Did you ever experience "deja vu"? You know, that sneaking suspicion that you've been somewhere before, or met someone before, or had the same experience, but cannot actually recall the actual experience? Ok, ok-maybe Monday wasn't exactly a deja vu deal. Just thought it sounded like a good lead into this blog post. What was the same: Chaz & I were back up fishing in the Poconos, in the same creek, same spot as last week. And yes, those big 'bows were still in the deep plunge pool below the dam breastworks. We had modest success. We changed tactics a bit, and maybe here is where all similarities end. Plus, I actually remember being there last week...and I didn't forget the beer this time on the way up to the cabin...and at least I remembered to call Chaz to pick up creamer for the coffee. So, again, maybe not exactly deja vu. In fact, there was some big differences.
First off, as I alluded to, we changed up tactics. There was more water being let out of the dam this week, too. We used removable sink tips, with some weight added. We went with the caddis larva pattern again in both tan & olive varieties. We were thus able to get down deep. I almost immediately hooked into a real nice 'bow as I demonstrated the proper drift to Chaz. He thought I was showing off, but really, I think I might have just gotten lucky. Plus just as I was bringing this guy to net, he freed himself from the hook. But what a nice fish! And (probably to Chaz's glee), I was not able to pull another one out of that spot the rest of the morning.
Chaz has been working on his nymphing techniques & really got some nice drifts through the runs below the plunge pools & breastworks. I think we are witnessing a true nymph fisherman develop right before our eyes. Yikes! God help us! Anyway, a smaller, narrow pool adjacent to the big concrete one I was fishing is filled with gushing water from the lake through a single opening. I'd been eyeing that place up since last week. It is deep & quite capable of holding some of those big trout. Chaz had been working that spot for some time. He hooked into, but lost, a decent fish. Later, he pulled in a couple of sunnies, and then moved downstream between the concrete bridge abutments that I have mentioned in other posts. He had mentioned that something big had gone after one of the sunnies as he brought it to surface. No doubt, one of those big trout. As Chaz worked the abutment run, I changed over to a minnow streamer pattern & went to work in that narrower dam pool.
I still had the sink-tip & the split-shot on, but I shortened up the leader a bit & converted over to a 2X tippet for the streamer. I switched to a streamer because Chaz got a reaction from something big when he brought in that sunny. Those bruisers might just want some type of bait fish, which the minnow pattern imitates well. A few short tuck casts right up the gut, with quick strips to keep pace with the current turned up nothing. I quartered a tuck cast up into the current seam to get a good drift. I was not imparting any kind of retrieve here, just letting it drift deep down. Before the fly got across from me, a heavy rainbow banged that streamer hard. He put up a nice fight, & before long, a nice, hefty 'bow was in my net, thanks to Chaz, who netted him for me. The spot in which I was standing was a bit precarious: just a ledge jutting out from a retaining wall that separated the narrow pool from the big one. So, maneuverability was almost nil here. After that, we took the rest of the afternoon off, till around 4:30.
The late afternoon/early evening saw us at the junction of the Po & the Lehigh River, near Parryville. Chaz worked the Lehigh in the riffs below where the Po enters the river. I worked a pool & some short runs just upstream in the Po. I saw a few bugs coming off & thought maybe a rusty spinner might work, but first, I went with a cahill-looking pattern dry fly. It was the only thing I had to match the size (#12 or #14) bugs I had seen, even though the color was different. Plus, it really was not a match the hatch situation anyway. It could even match a tan caddis if any were around lately. I threw a few casts up into the current, got a few good drifts, and then, "Bam!" a nice 12" or 13" brown nailed it. It was the last fish either of us caught. As the light started to fade, we called it quits. After all, fly-fishers can be Eagles fans, too & the Birds were playing their arch-enemies: the hated Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football (Hey, I'm from Philly-whaddya expect??). Some baetis, sizes 22/24 were rising in the fading light, as were some tan caddis, sizes 12/14 (go figure!).
Even though we really had to work harder for the fish this week, it wasn't too "dam" bad after all!!
1 comment:
I experience deja vu around 5 times a year. Its such a weird feeling. Scientists gave some bs explanation last year but I wasn't buying it.
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