Birthday Outing 2024

 

Birthday Outing 2024

4/21/24

 Being I was moving to a new house I didn’t get to go out the opening day of trout in Pennsylvania. The water was high anyway from the constant rain the few days before. Fact is I didn’t get to go out at all the first two weeks cause I was still moving, packing and unpacking. Usually I’m camping along a creek during this time but??? Come April 21^st I had to stop the necessary ‘moving in’ and take a day to fish, especially since it was my birthday. After a healthy breakfast I headed off to Oil Creek. Maybe a little later than I wanted to but the temps were still in the upper 30’s when I left. By the time I got to the creek the temperature was around 43. It was a bit nippy but I was anxious to get out.

  I slipped the sections together of my Icon 9’ fast action 5 weight rod. Made sure the tapered leader was at least 9’ long and knotted on a fast-snap and snapped on a Woolly Bugger. I put on my heavy Gortex fishing jacket, grabbed my net and a few cigars. Time had no future, as I was going to enjoy myself till the sun goes down or I run out of cigars!!

  I headed up creek and figured I would just fish my way back down near to where I came in at. By now I figured the fish were well spread out so I wasn’t planning on staying in one spot, casting out, hoping to find a pod of trout to fish to. The water was a little high so I couldn’t wade out too far but the color was pretty much perfect as far as I was concerned. It was pretty cold as I felt the coldness penetrate around my ankles and calves as I stepped into the stream. It didn’t take too long for the coldness to surround my feet like a tight fitting sock. I kind of got used to half my right hand being numb so I didn’t have to practice much to get a good cast out though roll casting wasn’t very coordinated.

  Hooking up with the first trout within the first few minutes is always a good thing. It gave my confidence that the fish were active enough to chase a bugger even in the cold water.

 

 I’d slowly wade downstream casting out and letting my offerings, whatever streamer I chose to use, drift down creek in an arc till the line straightened down creek from me. With weight on my leader, at times, I was sure to get my bugger down below the surface to the trout in the constant fast moving water.

  Feeling that tug, of a trout, on the end of the tippet was all that I needed to get back into my trout fishing zone. The stocked rainbows were active once I hooked one as the rod bowed and flexed with each hook up. They fought against the current as I slowly played them to the net slapping the surface water as I drew them near.

 

 Enjoying a cigar between my lips, a little sunshine now and then and hooking trout was like an enjoyable spring walk on a trail through the wilderness. I wasn’t expecting to catch a big birthday trout though it did often enter my hoping thoughts. But some of the trout I did catch were big and healthy enough to make me wanting more. 

 

  Every once in a while I’d hook into a trout that bullied its way beneath the surface. I just knew it had to be a brown trout. ‘They too liked my buggers’. The browns I caught looked as though they were hold overs from years past. Beautiful colors featuring tan bellies, covered with black spots and ruby red dots inside of silver halos. 

 

  As it got later in the day the air got colder. The wind picked up and it was a bit deceiving trying to cast against the wind to where I wanted my offering to land, but I managed at times. Sometimes the wind would blow my line upstream as it flew through the air. I would hold the rod a little higher hoping not to drag bottom and snag up after the streamers plopped into the water. Then, all of a sudden, I’d see my line start to straighten upstream with a slight tug and I’d whip the rod down creek, tightening the line and hook a trout on the down swing!

 

  All in all it was a good birthday outing. I got to enjoy myself, without people interruptions, catching trout and smoking a few cigars.

~doubletaper