This fish story comes from a small to medium-sized creek in Northampton County. A local favorite of mine that harbors a decent wild brown trout population. With the exception of the lower 1.5 miles it's also stocked with rainbow trout by the PFBC.
Yesterday after work, made my way to a particular stretch of this creek, within the stocked section, that I like to fish during the Hendrickson hatch. Even the stocked 'bows are often on this hatch here. It has several swift runs punctuated by riffle sections before emptying out into a long, slow and fairly shallow pool. I like the upper runs here the best for both nymphing and dries. Having nymphed here the last several days which produced some 10-12"wild browns but ironically no stockies I had my mind on using only dries. Working my way up through the long pool, noticed only a precious few rises but they ignored my #12 Hendrickson imitation. A young boy and his father also stopped to fish spinners and drift worms. We exchanged cross-stream greetings and quietly hop-scotched each other rather than compete for the same pools. Soon they moved downstream to another big pool before the dam and I moved up to my favorite run.
A fish was rising sporadically and I noticed a few more Hendricksons were beginning to appear. I drifted that #12 fly through the run numerous times but got zero reaction. I sat back on the bank to rest the run and just watch for a bit. That's when a Hendrickson landed on my arm, it was a male. Aha! Let me try #14 Red Quill. I changed flies and as I moved back to the tail end of this run the fish rose once or twice more. I put a drift over it and nothing, I put another drift over the fish, this time with a little better slack line, and Slurp! Fish On- and immediately I knew it was a decent fish.
With the fish furiously peeling line through the guides of my little 4wt, I thought, this could be a really good fish. The trout did it's best to throw the hook, tangle it in roots, and I could even see it trying to drag it along rocks to fray it. I just did my best to hang on, giving line when it wanted it and taking it in when I could while pressuring the fish away from trouble spots. Down thru the next run it went with me following, I got a real good look here. Holy shit, that's a big wild brown! I tried to steer it to me and the net, it saw that and peeled off line down into the next run. Oh please, please Lord, let me land it! A few more tries with the net and each time it just ripped more line and took me further downstream. Somehow I kept narrowly steering it away from underbrush and downed trees. Oh my God I really hope I land this thing! Even more attempts with the net, once even getting the fish halfway in before it got out and raced further downstream. Now we were in the long slow pool and the fish was finally beginning to tire just a bit. I steered it towards the net and it made yet another run. Are you kidding me, this fish is awesome! I fought it some more before getting another attempt with the net and I finally landed it! Hell Yeah, what a great fish! In my "measure net" was the best wild trout of my life, an honest 19 inch male wild brown trout! And it was caught on a dry fly!
Both fish and angler were pretty spent. My cellphone camera was in the back of my pack and I really wanted to get a picture. I looked at the trout, it was absolutely beautiful and big. But it had fought long and hard and the thought of wasting more time to get a picture and release the fish only to see it go belly up would have crushed me and ruined the memory of the catch. So I got it out into some faster, oxygenated water and released it. I know, a story like that and no pics means nothing. Well I apologize but it still means a lot to me.
Yesterday after work, made my way to a particular stretch of this creek, within the stocked section, that I like to fish during the Hendrickson hatch. Even the stocked 'bows are often on this hatch here. It has several swift runs punctuated by riffle sections before emptying out into a long, slow and fairly shallow pool. I like the upper runs here the best for both nymphing and dries. Having nymphed here the last several days which produced some 10-12"wild browns but ironically no stockies I had my mind on using only dries. Working my way up through the long pool, noticed only a precious few rises but they ignored my #12 Hendrickson imitation. A young boy and his father also stopped to fish spinners and drift worms. We exchanged cross-stream greetings and quietly hop-scotched each other rather than compete for the same pools. Soon they moved downstream to another big pool before the dam and I moved up to my favorite run.
A fish was rising sporadically and I noticed a few more Hendricksons were beginning to appear. I drifted that #12 fly through the run numerous times but got zero reaction. I sat back on the bank to rest the run and just watch for a bit. That's when a Hendrickson landed on my arm, it was a male. Aha! Let me try #14 Red Quill. I changed flies and as I moved back to the tail end of this run the fish rose once or twice more. I put a drift over it and nothing, I put another drift over the fish, this time with a little better slack line, and Slurp! Fish On- and immediately I knew it was a decent fish.
With the fish furiously peeling line through the guides of my little 4wt, I thought, this could be a really good fish. The trout did it's best to throw the hook, tangle it in roots, and I could even see it trying to drag it along rocks to fray it. I just did my best to hang on, giving line when it wanted it and taking it in when I could while pressuring the fish away from trouble spots. Down thru the next run it went with me following, I got a real good look here. Holy shit, that's a big wild brown! I tried to steer it to me and the net, it saw that and peeled off line down into the next run. Oh please, please Lord, let me land it! A few more tries with the net and each time it just ripped more line and took me further downstream. Somehow I kept narrowly steering it away from underbrush and downed trees. Oh my God I really hope I land this thing! Even more attempts with the net, once even getting the fish halfway in before it got out and raced further downstream. Now we were in the long slow pool and the fish was finally beginning to tire just a bit. I steered it towards the net and it made yet another run. Are you kidding me, this fish is awesome! I fought it some more before getting another attempt with the net and I finally landed it! Hell Yeah, what a great fish! In my "measure net" was the best wild trout of my life, an honest 19 inch male wild brown trout! And it was caught on a dry fly!
Both fish and angler were pretty spent. My cellphone camera was in the back of my pack and I really wanted to get a picture. I looked at the trout, it was absolutely beautiful and big. But it had fought long and hard and the thought of wasting more time to get a picture and release the fish only to see it go belly up would have crushed me and ruined the memory of the catch. So I got it out into some faster, oxygenated water and released it. I know, a story like that and no pics means nothing. Well I apologize but it still means a lot to me.
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