Glass in Session
4/23/18
4/23/18
After fishing graphite for the past 3 days of my 4 day weekend, I decided to break out the glass rod. What better place to use the 7’ Wonderod then to find a beautiful narrow stream surrounded by the wooded forest.
The sun was rising and bright. The sound of the water flowing over a rocky base creek bed was music to my ears. The surface water sparkled reflecting the sun rays. Green pines stood out among the bare forest trees that weathered the winter. It was a beautiful morning. I took a breath of the fresh air, lit up a mild stogie and was going to give it a try.
I spent about 3 hours in the first section I fished. By noon there was a hatch of Hendrickson's that were mixed in with the small Black Caddis. Occasionally I’d spot a Red Quill but there wasn’t a fish rising to anything. In the morning hours till noon I came up empty. Not a bump to be had. I was mostly using Woolly Buggers and streamers but even the nymphs or San Juan worm couldn’t produce a hit.
Just after noon I drove over to a section I was sure to get a bend in the glass rod. I spent another hour trying to coax a strike in the small section I have caught many trout before. Again there were many more Mayflies along with the black caddis but I never seen a rise as I stared across the gin clear water.
Rough water white capped hurriedly through the narrow passage between the higher banks. It tumbled over down logs and eased a bit when it found more open water. The main flow splashed noisily as it hit the solid rock wall head on that turned the creek flow at a sharp right angle. From there the water gurgled as it rolled and waved against the slate shelved wall under the shade of the pine boughs that extended over the water. Caddis danced upon the surface that flowed in smaller waves further out from the outstretched branches. Not a single rise could I see. I spent about 15 minutes fishing the stream of flowing water without a strike. I tried another 15 minutes below the falls trying to get a trout interested but failed. I make no excuses that the water was too clear or too rough. The trout just weren’t hungry. I suppose they were just relaxing under the sunshine after a cold rough snowy winter and an early rainy spring. What do I know; maybe I should be doing the same thing?
I decided to drive down creek more and adventure to an unfamiliar section of the creek. I parked at a well used space along the road and tree line. The path to the creek was a short piece as the aroma of warm pines fragranced the air under the warmth of the sun.
As I looked over the water small Black Caddis were scattered about like lightning bugs in the night. A sporadic hatch of Hendrickson in the #14 to #12 range was seen fluttering about. I spotted some of them flittering their wings, drying them off, as they drifted upon the water surface before taking flight. Still I couldn’t spot a fish feeding on them.
I started casting a Woolly Bugger with a long line being the water was so clear. The far side of the creek was a bit shaded with the higher bank. Pines and hardwoods lined the creek for most parts so I kept wading midstream as possible not to be hampered with getting caught up during my back cast. It was 10 minutes or so before I got my first vision of an active trout. I was bringing in the bugger across the surface, for my next cast, when something rose and snapped at it on the surface. It didn’t take much of a decision to snip off the bugger and decide on a dry fly. I knew I was in brook trout territory so I selected an orange bodied Humpy. After securing the knot I dubbed on some dry fly dressing to the silk body. The trout had risen in a slower current out from a half submerged branched limb. It was on the far side of a calm riffle from where I was standing.
I felt the glass rod flex on my back cast and tossed the Humpy forward in an arc. It took a few more casts searching for the trout. As the Humpy crested the small waves I spotted the trout dart out from under the branch, followed and caught up with the Humpy. It slapped at my imitation with a quick splash and I set the hook as quick as a blink of an eye. The trout tried to swim down creek but the flexing 5 weight glass rod quickly turned him towards me. He dodged rocks as I brought him to the net.
The sun was rising and bright. The sound of the water flowing over a rocky base creek bed was music to my ears. The surface water sparkled reflecting the sun rays. Green pines stood out among the bare forest trees that weathered the winter. It was a beautiful morning. I took a breath of the fresh air, lit up a mild stogie and was going to give it a try.
I spent about 3 hours in the first section I fished. By noon there was a hatch of Hendrickson's that were mixed in with the small Black Caddis. Occasionally I’d spot a Red Quill but there wasn’t a fish rising to anything. In the morning hours till noon I came up empty. Not a bump to be had. I was mostly using Woolly Buggers and streamers but even the nymphs or San Juan worm couldn’t produce a hit.
Just after noon I drove over to a section I was sure to get a bend in the glass rod. I spent another hour trying to coax a strike in the small section I have caught many trout before. Again there were many more Mayflies along with the black caddis but I never seen a rise as I stared across the gin clear water.
Rough water white capped hurriedly through the narrow passage between the higher banks. It tumbled over down logs and eased a bit when it found more open water. The main flow splashed noisily as it hit the solid rock wall head on that turned the creek flow at a sharp right angle. From there the water gurgled as it rolled and waved against the slate shelved wall under the shade of the pine boughs that extended over the water. Caddis danced upon the surface that flowed in smaller waves further out from the outstretched branches. Not a single rise could I see. I spent about 15 minutes fishing the stream of flowing water without a strike. I tried another 15 minutes below the falls trying to get a trout interested but failed. I make no excuses that the water was too clear or too rough. The trout just weren’t hungry. I suppose they were just relaxing under the sunshine after a cold rough snowy winter and an early rainy spring. What do I know; maybe I should be doing the same thing?
I decided to drive down creek more and adventure to an unfamiliar section of the creek. I parked at a well used space along the road and tree line. The path to the creek was a short piece as the aroma of warm pines fragranced the air under the warmth of the sun.
As I looked over the water small Black Caddis were scattered about like lightning bugs in the night. A sporadic hatch of Hendrickson in the #14 to #12 range was seen fluttering about. I spotted some of them flittering their wings, drying them off, as they drifted upon the water surface before taking flight. Still I couldn’t spot a fish feeding on them.
I started casting a Woolly Bugger with a long line being the water was so clear. The far side of the creek was a bit shaded with the higher bank. Pines and hardwoods lined the creek for most parts so I kept wading midstream as possible not to be hampered with getting caught up during my back cast. It was 10 minutes or so before I got my first vision of an active trout. I was bringing in the bugger across the surface, for my next cast, when something rose and snapped at it on the surface. It didn’t take much of a decision to snip off the bugger and decide on a dry fly. I knew I was in brook trout territory so I selected an orange bodied Humpy. After securing the knot I dubbed on some dry fly dressing to the silk body. The trout had risen in a slower current out from a half submerged branched limb. It was on the far side of a calm riffle from where I was standing.
I felt the glass rod flex on my back cast and tossed the Humpy forward in an arc. It took a few more casts searching for the trout. As the Humpy crested the small waves I spotted the trout dart out from under the branch, followed and caught up with the Humpy. It slapped at my imitation with a quick splash and I set the hook as quick as a blink of an eye. The trout tried to swim down creek but the flexing 5 weight glass rod quickly turned him towards me. He dodged rocks as I brought him to the net.
I used the Humpy for the next few minutes or so as I waded and fished down creek. I wasn’t too confident that I was going to make another rise but it was good practice casting the dry with the glass rod for the time being. After a short spell I clipped off the Humpy and went back to bugger fishing my way down creek.
It was in a shallow riffle on the far side of the creek when I thought I felt a tap on the bugger tail I presumed. I stepped a little closer up creek so my bugger wouldn’t swing so fast down and across. I plopped the bugger in the small waves with a slack line. The current carried the bugger down creek as my offering sank deeper. When the slack straightened the bugger started to swing towards midstream. This time the tap was more of a tug and I set the hook. The trout darted about in the shallow spitting up water from the surface. It made its way down creek as it swung below me. I swung the rod to my left and netted the brook trout.
It was in a shallow riffle on the far side of the creek when I thought I felt a tap on the bugger tail I presumed. I stepped a little closer up creek so my bugger wouldn’t swing so fast down and across. I plopped the bugger in the small waves with a slack line. The current carried the bugger down creek as my offering sank deeper. When the slack straightened the bugger started to swing towards midstream. This time the tap was more of a tug and I set the hook. The trout darted about in the shallow spitting up water from the surface. It made its way down creek as it swung below me. I swung the rod to my left and netted the brook trout.
As I waded down creek my back cast sent my bugger in a tangle in some over hanging branches. I snipped the bugger off to make it easier to get my leader free. I retied the bugger on, moved my weight up the leader some and I was back in the game. I lit a Robusto Red Witch stogie and continued my quest down creek. I felt like a sneaky Blue Heron. Slowly, methodically searching for prey, with a long line, and a stogie in it's mouth.
It seemed that the deeper holes, that I thought would hold fish, didn’t appear to be productive. I only caught two brook trout so far but the ones I did catch were in the shallower riffles or hiding in shallower water under branches. There was a good deep run on my left that waved some towards an exposed boulder. I added a little split shot to get deeper in the knee deep run. I worked it over good as I slowly waded down creek step be step. As the bugger almost straightened out near the boulder I seen a long flash and the line tugged hard. I pulled back on the rod and the line straightened,,,,briefly. The fish rose to the point I seen it was a nice size brook trout before he turned with my offering. The line went slack and my heart sunk like I lost a lunker. The darn trout stole my bugger and all I was left with was a twisted tippet. Bad knot I figured!!!
Down creek I got a bump on my next bugger offering. The trout held beneath a wavy riffle. I stood upstream from the riffle and would slowly strip the bugger towards me stopping occasionally and jerk the rod tip for a little more action. My attempt worked and I set the hook hard on the tug. The fish tugged back hard and took off towards the bank. There isn’t much drag tension left on the old Martin reel and line slipped off the spool as the drag clicked like a toy time bomb ready to go off at any second. I palmed the reel to slow the trout down and he turned and headed back mid creek. I stepped to my right and coaxed him to softer water to my right. He fought tooth and nail right to the net with the on coming current. A nice rainbow gave me a good fight.
Down creek I got a bump on my next bugger offering. The trout held beneath a wavy riffle. I stood upstream from the riffle and would slowly strip the bugger towards me stopping occasionally and jerk the rod tip for a little more action. My attempt worked and I set the hook hard on the tug. The fish tugged back hard and took off towards the bank. There isn’t much drag tension left on the old Martin reel and line slipped off the spool as the drag clicked like a toy time bomb ready to go off at any second. I palmed the reel to slow the trout down and he turned and headed back mid creek. I stepped to my right and coaxed him to softer water to my right. He fought tooth and nail right to the net with the on coming current. A nice rainbow gave me a good fight.
I missed two more bumps before I got to a fast deep run before a bridge. I figured they might have been smaller brook trout that were just bumping the tail.
I took a long look at the deep wavy run to my left. There was no chance someone on the bank would have been able to fish the deep run. A couple of big trunked trees with branches staggered over the water kept anyone on the bank from fishing it. I took off a small split shot and added a bigger shot for a little more weight to run the bugger deep. I let it swing towards the calmer crease aside the wavy current and stripped it towards me with hesitating twitches. On my second cast through a trout tugged the bugger beneath the strong current heavily. I tugged back and the glass rod flexed into the middle, and maybe further down the shaft. I knew I had a good fish. I kept the rod tip low near the surface not wanting the trout to surface in the strong current. I kept tension, with my palm on the spool, as the trout swam about taking line out on occasion. It was a tug of war as the current was helping him more than it was helping me to control the trout. I finally got him out of the strong current and it made it a little easier to control the trout in the direction I wanted to net him. He fought pretty well in the calmer water and with more struggling I finally won out and netted the fine silvery rainbow.
I took a long look at the deep wavy run to my left. There was no chance someone on the bank would have been able to fish the deep run. A couple of big trunked trees with branches staggered over the water kept anyone on the bank from fishing it. I took off a small split shot and added a bigger shot for a little more weight to run the bugger deep. I let it swing towards the calmer crease aside the wavy current and stripped it towards me with hesitating twitches. On my second cast through a trout tugged the bugger beneath the strong current heavily. I tugged back and the glass rod flexed into the middle, and maybe further down the shaft. I knew I had a good fish. I kept the rod tip low near the surface not wanting the trout to surface in the strong current. I kept tension, with my palm on the spool, as the trout swam about taking line out on occasion. It was a tug of war as the current was helping him more than it was helping me to control the trout. I finally got him out of the strong current and it made it a little easier to control the trout in the direction I wanted to net him. He fought pretty well in the calmer water and with more struggling I finally won out and netted the fine silvery rainbow.
I fished down creek for about another half hour without a take before giving up and heading back to the truck. It was near 6:00pm by the time I got changed into street clothes and headed on homeward for about an hour and a half drive home. I came upon two bull elk up in the Sproul State Forest. I spotted them from a distance standing just a few feet from the road side. I slowed up way before I got near them. One had a full rack with four tines on each side. The other had a half rack of three tines that I could tell before they turned away and galloped back into the woods.
It’s been a good four day weekend of camping and fishing for my birthday! I hated to leave the peacefulness I had just spent time in!
~doubletaper
It’s been a good four day weekend of camping and fishing for my birthday! I hated to leave the peacefulness I had just spent time in!
~doubletaper
Amazing!
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