Winter Small Stream Angling, and Dry Flies

After a few attempts to get together and fish a small stream Kirk, Mark, and myself pulled it off Friday. Upon arriving at the parking area the weather had a feel of winter. The sun was bright but a cold breeze was in the mix. The stream was clear and a bit low, but in good shape for this time of year. Many small brook trout could be seen scattering as we moved along, this is a good sign as to the health of the stream.

We had fished a variety of flies with some success. I consider success to be when a trout moves on a fly. It's not necessary to hold it, there's so much more to angling.

Mark fishing a long glassy pool. From time to time trout could be seen rising, but to "what".

Well it didn't take long. Mark took this wild jewel .

Kirk and I spent some time telling Mark a few stories about this stream. As we fished Kirk took a water temp...35 degrees...pretty cold. We continued to see sporadic rises, and small flies on the water.

Coming upon a pool that had a swift flow entering, then a bend that flattened out at the tail. There was a tree with a bunch of roots and a trout was rising near it. What to use? I tied on a small black caddis dry, It was tough getting the fly to float over the fish, but after several casts it was there.

The little caddis and 2wt did there job. I was fortunate to hold this wild brookie. Wild trout on the dry...in December.

We continued to fish and exchange stories. Mark fished small brook trout streams as a kid in Pennsylvania, and still enjoys it today. Kirk, fished for torut in his younger days but spent many years fishing the salt. It's been about a year now that he has returned to trout fishing and the small streams. They both have blogs. Kirk's is "Trout Quest Redux"...and Marks is "Fishing Small Streams"

Kirk is showing Mark a place where a few weeks earlier he had almost stepped on a good sized wild brown.

As that 2 hour window of opportunity started to close, and the fish stopped feeding we walked out and agreed it was a good outing.

Where we had parked, there was a pool. This pool was quite deep and I know it holds a trout or two especially this time of year. I said to Mark that I always wanted to fish a wooly bugger in that pool. He said that he tied some smaller buggers for just this type of stream. I said tie one on and have a go. On his second cast this beautiful rainbow hit the bugger. A quick photo and off he went.

A good ending, a good group of anglers, and perhaps the same results come New Years Day.

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Orange Head Wets and a Special Trout

On Thursday plans were being made to fish together with Kirk, and Mark. When Friday rolled around the only one who was still in the hunt was me, and I wasn't sure about that. It was going to be a lousy day with rain a possibility. I had tied up these wet flies 'cause I don't fish nymphs, to use. I had a good experience with one similar that I had received in a fly swap.

As I arrived stream side there was ice forming on the branches near the water. The air had a feel of snow or a cold rain. Tossing the orange head wet fly into the slow pool upstream I felt a tug. Lifting I could feel the trout on...then off.

A few more casts and a brookie was at hand.

Right at the end of the riffle is where the trout were holding. A few inches above or below there seemed to be nothing.

It was at the end of that riffle where this brook trout took the fly. I love how the reflection of the tree branches showed in the photo....Small Stream Reflections.

Many times when this pool was approached two rather large trout were observed, but always managed to spook and retreated to the safety of the log. Today was a bit different though, one headed for the log and the other down stream. Knowing the one that went for the log was out of reach, but the one who chose to go the other way was might be able to be caught. After waiting sometime, motionless along the bank and observing the faster flow near an undercut,"what a place to hide and then sneak back to my pool kind of place". I sent the orange head wet into the current, as the water pulled it toward the bank the line stopped and the battle was on. The fish had awesome power and did several tail dances. My 2wt was put to the test this day.

When the trout lay in the still water at my hand I could not believe its beauty. As I lay my hand under its body and lifted it to photograph it seemed to have that look of "you won"...gently putting it back into the stream and watching it swim off to its log sanctuary I said no "you won", thanks for playing the game.

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