With high winds and thunderstorms in the weather report I decided to fish
for trout somewhere close to home that would be sheltered from the wind.
Fortunately, not more that 40 miles from my home, I have just the place to
go. And the best part, the fish are wild.
When I arrived at the stream I could tell the water
level was up. However, the clarity looked good. When I started the two
mile hike to the mouth of the stream the sun was out and there was no rain
in site. Five minutes into the hike there was a down poor. By the time I
reached the mouth of the stream the water was up and slightly murkier. Not
really dirty, but not gin clear like normal.
The
stream itself is mostly cut through solid rock. Just about every surface
in the gorge is moss covered very slick, sandstone. In some places the
gorge gets very narrow and requires climbing along the side to avoid deep
turbulent slots of water in the center. There are also numerous log jams,
some piled quite high, which must be climbed over. There is no way to walk
around them. The gorge can be very narrow in areas with near vertical
walls. This stream is probably the most hazardous place I fish. But it's
also one of the most beautiful.
The trout within this gorge are among the most
skittish fish I have ever pursued. I've landed casts that I thought were
near perfect using a 2-weight with a long leader and have sent these trout
swimming for cover. I normally fish only dry flies here. In most areas
dries are clearly the way to go. They can be easily cast under extremely
low branches and cause the least amount surface disruptions. However,
there are a few nice, deep pools that I will go subsurface if nothing is
coming up. Usually I'm rewarded.
Unfortunately for me dries were not the ticket on
Saturday. There were plenty of bugs in the air but I saw only one fish
rising. Despite having seen sulfurs, hendricksons, and BWO's the fish were
not in the mood for surface dining. The higher water with stronger
currents was probably providing an underwater
buffet for the trout. Plus, the off colored water wasn't helping.
The green weenie came to the rescue and provided me with the first hook-up
with ten minutes of fishing. The green weenie is one of my favorite
sub-surface flies on small wild trout streams. It rarely lets me down.
By the time I reached the area of the stream near the trail head it was
once again sunny and the water was clearing up. I only caught a few fish
but that never seams to mater on this stream. It's an enjoyable day even
when I get skunked.
