Drove too far today. Stepped in a small creek for a potentially long wade that could be quick. Ended up quick. The thing is in ruin just a couple years ago teaming with fish. Problem isn't habitat, it is the dirt bikes and ATV's riding in and across the creek. Can't see another 60 fish day in there. Bottom stretch is almost completely silted in. Gin clear, cool water, cliffs boulders. There aren't any eroded banks. Literally, the motorbikes are bring it in and churning it up.
Anyways, was going to try and nab mushrooms in spots while I cut through the woods to fish better holes. Struck out on shrooms. Fish were under boulders. Got a 15.75" and a goog on tube and that's all they wanted while I was there. You really had to pick apart the cover to get bit. Later watched a 18"+ smallie chasing off a channel catfish and I knew what that was about. Nests. many of the bigger fish are pulling the trigger. I saw some other fish from 20' up, so I tried to senko them, instead hooked a rooster tail on a branch above me I hadn't noticed. The whole branch came down with the tangle yielding a 1/64th oz yellow rooster tail. Hit a couple more 14-15.5". Left with 5 and a couple Googs.
On the way out I stopped at another stream far upstream of where I had ever been. Lots of silt and wood, Produced a smb almost by accident and I got out of there.
tried a couple new feeders but water wasn't in them. One had dinks so score and score on a Woooly Bugger and Dave's fly rod. Good thing too because I dropped the flies somewhere and snapped off the last one soon after catching the dink.
Bigger stream after 5 and lots of driving. Things started to liven up when I hit the back of a wide shallow pool. Intentionally waking my WC produced an 18.25", 17", 16.25". The 18" came off the right side in shallow slower water. I began to suspect he might have been on a nest, but had no way of knowing from 25 yards away.
Here's what I found:
I had caught a nest guarder. No wonder there were so many misses.
Later pulling fish out of current I had a dink on, then a bigger fish as well. Drag was too loose and they both got off. Googs jumped on hooks too.
On an outside bend with depth I got an impact strike and a pig to hand at 19"
Finished by nabbing a dinko at a bridge for stream number 5.
29 SMB (19", 18.25", 17", 16.25", 3-15") 8 Googs
Anyways, was going to try and nab mushrooms in spots while I cut through the woods to fish better holes. Struck out on shrooms. Fish were under boulders. Got a 15.75" and a goog on tube and that's all they wanted while I was there. You really had to pick apart the cover to get bit. Later watched a 18"+ smallie chasing off a channel catfish and I knew what that was about. Nests. many of the bigger fish are pulling the trigger. I saw some other fish from 20' up, so I tried to senko them, instead hooked a rooster tail on a branch above me I hadn't noticed. The whole branch came down with the tangle yielding a 1/64th oz yellow rooster tail. Hit a couple more 14-15.5". Left with 5 and a couple Googs.
On the way out I stopped at another stream far upstream of where I had ever been. Lots of silt and wood, Produced a smb almost by accident and I got out of there.
tried a couple new feeders but water wasn't in them. One had dinks so score and score on a Woooly Bugger and Dave's fly rod. Good thing too because I dropped the flies somewhere and snapped off the last one soon after catching the dink.
Bigger stream after 5 and lots of driving. Things started to liven up when I hit the back of a wide shallow pool. Intentionally waking my WC produced an 18.25", 17", 16.25". The 18" came off the right side in shallow slower water. I began to suspect he might have been on a nest, but had no way of knowing from 25 yards away.
Here's what I found:
I had caught a nest guarder. No wonder there were so many misses.
Later pulling fish out of current I had a dink on, then a bigger fish as well. Drag was too loose and they both got off. Googs jumped on hooks too.
On an outside bend with depth I got an impact strike and a pig to hand at 19"
Finished by nabbing a dinko at a bridge for stream number 5.
29 SMB (19", 18.25", 17", 16.25", 3-15") 8 Googs
