Sunday morning dawned quite crisp, well cold. There was a breeze that made it feel colder. With a decision to fish made already the only thing left to decide was what time to leave. I had to be home by two and it was almost ten so quickly the gear was loaded and off I went. The stream I chose was close to home, "Cabin Creek" a stream I'm familiar with and have written about before. The stream has both brook trout and brown trout with the latter prevailing. I started fishing a dry fly and it was not welcomed. The pools held enough water to fish a nymph but a soft-hackle was the fly selected....partridge and orange.
As it turned out it was the right choice for I had a hook-up on the second cast. Great......
Up stream I moved fishing beautiful pools and hooking fish. I assume they were browns but I was not certain for I was given the slip in all of the hook-ups.
Upon the time of arrival at this pool I was 0 for 5. That would be a good day but you would like to bring in one for a photo. I cast the fly near the branch sticking out above the water. As the fly drifted I saw the fish chase and suddenly back off...perhaps I was spotted. I cast several more times in different areas of the pool. And on one of those casts a fish struck. The brown jumped and cleared the water....stop that I said, not wanting to loose another.
Moments later I finally had him in close. I lifted him up and a quick photo and back into the stream. I went 1 for 6, but it was one of my better days.
Restocking the box......
Nice going Alan! Nice to see those old soft hackles still proving they can catch fish.
ReplyDeleteMark Wittman
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Mark I love fishing these old patterns....and they work as well now as they did a few hundred years ago.
Gorgeous colors on that brown!! You can't go wrong with soft hackles, they always produce.
ReplyDeleteTROUT1
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Pete that coming from the master of the soft-hackle.
OK, I could do that pool. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz-Shoreman
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Mark sometimes we overlook the obvious...not this time.
Wonderful fish Alan. Love the colors. It's always intrigued me how browns and brookies, and sometimes rainbows all have orange fins with white stripes like that fish had on his anal fin.
ReplyDeleteMrFishman80
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Makes you wonder if some one's been fooling around.
very nice Alan, and the spiders are just what the doctored ordered. well tied sir.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
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George those spiders are a joy to tie and fish.
They just seem to work.
There is always a hungry trout, well done! I like that pattern of soft fly hackles.
ReplyDeleteArmando Milosevic
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Armando I agree about the hungry trout....soft-hackles are on the menu.
Alan, I only have one headwater stream that I have fished that has wild brooks and Browns, I cherish that little stream beacause you never know which one you will. Catch. I sure love that partridge and orange,probably my most used softie. Sure is a pretty little stream. Thankyou.
ReplyDeleteBrad Basehore
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Brad this stream has some brookies but the browns dominate. The partridge and orange is very effective.
One for Six on a cold day from the touch of the "Masters" hand! Did I ever tell you I like Soft Hackles a bunch?"
ReplyDeleteGrandpa Mel
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Mel you and I both like them a bunch.
Alan
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of this stream today out weighted the catch ratio on this outing. Thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill that is for sure....it's always more about the experience than the catch.
I have always loved fishing small streams but never used soft hackles. How are you fishing them, in the film or submerged? Also, how are you detecting strikes, keeping line tight to the fly or watching for fish movement? Thanks for the awesome blog!
ReplyDeletedawgvet1
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They are fished mostly submerged. There are times when I'll apply a little floatant on the tippet to bring them almost on the surface. I usually look for that "twitch" in the line.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteI am still awestruck by the indescribable beauty in the land and water, the living jewels that inhabit them, and the really good looking Partridge & Orange soft-hackles at the end! The brown trout have a beauty all their own and are very special in their own right! I still like the brookies the best and all that they represent! Your blog is jem as well and should be entered and recognized as such in the "Great Blogs and Web-sites Hall of Fame"!
Dougsden
Dougsden
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Doug I feel that the brown trout has been with us for so long now I refer to it as a "naturalized citizen". Many borderline streams have good populations of wild browns. They are at times a welcomed change. "Hall of Fame" blog, I like that.