Thursday, February 11, 2016

"Hemlock Creek" In The Snow

Hemlock Creek flows into this river

We had some snow yesterday morning, a common occurrence lately but I was going fishing and that was not a bother. It was late morning when I left, the drive to the stream was not bad. The real issue came when I arrived. The town had done an outstanding job on clearing the roads, but they did not clear any roadside turn-offs. A 4 wheel drive would have no problem but a little Honda just would not cut it. I drove around until I found a spot where I could park, and that was a half mile hilly walk. I grabbed my gear and was off to Hemlock Creek.



Another tributary to the river above. I fished it once and don't think I caught anything.


Walking to where the trail starts and Hemlock Creek was right where I had left it in sunnier days.

I found some receptive brook trout in the pools. They were not tentative, and took the fly with authority, several fish dancing in the air.


No one here but the snow, the stream and me. Winter angling can be so peaceful.


An outstanding specimen of a very healthy stream. When you focus on this brook trout you can see why I call them jewels.


No prints here but mine. And another accomplishment this day was that I never slipped on the snow or into the water.



36 comments:


  1. What a great post!! Excellent way to spend a winter day!!Nice going Brk Trt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TROUTI
      Thanks
      Pete it was not to bad. We have a hard freeze this weekend then things are going to warm up.

      Delete
  2. pretty! glad you made it safely. :) you and the honda.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TexWisGirl
      Thanks
      Theresa the Honda and me have been in some tough places but always come through.

      Delete
  3. Looks like a great outing. The brookies and photos of a winter stream are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris "Kiwi" Kuhlow
      Thanks
      Chris it was one of those "easy" winter outings.

      Delete
  4. Great looking spot to be Alan. The thing that really struck me, was how the "river" would be called a creek by folks from many areas! Congrats on the fine outing -
    Will

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hibernation
      Thanks
      Will I know what you mean. There are times when the same name applies to all.
      I've always considered a big, wide flowing water as a river the rest are streams.

      Delete
  5. Very nice! Is this a new discovery?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RKM
      Thanks
      Kirk it's a familiar stream only I need to visit it more often.

      Delete
  6. Alan
    All those images are worthy of hanging in a gallery. The scenic streams in and around the area where you live must be endless? Beautiful brook trout---thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill I have an awful lot of water to fish. Some state land as well as private. A stream after a fresh snow is hard to beat.

      Delete
  7. Beautiful.
    Old growth hemlock forests are special places especially in winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thedeadfisher
      Thanks
      John we are fortunate to still have a healthy hemlock population. A lot of areas have been hit hard by a parasite that's killing them.

      Delete
  8. You're making me jealous. No stream fishing out here until the season opens April OR there are those few that are open all year, but it's a little difficult to trudge through 5 feet of snow. Don't get me wrong, snow is good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark Kautz
      Thanks
      Mark I don't think I'd venture out in 5' of snow.
      Bright side it's almost March.

      Delete
  9. Thank God for Hemlocks! Wonderful fish, awesome stream.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RM Lytle
      Thanks
      Rowan find hemlocks and the brookies will be there.

      Delete
  10. I still need to check fishing in the snow off of my list. Hard part is stream access because Virginia doesn't know how to handle snow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bill Thomas
      Thanks
      Bill I here that the SNP gets considerable snow, don't the feds plow it?

      Delete
    2. Im pretty sure that vdot (Virginia) plows skyline drive. There is just always so much ice that they like to play it safe and close the drive is it looks like it could be trouble. There are plenty of ways to access most of those streams from outside the park but those typically involve single lane fire roads and steep drives to get up to brook trout elevations.

      Delete
    3. Bill I've heard about those roads below. I'm with you I'll wait until better days weather wise.

      Delete
  11. A snowy brook can't be beat for beauty. And your brookies are outstanding, as always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jim Yaussy Albright
      Thanks
      Jim as long as the temps are reasonable I do love it.

      Delete
  12. Alan, you are a hearty fella for fishing this time of year and catching those jewels. I give you a lot of credit and thank you for the beautiful pictures as always. Regards, Sam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam hearty to an extent. If it had been colder I might not have ventured out. This weekend should prove to be wicked cold.

      Delete
    2. You're right, Alan, this will be a mighty cold weekend. On the bright side, the days are noticeably longer and, pitchers and catchers report to spring training next week. Spring isn't far away.

      Delete
    3. Sam, I can't wait until the first pitch of the spring is thrown. I'm a Red Sox fan and we did improve this off season. Hopefully they can stay healthy.

      Delete
    4. Same here, Alan, can't wait for the baseball season to start. I like the moves the Sox have made and like their chances to compete better this year. I don't like the fact they let announcer Don Orsillo go. I thought he did a good job.

      Delete
  13. That first photo belongs on a calendar or sent to the local chamber of commerce, beautiful. The trout look rather sizable and as always beautiful specimens.i see you are using your C g r glass rod again. Is that your favorite rod for small streams? I admire your stamina for enduring the elements. Very nice post, Alan thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brad Basehore
      Thanks
      Brad when your subject is good your photo can't miss. Nature put on a beautiful display.
      I have many fly rods, some high end ones some middle of the pack and then Cabelas CGR. The CGR is by far the best small stream fly rod on the market.

      Delete
  14. Beautiful photos as usual Alan. I wonder what this post would have been if Hemlock Creek hadn't been where you last left it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howard Levett
      Thanks
      Howard we seniors do have those moments where did I leave my keys..........

      Delete
  15. Replies
    1. Mark
      Thanks
      Mark one of those February days that you don't forget.

      Delete
  16. Those brookies are definitely jewels, and they're found in such a beautiful setting. Some fantastic photographs in this bunch that I would definitely label as wall hangers. Great stuff, Alan!

    ReplyDelete