Sunday, Variety on Kettle

Variety on Kettle Sunday
5/17/15

I awoke Sunday morning to quietness. It was as peaceful and serene as a Sunday morning should be. I heated up some water for coffee and a bowl of oatmeal. I was to meet Jeff and Gail at the creek around 9:00am. Jeff and I both know that I couldn’t wait until 9:00 to start fishing. They were staying at a bed and breakfast so I figured they wouldn’t get out of there any earlier, meanwhile…

I parked along the road and got my gear on. I’ve wanted to use my Scott G2 rod so I strung it up and mounted a Trout 2 large arbor reel to the seat with weight forward line. Though I knew roll casting short isn’t what this medium action rod was made for I was figuring later on I might be casting small Mayflies in the distance. The slower action is much more relaxing and the rod lays down a nice soft dry.
 For the next hour I fished the shallow water. I started with a Woolly Bugger in the riffles and turned to nymphs once I was in the slower water. Down around the bend I came to the deeper water against a huge boulder and far bank. I got one short strike on a bugger but after searching for another hungry trout without success I knotted on a wet fly and nymph. Within the first few casts I was surprised by a hard strike on the swing but failed to set the hook. Still searching for a hungry trout I managed one nice rainbow on a Picket Pin before heading up creek to see if my guests had arrived.

 

 Sure enough Jeff and Gail were fishing the shallow riffles. I let them know about my earlier experience and suggested on driving down creek. They agreed and we got back into our vehicles and drove further down creek than we fished the day before. After parking we walked down the dirt roadway leading to the creek. We were a little down creek further than I had planned so we just walked the path up creek to were I thought would be a good starting point.
 We had the place to ourselves for about a half hour before a few angler started to join us. The morning was somewhat like the Saturday. It took changing up to different patterns, both topside and beneath to get a strike now and then. Though there wasn’t much activity on top I still got a few to rise.

Sulphur Nymph  

 

 

 The temperature heated up real fast in the morning and a ‘T’ shirt was all that was needed to be comfortable though I wore my Bonehead shirt with the sleeves rolled up. About noon Jeff and Gail decided it was time to take off and head back homeward. I stuck around of course not wanting to leave

 

 I looked down creek and lit a robust stogie. By now the sun was glaring down and the only shade was along the far bank under the overhanging pines. The water was maybe knee deep in some places but most appeared to be shallower. I dare not to get close to the far bank and made long casts with the G2 with a dry fly hoping to get a trout to rise. Occasionally I did.
 Once I got into a wide section of riffles with plenty of pockets I started to have more success. I was starting to enjoy myself a little more anticipating a quick rise but not really knowing when or where. There wasn’t any trout rising that I could tell but they were pretty aggressive attacking my dry when it was seen by them.

 March Brown dry

Though I was catching mostly Brook trout in the shallow riffling pockets this guy surprised me.

 

Brook trout on a Fluttering Caddis dry

 

 About 2:30pm I decided to head back to the van and decided to get my last casts in down at Leidy Bridge area.
 As I crossed the bridge anglers were spaced out within the water like barrels in a rodeo horse race. They were well within each others casting ability so I decided to head up creek along the dirt road to a more private area. I came across a lone fisherman that looked like a good spot to fish out the evening.
 I was still wading my way up to the faster water when I picked off a rainbow just out from where I stood. After a conversation with the other fisherman he told me fish were rising earlier but had quit for the past hour or so. I felt as long as no one else came around this was as good as a section to fish as anywhere else,
 The other guy was using a spinning rod with bait and catching a trout now and then on the far side of the creek. I stuck near the road side and used a variety of flies. I wasn’t doing much catching but I wasn’t giving up so easy.
 After the other guy waded back to the road I noticed a few trout rising not far from where he was standing when I first got there. I waded out a little further, for more room for my back casts. I found a flat rock to stand on which got me a little over my knees in water instead of up to my waste.
 One trout was rising across from me but down a bit. I seen a few light color Caddis about and knotted one on.

I felt the 9’ G2 load behind me and gradually moved the rod forward with a little oomph to get the long length of line and leader out towards the trout. The Caddis drifted in the soft water beyond long enough for the unsuspecting trout to rise for it. I pulled back the lengthy line and the hook set in the fish’s mouth. The trout scurried about trying to release itself from the lip piercing. Down creek he started to falter in his actions and I was able to get him closer as the struggle went on. Soon enough I had a nice brown in the net.

 

 I hooked into a couple more but after an hour of a dry spell the excitement was over.
 Back at the van I changed clothed and took off down the road. Somewhere along route 120 I lit up a cigar and relaxed in the captain’s chair.

Kettle Creek never disappoints.
 

~doubletaper