Friday, January 28, 2022

The browns of "Rick Creek"....

Rick Creek is a small tributary to a small stream that I have long fished. The area in which the streams are located run through a large tract of state land. Rick Creek can be quite tiny at times and at other time a decent stream in which to fish. It's main attribute is wild brown trout that are quite tough to catch. These browns are born and live in this little stream and I believe never venture out of it. It seems they find what they need here at home and are satisfied.

Most times these browns prefer a fly under the surface, be it a wet, nymph or soft hackle. Many of the short runs in the stream feature undercut banks and there is also a great deal of woody debris which is vital to these browns survival.
 

 

Quiet and slick, a perfect place to float a dry fly. But you would do better with a soft hackle under the surface.
 

A typical wild brown from Rick Creek. Many of them are smaller and this one would fall into the "trophy" class. This brown is well marked.
 

You have to love those corners in the stream. Most times where you find places like this it is worth your time to fish it, slowly and completely.
 

Stream corner browns.
 

No flashy flies for those Rick Creek browns. Your basic brown soft hackle.
 

 

16 comments:

  1. Hi Alan,

    There's something special about an undercut and a curve. Your advice to fish it slow and complete is spot on! After all, one may never know what lurks beneath the surface. Hearing the name Rick Creek makes me wonder if there's some type of story about that name.

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    1. John V.
      Thanks
      John one has to fish all of the stream, and slow is the the way I like to do it. There is a story to the creek. Rick is a shortened version of the actual name. One part of the stream actually flows under the state road but I think it has not been seen.

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  2. Alan
    Plenty of places for a brown to hide in this little stream, I would think the tiny ten would work well to fish this stream, using a short tippet to work extremely close to the undercuts. I wonder how much fishing pressure the stream gets? Thanks for sharing

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    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill I have fished the tiny ten here several times. It's perfect. There is absolutely no pressure on this stream. The bigger stream it feeds gets some anglers but not this little stream.

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  3. When I lived in Wisconsin, across the street and behind the houses, there was a little creek just like that. Makes me wonder what was in there.

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    1. Mark Kautz
      Thanks
      Mark those I "wonder" streams can really surprise you.

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  4. There is nothing 'basic' about those flies; they're elegant and they pop like neon. Love that last fish pic.

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    1. mike
      Thanks
      Mike I guess I mean basic in the sense of plain. No flash. Browns seem to like subtle.

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  5. It always amazes me, Alan, the really small streams that you know about that hold trout. It has to be a tough living for the trout in that small water, but they endure somehow.

    Best, Sam

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    1. Sam
      Thanks
      Sam this stream seems to hold trout, they may move down into the larger stream at times but they seem to prefer the homey confines of Rick Creek. They are tough fellows.

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  6. Thanks for transporting us to wild brown trout heaven. Looking back on your post a couple days ago, your great SSR blog is the best because it delivers us from where we are at a given moment to a great wild trout stream, small stream flies and rods, and provides the messages of the simple pleasures of life and the importance of living every moment. Life and how to live it. Thank you!
    Kevin

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    Replies
    1. Ned Zeppelin
      Thanks
      Keven salmo trutta is also a favorite of this angler and I like to highlight some of my ventures with him.
      Living life is something we all need to do. Step back and savor each moment. Some of those old cliches, stop and smell the roses etc really have meaning.

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  7. I haven't fished that in that area but it looks like a nice stream to dream about on a stormy winter day.

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    Replies
    1. Shawn
      Thanks
      Shawn winter hit us good today. Dreaming and tying are on my list today.

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  8. Alan,
    Rick Creek looks like my kind of water! I have a question about stealth. With such thin blue lines with sand a gravel popping underfoot, is spooking such beauties more of a possibility? Isn't fishing "far off and fine' more the rule than the exception?
    What Kevin commented up above is simply wonderful and so true! Thank you sir!
    Alan, your Basic Brown Soft-Hackles above are exquisite! So much so that it's got me looking for my silks and hackles!! Thank you for doing what you do so well!
    Dougsden

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  9. Dougsden
    Thanks
    Doug spooked fish in that stream is a constant. I guess the reward is greater when one of those browns is actually caught. Congrats to the Bengal's....

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