~StreamSide Tales~: Factory Throw Outs

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Factory Throw Outs

5/18/25

Let’s face it stocked trout are just like factory made. The state gets small fingerlings, or eggs from spawning trout, like a factory gets raw material. They both build them up for better use. The state throws the grown trout in trout supporting creeks, rivers and lakes. They’re they are for the taking except for some of the special regulation areas posted Catch and Release or wild trout areas which are usually stream bred and not necessarily factory made. Some wild trout streams may get stocked trout that will find its way into wild waters but I think it’s rare.

Anytime I’m up in Potter county to fish I’ll always stop at Young Woman’s Creek for the day! Being that Kettle Creek was still on the high side, and I fished it the past several days, Sunday was a good day to visit it. The section I fish is state stocked. It’s a delayed harvest area, catch and release all tackle artificial lures or flies only. There’s at least 3 sections of water I fish. The first section I cover the most water down creek a good ways. In past years there’s a good hatch of Hendricksons and caddis. With the higher water and cloudy conditions lately I didn’t expect much surface activity.

I started with a Woolly Bugger of course. After nabbing a nice dark rainbow, that looked like he’s been in there for a year or two, under the bridge I lit up my first stogie, a Factory Smoke, and I fished my way slowly down creek.

The water was flowing fast with plenty of wavy sections. I added weight to the leader. I’d cast near the far bank and let my bugger drift under the current.

If there were fish leaning against the bank this would draw them out as they would follow the swinging bugger till it slowed down creek where they would strike it. This accounted for a half dozen trout on the Woolly Bugger in the first section of water.

Except for the fist trout I caught under the bridge I could tell the next ones where stocked this year with white bellies and silver sides.

The second section I drove to there is a deep pool that shallows at the tail out into riffles under tree limbs over the roadside bank. I fish this down stream until it gets too rough of water. This accounted for a few trout including two brook trout.

The third section I drove to was a bust. I had a couple of quick one time strikes but no hook ups. I left the creek and figured I’d end the day fishing down creek from the campground on Kettle Creek. Being the water was clearer than the day before, though flowing fast, there might be some mayfly activity or caddis.

I got to the campground around 3:30. I walked to path to a section I fished often on Kettle Creek. There was already a few sulfurs and caddis flying around above the stained water. Every once in a while a March Brown would flutter upon the water before taking off like a Merganser flapping its wings as its taking flight.

I knotted on a March Brown Para-dun figuring it would be easier for the fish to see on the dirty water. I made a couple casts beyond the wavy flow just in front of me. If there was a hungry trout there he would only have a few seconds to bite before my dry would be pulled by my fly line, in the wavy current and scoot down creek. Well, after a few casts nothing came up. I saw a rise or two down creek and waded down that way where the water wasn’t as deep and a little calmer. I tossed out the March Brown a few times and a trout came up and slapped at it on the surface with a visible splash. I reared back the rod and had him scurrying about. He was a nice size rainbow that fought with head shakes all the way to the net.

After that I would switch from the March Brown to a #14 yellowish Sulfur and a #14 caddis. This accounted for a strike now and then.

I started to notice that a lot of the trout I was catching had gashes in their jaw or ripped lips.. Evidently they have been caught before or got free of the hook.

Now, I’m all for catch and release, be it fly fishing or conventional gear, but if you’re going to rip the jaws off the trout why not just keep the trout? I had never had done so much damage with a catch on a fly hook. I can only contribute this to treble hooks.

I always wondered when a trout gets caught and than released or escapes a hook set, what do they think? Do they go on a diet for the rest of the day or two? They would have to eat wouldn’t they? Maybe they just wait for a different meal after a while and start feeding again? I mean, if I had a bad meal at the local diner that I’ve eaten at before, I will still go and eat there. I just wouldn’t eat the same entree or whatever made me feel ill.

I continued to catch a picky fish now and then in the calmer water. Not many but enough to be enjoyable. When they wouldn’t grab the March Brown or the Sulfur I’de toss out the big Elk hair caddis that has done me well recently. This hooked up to my last trout before I finally called it quits.