Wet Flies to the Rescue Wliiowemoc 7/3/09

[JeffK]

On Friday afternoon 7/3/09 I decided to head up to the Catskills for a change of pace. The Beaverkill/Willowemoc were at good levels and temps. After checking out the usual spots around 1 PM I saw more people than I care to see and less fish working, so I decided to head to the brookie section of the Willowemoc on state forest lands.

Started about 2 PM - the water temp was 61F and the flow was perfect. Fished for almost an hour with dries, dry-dropper rigs, and nymphs with nothing to show for it. Thought why not go traditional with a pair of winged wets (a Teal, Blue and Silver and a Pass Lake). Got a brookie on the second cast after the change up and had regular action after that. A big surprise occurred when a 14" wild brown took the Pass Lake as it drifted under a fallen hemlock. That fish fought like a monster and it was by far the biggest trout I ever got from that section of stream (past largest fish was a 12" brown - don't see many larger fish in the headwaters). Good thing I brought my wet fly box. Headwaters sure are pretty with moss covered ground and hemlock groves. The wild rhododendrons were still in bloom. The right place to go brookie fishing with wets.

After dinner hit the big pool on the Willow behind the Rte 17 Rest Area. Had the whole stretch to myself. Only an occassional rise, but that was enough to find a few fish willing to take a dry fly. All in all a nice day with perfect weather. Felt more like May than July with cool temps and moderately high water. Parts of the hardwood forest were just recovering from gypsy moths making it look even more like spring.