there.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
JL sweet report, I love lightning bolts even if they do get off, it is great just to fool them cus it lets you know you got it going on. brian I'll look for you. you might find me roaming around the creek thurs. afternoons. And JT when you get back lets stomp em'
well ill be there for most of the day, gonna probably make it a full day trip, maybe 1ish go down 128 and grab some grub then come back up and hit it up for the full day, and if someone wants to help me out show me the ropes, maybe even get me on some fish, might just have to say lunch is on me. but again ill be pretty much from the bridge up, ill be wearing a white tank top, black hat, no wadders and either in the water or on the edge depending on where i am fishing, you really cant miss me. but ya any help will be greatly appreciated, and flygirl1 if you end up going i would love to try out the rod. hope to see a few of you down there.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
speaking of dragonflies I have had a couple attack my gurgler in midair while fishing for smallies this summer at cache. One got hooked on the fly and another was cut straight in half by the hook. The two parts drifted about five feet before "slurp!" a big smallie came up and made short work of them. Those dragonflies are vicious predators! Nothing compared to smallmouth though! charlie
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"when you put your hand into a flowing stream you touch the last that has come before and the first of what is still to come" -DaVinci
On 9/11/03 (it's easy to remember the 9/11 date) I was scouting out he creek. I ran into the most unexpected hatch I had ever seen in my 30+ years of flyfishing. It was a full blown dragonfly hatch. Literally hundreds of them in the air. They were khaki (army olive) in color with pinkish tails and had a bright, light blue spot right behind the thorax. Some of the were normal size, but others were really large. So if anyone has a good dragonfly nymph pattern, now is probably as good a time as any to give it a try.
