Easter Monday

                                                               Easter Monday

                                                                         4/06/26   

 I don’t usually fish for tout in snowflakes, but it’s better than sitting in the camper.

 I was camping along Tionesta Creek for the first 2 weeks of opening of trout season in PA. The creek itself was high, discolored and blown out. Though a few people gave it a go Saturday and Sunday I only saw 3 trout taken in the many hours the few people had fished. Of course, I had to get out there with the fly rod and try Sunday, but it felt more like a practice session than really thinking I could catch a fish. (Since I’m retired, I don’t get too anxious to get mixed in with the opening weekend crowds.)

 Saturday, I drove up along Blue Jay Road and people dotted the landscape along the small creek. I swear there were more fishermen than trees that stood leaned along the forest stream. The camps were filled with vehicles and even a group had a small camper and campfire in a clearing along the creek. 

 Sunday, I took a drive up to the spring sometime after noon. There were less fishermen along the creek. Camps were cleaning up and packing their vehicles for their drive home. I thought about fishing Sunday evening but being, Monday wasn’t calling for rain and less fishermen, I stayed in my camper ate, drank and tied flies. I made myself a pasta dinner with a fine dry wine and just waited till Easter Monday. 

  Monday I was up bright and early drinking coffee and having breakfast waiting for the temperature to rise above 40 degrees. The weather people were calling for snow flurries without any accumulation. They said the temperature will stay in the mid 40’s. Tuesday was to be in the 30’s so I decided to get out Monday, cold wintry or not!

 I dressed warm, had my 4 weight Scott rod assembled and waders on before I ever left the campsite. Where I wanted to start fishing Blue Jay, the camper was gone and I was able to pull down the lane to the creek. It was cold so I didn’t expect any other fishermen to be out this early. I was right!

 The first couple of strikes I missed the hook up but that kept me excited enough that there were trout that escaped the crowds of fishermen the past weekend. I slowly waded my way down creek casting. Most of the fishermen I encountered for years always hurry to the deepest holes skipping the shallower riffles. Here’s where I pick up trout that has avoided other fishermen. I’ll cast across stream near either bank and letting the Woolly Bugger or Triple Threat streamer swing down creek. Most of the strikes were down creek after the swing. I’d let it sit there and maybe twitch it before slowly stripping it in. This usually caused a strike if there’s an unsuspicious trout. If there’s downed logs, snags or undercut banks I’ll roll cast as close as possible to them and let my offering swing down creek from there. I believe those trout hiding in the snags will come out of hiding and follow my streamer down creek. In the shallowest water I’d hold the rod tip up so my weighted streamers won’t snag up. Sometimes it amazes me the nice 11” to 13” trout I catch in water not deeper than ankle deep. 

 For a couple hours of slowly wading and fishing down creek amounted to a dozen or so trout I got to the basket. There were long pauses between strikes. The trout were scattered and It was like try to find eggs in an Easter egg hunt. I didn’t catch more than 1 trout in any single pocket. I missed quite a few and a few never made it to the basket, but I was content, smoking a dark chocolate outer wrap cigar and enjoying the peacefulness of it all.   

 Early on it started to snow like the weather people predicted. It wasn’t actually like small flakes but like tiny balls of snow. Kind of like the tiny Styrofoam balls you find in a soft plush stuffed animal bunny. They fell from the gray sky softly to earth. Not enough for any accumulation but just enough as if to make the weather people right in their prediction. Looking out into the forest I could hardly tell it was snowing anywhere else but around me.

 Down at the deeper hole I couldn’t get a strike on my streamers. I knotted on a couple of colored egg patterns and let them drift from the wavy water into the slower pool area. I got a strike and set the hook. Upon playing him towards me the rainbow came to the surface and spit it out like a distasteful jellybean. I wasn’t sure if he took the yellow egg pattern or the Oregon Cheese.

 A couple of fishermen made it down creek near where I was fishing. They didn’t bother me though. They baited their poles and started fishing the deep hole. I continued on down creek from them and only hooked one nice trout in the long stretch of water. 

 By the time I returned they were gone. I headed to the truck and decided to fish up creek from the truck. I caught a few more trout up creek some. Two of the trout grabbed the streamer on the swing like they weren’t teased the past couple of days. Maybe no one ventured up creek?  

  Fishing back to the truck I called it a day. The sky was a bit bluer than the gray sky I started with. The temperature didn’t seem to get any warmer though. I put my gear and rod away and drove back to camp still in my waders. Outside the camp I undressed my wading pants and boots. Inside I heated up some water in the tea pot while dressing in street clothes. I sat at the table and took out my iPad. I started to write this story while it was still fresh in my mind while I sipped on a cup of Earl Grey Tea.

~doubletaper