I had wanted to fish several streams, four to be exact before the season closed on the 28th of Feb. I managed to fish 3 of them and yesterday I fished this one. As you can see we had some snow and with the deep valley location of this stream there was a fair amount of shelf ice. While ice and snow are not a big problem for most but for us seniors it can be an issue. So the theme of the day was slow and easy. The stream was flowing nicely with several pools giving me the chance to hook-up but I could not keep the fish on. The fish were holding in the slow pools and I watched a few of them until they realized I was not a tree and they quickly became only spirits in the stream.
I came to this beautiful pool. It was deep and had a nice gravel bottom. The sunlight covered most of the pool with shadows and shelf ice about the edges. The streamer was cast and as it drifted the current brought it to the bottom. Two or three strips and the fish hit.
There was plenty of room for the brookie to run, and he did. The fish was strong and took to tail walking a few times.
Culvert pools...folks never pass these places without fishing them completely. In most every corner I can tell you will hold a fish. This culvert was recently made fish friendly to allow free movement of fish upstream.
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| A healthy female |
Several fine specimens came from the culvert pool including this one.
At home a late lunch awaited.
" ... spirits in the stream." Lovely imagery, Alan, to accompany your usual excellent eye for beautiful locations.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Shuck
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Bill they are indeed spirits. That stream is where I can get totally refreshed and inspired.
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteSome fine fish there from a great looking (and well maintained going by the 'culvert pool') stream! With wonderful comfort food as well - can't get much better than that can it?
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Alistair
Alistair Corbishley
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Alistair the state and local governments as well as many private groups are doing great work on removing those old fish blocking culverts. It will help open many more areas for fish to migrate.
Hi Alan,
DeleteMy club on the little River Leven have worked with the Tees River Trust over the last 8 years or so to remove many barriers that limit or prevent trout migrating up and down the stream as well as improving the habitat of the river for fish and invertebrates. These include fish ladders, groynes, bank stabilising and limiting silt run off from agricultural land. It is some wonderful work these groups do on both sides of 'the pond'!
Alistair
I love it. Stand by the creek, make like a tree.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz
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Mark even standing still they still bolt. I have a photo I took yesterday of brookies holding in a stream.
It's always good to see habitat improvements. Those new culverts are a welcome sight. What's your plan between now and the second Saturday in April?
ReplyDeletemike
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Mike the culverts are well designed, it's all positive.
I have still much water to fish. We have Class 1 wild trout streams that are open all year. I will fish them. Also the Farmington river is open for the adventurous.
We have a few trout lakes here in NM that have closures but no creeks, rivers or streams that I know of. Feel free to keep showing us your fly tying in the mean time. :-)
ReplyDeleteFor a change my streams have normal runoff, not like the last few dry years.
bill piatek
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Bill I have some "small stream" featherwing streamers that I have been tying and fishing. Those will be featured soon.
It's good to hear your not dealing with a drought.
Alan
ReplyDeleteQuality trout taken on yet another beautiful stream---thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill I wish I could fish a few more and show you. There are streams that require a lot more stamina to access then I presently have. But it gnaws at me to fish them so perhaps this spring or early summer I'll give them a try.
Beautiful plump brookies, Alan, with your tasty reward at the end. You continue to make the most of this winter season, that is for sure. Best, Sam
ReplyDeleteParachute Adams
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Sam I'm so impressed by the condition of the wild trout I caught this past year. There were many times over the many years where wild trout were so skinny. The fish would grow in length but never put on the weight.
Healthy streams make for happy fish and anglers.
Are you going to try the Swift soon?
Alan, this is the least I have fished during winter in a long time. The high flow and cold don't bother me much, but the steep icy banks make it hard for me to get in there. Probably the next time I fish is when the snow melts. Meanwhile I keep enjoying your posts to help me through winter. Best, Sam
ReplyDeleteParachute Adams
DeleteSam I have the same problem. As careful as I am trying to negotiate the slippery banks there are times when I just loose it. Steep banks are also an issue. Look forward to fern and flowered lined streams.
Alan I look forward to the same. Ken Elmer reports that fish are being caught in the Swift, including salmon that have washed over the dam. I hope the salmon are still around when I get back to fishing again.
DeleteAlan, as part of a project in RI I surveyed over 100 stream crossing bridges and almost all had culverts that blocked fish movement. Any waterfall at entrance or exit will be a barrier. When crossings are being repaired on rural roads especially, the culverts need to be embedded so the flow is even and uninterrupted.
ReplyDeleteGary
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I know it's difficult to see but the culvert does not have a barrier. The fish movement is not restricted in any way.
That one is pretty good. The armoring boulders on the downstream side look like they can handle a large flow and not wash out the bank. The engineers and builders did a well.
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