Hardy Clicker

                                                             Hardy Clicker

                                                                  4/30/25

 The plan of the day was to fish a smaller creek in the ANF and then fish Tionesta Creek after noon. Being that Tionesta Creek had cleared up some to a drab olive color instead of a muddy brown from the day before. Tionesta was still a little higher than what I would have liked but I was hoping after noon it would recede some to make it more wadeable. 

 After parking near the smaller creek I assembled my 6 piece Hardy ultra light 8’ 8” fly rod. It was like putting together an erector set project. Each piece fitted into specific ferrules that had dots to make sure the complete rod was together correctly. I fitted the rod with the Hardy Featherweight reel that just about fit in the palm of my hand. Two ring nuts secured the reel onto the wooden reel seat. I knew most of my casting would be roll casts because of the close bank side brush so the reel was strung with DT line. I got my gear together, a few cigars and headed to the small creek.

 Looking at the water it had cleared up nicely from the day before. It also receded some so I’ll be able to wade a little further out from the bank.  

 The morning air was chilly but the sun was rising bringing some warmth. Some green grass covered the bank adding needed color to the bare branched trees that scattered the forest. One small tree across the creek was budding whitish flowers that added some lighter hues. The sky was a bright blue with broken puffy white clouds scattered about. The riffling and wavy water sparkled where the rising sun broke through the tall far side trees and branches. It was a peaceful picturesque setting that even Bob Ross could have painted and even adding a small white camp with a red brick chimney in the background.  

 I waded up to the oncoming water that riffled over rocks. There was a deep area just before the water flowed over a subsurface shelf of boulders then continued to wave under a hemlock and into a deeper section of the creek. The water surface was partially shaded by the tall hemlock and shadows of the far side tree. I began roll casting a woolly bugger out towards the middle of the creek. A trout grabbed one of my drifts. I held the line tight as the trout wasn’t much of a heavy weight. When I went to net the rainbow the hook came out of his mouth and the trout escaped my net.

 I switched to a Triple Threat streamer and tossed towards the far bank as I slowly waded down creek.  My one cast drifted under the over hanging branchy white blossoming young tree. A hard tug pulled the line and I yanked quickly to make sure the hook point set! The trout took off down creek and the Hardy reel clicked like a kids Vintage Time Bomb game just before it goes off. Click, click, click as line pulled off the reel. The drag on the small reel was useless for the heavy trout on the other end so I tensioned the fly line between my fingers to slow him down. The trout tugged and fought aggressively as I played him towards me. It stayed well below the surface so I was pretty sure it was a brown trout. I guessed right as I was able to net the husky brown trout.

  Continuing to cover the area under the tree I went back to the Woolly Bugger. On one toss a trout grabbed the bugger on the swing as if heading down creek with it. I yanked the rod up and swung it downstream behind me to tighten the line and set the hook. The line straightened and the reel clicked again as line slid through the rod eyes. Putting more tension on the fly line between my fingers the trout turned towards me. I reeled in line, like cranking one of those vintage toy cars I used to own, not wanting the line to get in the way of netting the trout. The rod flexed with the hard tugs as it swam. It too stayed deep so I figured I had another brown trout. Right again! 

  I decided to nymph fish when I couldn’t gat any more strikes on the streamers. I missed a couple trout strikes and one I hooked but lost it in the faster water up creek. I actually watched it attack my San Juan worm as it skirted the surface riffles at the end of the drift. The trout came up quickly and nabbed it off the surface with one big mouth gulp. I instinctively pulled back the line and set the hook. It was a struggle as he had the advantage of fighting into the oncoming fast current. He swam out towards the far side and the tight line went limp after he surfaced for the last time.

 I missed a couple of hook ups down creek on either the San Juan worm or was it the Hare’s ear? Continuing to nymph fish towards the far side of the creek I was able to hook up to a fighting trout. He fought through the slower oncoming current and I landed a nice frisky rainbow. He took the Hare’s ear nymph.  

 I fished another half hour without a strike before I headed to the truck. I was surprised at the time. It was 3:00. A little later than I expected to be out but I was having fun. My next stop was Tionesta Creek.

~doubletaper