Bows and Buggers
5/05/25
A one armed flyguy, Down at Slippery Rock Creek Project Area, told me he doesn’t nymph fish he just casts streamers. He then confirmed what I already knew! He said that if the trout are hungry enough they’ll come up after the streamer.
I remember fishing Black Moshannon Creek many years ago. It’s a narrow Delayed Harvest creek in central PA. that gets stocked with trout. One time I got there the water was running fast and wavy. I was casting weighted Woolly Buggers in the wavy water and hooking as well as missing takes. From then on I never thought I was wasting time casting Woolly Buggers in fast current under wavy water no matter the depth.
It’s been a daily thing while camping as rain came down day after day. I got to fish the Tionesta Creek only a few times before it got brown and high. I fished a smaller creek nearby where I was camping but so were other fishermen in the well populated cabins and camps in the ANF. Even the smaller creek got high and wavy but still the weekend people up in their camps couldn’t resist to wet a line. Turkey hunting opener was rainy also up in these parts. Sunday it cleared up but the creeks were still blown out.
Monday came and the rain had ceased for the morning and I got my hunting clothes on and gear together and went out hunting turkey. The one area I hunted, the one branch, of the small creek, was running fast but wasn’t muddy. It got me fishy excited! It was a ways from my camper but it would be worth driving to and giving it a try. I was back at my camper by 9:00am. I took a quick nap, being I was up at 4:30am, and woke up ready to go fishing in the unmuddy creek. I ate a quick snack and by 10:00 I was on my way to trout fish.
I parked along the side of the road and got my gear together. I pieced together my 7’ 3 weight Hardy Demon fly rod, grabbed some cigars and headed to the creek. The creek was maybe a 100 yards or so from the road through the forest. Even from the road I was able to hear the wavy riffling water! I followed a path down to the creek. There I saw the wavy riffling water flowing over boulders, splashing up against bank side logs and brush. I saw that the water was clear enough I could see bottom in the shallow water down to a foot or so deep. On the bank I took a bead head Woolly Bugger from my wool fly patch and attached it to my Fas-snap. I added a small lead strip to the tippet about a foot or so up from the bugger. I was careful to step off the bank into the knee deep water. I made a couple of casts before crossing to the other bank.
I have fished this creek many times and know that fishing from the far side was a better opportunity to cast into the deeper sections of water and safer to wade. This creek section never disappointed me. I knew where the deeper sections were but with the higher water I figured I’d find trout just about anywhere they were looking for food. There was no trick to it. Cast across the flow and let the bugger drift and swing down creek under the wavy water. If there looked to be downed limbs or branches near the far bank I’d shoot a cast across creek as near as possible. In this way I knew any trout hugging along the debris would follow my offering down creek until it got a better chance to grab it.
Well, you would have thought they had just stocked the creek with the amount of fish I started to catch. If fact the last time they stocked the creek was in early April.
This isn’t some unknown, hidden creek way off the beaten path. Some places it flows within sight of the dirt road. The dirt road actually follows the creek to the mouth. There are camping spots that are within 10 yards of the creek. The creek gets fished pretty much during the week and I’m sure more on weekends. Due to the rainy inclement weather it hasn’t been fished as much. I was the only one fishing the creek and there were many trout there for the taking.
Rainbow after rainbow grabbed the bugger. Sometimes in no more then a foot of water as I would strip it back towards me, in the shallows, within sight of the deeper wavy current. Other times on the swing or just holding my line steady down creek and jerking the rod tip to entice a strike.
When I streamer fish I seldom just stand in one spot for hours trying to catch every fish in a specific hole. I like wading and fishing downstream.
The saying goes ‘The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.’
My Saying is ‘there’s always better fish downstream around the bend!’
I have to admit I think I missed more strikes than I hooked up but not by many. The rainbows grabbed the bugger on the swing but mostly it was when it slowed down near the end of the swing. There wasn’t much slow water to fish. There were soft spots here and there in the narrow sections where the trout had an easier time to grab the bugger at the end of the swing but not too often. I’d adjust my weight in the shallower water or just hold the rod tip up so the weight doesn’t drag my offering scraping the creek bottom.
I took my time smoking my cigars and peacefully fishing downstream.
Sometimes the trout would surprise me by attacking the bugger while I lit up another cigar or take a drink of water while letting the bugger just hang in the water straight down from me.
I parked along the side of the road and followed the path up creek. From there I entered the water and fished my way back to the truck. This section was much wider than way upstream. Heck, these trout weren’t shy either. I picked off trout here and there especially when I was able to cast a lengthy line near the far bank.
I wasn’t real close to my truck when I noticed the sun wasn’t appearing as often as it did earlier. I looked up and saw darker gray clouds moving in. It wasn’t long when rain drops started to fall. It was time to call it a day and head for the truck.
If it doesn’t rain too hard or any more I just might return tomorrow to fish it again tomorrow.
One of the wider sections of the creek where the two branches meet.
~doubletaper
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