A Late June Rewind

There's a stream not too far from home that I spend a lot of time on during the summer. It is one of the closest wild trout streams to me, and I have fished it quite frequently over the years. It's not This Place, but it's not too far away from it either. It has a popular delayed harvest section on the lower river, then a stretch of private land that separates the lower river from the wild trout waters above. Depending on where you go, you can find wild browns and rainbows in the main stem, and wild brook trout in a tributary. The majority of the time I fish the main branch of the creek, but I do occasionally make trips up the tributary in search of the beautiful speckled (brook) trout that call it home.

Wild Brown Trout

On this particular afternoon in late June, I left home with plans to fish the main creek. The forecast for  home was for high temperatures reaching into the nineties and a mountain escape seemed like the perfect way to spend a few hours. After a quick stop for a burger on the way, it was time to fish. When I arrived, I decided to head upstream a half mile or so from the lower boundary of the public water and start above a deep hole that is difficult to navigate around. Sometimes I start lower down and fight my way around this hole, but most of the better water is above it. Two of the biggest trout I've ever caught in this creek both came from this deep water even though most times I don't catch anything here. Those two trout are the reason that I do occasionally put in the effort to fish it.

Wild Rainbow Trout

Today however, I was feeling just a tad bit lazy and I didn't quite feel up to bushwhacking my way through a tangle of rhododendron or taking a swim to get above this pool. I decided to take the easy way out and parked at the next pull off above the swimming hole. After a short walk down the trail to the creek it was time to go fishing. To my surprise, the first pool yielded a pretty brown trout on the second or third cast. It usually takes me a few minutes to get into my fishing rhythm, and more times than not I feel like I spook trout wherever I first get into the stream in spite of trying to be stealthy with my approach. This time I must have managed to do something right, because that brown took the fly with no hesitation at all.

Wild Raspberries

After releasing the first trout of the day, I began slowly fishing my way up stream. The water wasn't drought low, but it was obvious that it was summer time. The higher flows of spring had slowed down, and the trout were concentrated in small deeper pockets and runs. I started the day fishing a size 12 Thunderhead dry fly, and this proved to be the only fly I would use all day. The fish were hitting this fly like it was the most delicious thing they had seen all day. There were none of the usual short strikes or refusal rises, and any fish that I missed were due solely to my slow reaction time or other errors on my part.

Wild Brown

I've noticed that as I get older, I tend to fish with more patience. When I first started fly fishing, I thought that the best way to approach a wild trout stream was to cover lots of water. A couple of casts to each likely spot, and then I would move on. Now I take the time to try to get a good presentation, and I find myself fishing more places that I used to walk through or by without a second glance. Yes, I catch trout in the obvious places, but its surprising just how many fish I catch in places that at first glance don't seem too promising. This is one of the many lessons that this stream has taught me over the years. I still cover water, but I wade a little more carefully and take my time, and as a result I feel like I catch more fish and don't wind up soaking wet nearly as often from a wading misstep. Slowing down has also allowed me to take in the beauty of my surroundings. Now I find myself taking pictures of more than just the fish I catch, and bringing more memories home on each trip.

Red Spots

On this trip, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings quite as closely as I should have. I had just released a rainbow, and when I stood up I found myself face to face with a Northern water snake in a small poplar tree. We stared at each other from a distance of six inches or so, and once my heart started beating again after the initial shock I realized two things. First, that it wasn't a copperhead because it had round pupils instead of vertical, and that it didn't seem bothered by my presence in the least. It never moved, and I snapped a quick picture, apologized for bothering it, and eased my way on up stream. I did check each fallen tree that I had to cross much more carefully after this encounter, just to avoid any other surprises. The only thing I found on the trees was some interesting looking mushrooms and other fungi, but thankfully no more snakes.

Northern Water Snake

After the snake scare, I worked my way on up stream for another hour or so, catching several more brown trout and one more rainbow on the way. In the past, this stream has yielded many more rainbows than browns, but in several trips this spring and summer I've been catching quite a few more brown trout than rainbows. The overall size of the fish seem to be a little bigger too, and I imagine a wetter winter and spring have helped the fish out. There were a few years that rain was a little more scarce in these mountains and I think the extra water this year has made a difference.

Fungus on Fallen Tree

One of the things I love about trout fishing is that no two trips are the same, even going to a stream that I've fished for years. There's always some new experience like the snake to keep things interesting, and the streams themselves are always changing. I love the challenge of fooling fish with a fly, and I love the places fishing has taken me to. I'm sure I'll be back to this stream soon, and you can bet that I'll be keeping a close watch out for my friend in the tree.

- Joseph