Another look at the East Branch

After years of fishing the East Branch year round, I have developed a routine. I have my favorite spots, I bring two rods, I adjust my rig and flies for each one and I pretty much know what to expect. And when it doesn't work out, I chalk it up to the fish not cooperating that day. Yesterday it dawned on me that this is not exactly an effective, or even fun, way to fish. After I had fished the usual first two spots without a bump, I considered the obvious: my favorite spots are everybody's favorite spots. This stream gets a ton of pressure. And I've only grown attached to fishing these parts of the stream because they're so familiar. I decided I'd change it up this time and look a little harder for the fish. I put aside any kind of plan and started walking.

I've often walked past a spectacular mess of fallen trees that criss-cross the stream and thought that there just had to be some big trout hiding in those logs and branches. And also how impossible it would be to get a fly in there, let alone a decent drift. This time, I decided to give it a shot. I had a short 3 wt that was made for close quarters. The worst that could happen would be some lost flies. I rigged up a large foam beetle with a tiny nymph dropper and made some casts around the logs and the bank. And in true form, I also made some casts into the overhanging trees, but nothing too messy. I was thinking of moving on while trying to see how close I could cast to a log when the water exploded and my line came tight. I put on as much side pressure as I could to keep the trout from getting back under that log, while avoiding the tree above me. Somehow I managed to get it to the net without much drama. A nice fourteen inch brown had the beetle firmly lodged in its jaw. Even though this was exactly what I had hoped would happen it still shocked the hell out of me.

I fished on downstream until I hit my usual last stop (old habits die hard) because it's a fairly reliable place to find rising fish. But not today. I tried a few prospecting casts with different flies, but nothing was happening and the memory of that brown, and that log, loomed large in my mind. So I went back. I tried swinging the nymph and beetle rig along the far bank and past the branches of the downed trees that formed a brushy little pen. I figured I'd lose some flies doing this and sure enough my third drift stopped right next to the branches. I was about to give the line a tug when it started to move. I was still recovering from the surprise when I got the trout in the net. It was a beautiful wild brown with red spots and brightly edged fins. 

Maybe I had an unusually lucky day, when everything seems to click, but I can't help but gather something from this outing. I don't really know this stream that well at all. And I'd settled on the path of least resistance by passing up tight spots that looked like more trouble than they were worth. I had just been reminded that pressured fish have to hide somewhere and it takes effort to find them- especially at the end of the summer months when they've seen thousands of flies. On the walk back upstream I passed a chute of water that's about two feet wide, right under a tight canopy of trees. I've considered this spot before too, but passed on the cramped quarters, in a hurry to get to one of my comfort zones. I figured I'd try a couple casts in there before calling it a day. I'd just leave if I got hung up or lost my rig. I had to crouch way down to even get close enough for a short cast- but as the second drift swung through the tail of the tiny run I felt that tug I was hoping for. And it wasn't a branch this time either. 

Fall Streamers

Yesterday I dedicated a morning to trying out a rig I've been meaning to fish with for a while- a sinking poly leader, streamer and nymph dropper. This being late October, there's only one open stream nearby, so I hit the East Branch at sun up. I love fishing there in the early morning. The crowds have yet to appear and everything just feels fresh and full of possibility. It was cold, in a bracing kind of way that fills you with energy. I was already feeling pretty good about this outing.

I rigged up a black wooly bugger with a green copper john and stripped it through a run that spills into a deep hole.  It didn't take long for a rainbow to grab the streamer and make a break for it. I felt comfortable putting a little pressure on him, I was rigged up with 4X- so I brought it to the net pretty easily. Well, I guess the poly leader works. I fished my way through a few more runs, trying different ways of fishing the streamer. I seemed to have the most luck with a dead drift- it was like nymphing without an indicator or split shot. I caught some nice little rainbows, and a brown that fought so wildly I actually wondered what the hell was on the end of my line until I saw it. Spirited little guy. As it got later and sun was getting higher the fish seemed less active . I made my way downstream and saw a couple guys fishing the two runs I had my sights on. Time to move on.

I still had some time to fish, so I drove down to a lower section that seems to get less traffic. One part in particular has some deep runs and pools that I wanted to check out. I'm glad I did. The very first cast connected with a sturdy fish that put the 4x to the test. At this moment I was not missing the intense anxiety that comes with 6x tippet and a big fish. I felt pretty confident I would land this one and it was so much fun to be able to firmly lead it upstream without fearing that dreadful pop and then nothingness that has plagued me this season. Nonetheless, I was still very relieved to get it in the net. It was a fat 16" rainbow with a gorgeous magenta slash and gill plate. Just a beautiful creature. It felt good to watch it swim away. This was the rare kind of day where things went as planned and the fish were in a cooperative mood. I felt uncharacteristically fulfilled with the morning I'd had. I packed up and went home. 

Home At Last

Today was the first time in more than a month that I've been able to fish the croton watershed again. It's been a real pleasure to experience so much new water this season, but I've been really missing the home streams I fish the most. I hit the East Branch first thing this morning and had it all to myself. Rare for a weekend. I was wondering why this was until I realized just how bad the mosquitoes are right now. The deet mostly kept them at bay, but I can see why most would pass on all the face biting. Otherwise, the water was cold and the fishing was better than it has been on my last few visits. It felt good to be back. I caught a chunky little rainbow on a hare's ear in the riffles that actually took some drag and a few minutes to land. I also briefly hooked a smallie that jumped about four feet the second I set the hook. I didn't mind so much when it spit out the nymph on the way down, it was an impressive move. There were the usual stockie browns too, but none were above average in any way. And a couple perch- funny how the summer brings out so much variety. 

I packed up and headed over to the West Branch, mostly just to see how it's faring in the heat. Not so well, unfortunately. I didn't have a thermometer to get a reading, but  the water felt way too warm to fish safely. Nobody was fishing there, fortunately for the trout, but that only made it harder to walk away without getting my line wet. I really hope whatever work is being done wraps up soon and this great stream can be restored to actual tail water again and not a place to avoid. 

Next stop: the Amawalk. I drove up near the dam, looking for low temperatures. What a difference. Even the air felt cooler and there was a layer of mist to complete that mountain stream vibe. And no mosquitoes, oddly enough. I went back to that tiny plunge pool where I caught a nice brown on my last visit. I crept up,  flicked a double nymph rig into the foam and it was immediately tugged down. I felt the weight of a nice fish, but was more amused than disappointed to quickly see that a sunfish and a crappie had each taken a nymph. Now that was unexpected. I didn't even know the Amawalk held crappie. Every cast after that one yielded another small panfish. I doubt that big brown would allow so much company in such tight quarters. I figured it had moved on so I did the same. I walked quite a ways downstream and caught a couple small browns before doubling back. It felt great to visit my favorite stream again, but it had been a long day. With a lot of variety. 

Branches

I couldn't decide where to fish today, so I went to both the East and West Branch for a full eight hours on the water. The East Branch was pretty uneventful- though I did lose what I think was a monster brown. When I set the hook I thought I had snagged a rock- but then the rock decided to make an unexpected break for the downed tree branches across the stream. My tippet snapped immediately. I don't think I would have been able to land whatever this was on 6x even if I'd been prepared for that run. I'd sure like to try again though.



That seemed to be the theme of the day- I missed a lot of fish. I must have hooked at least ten that got off within a minute or so. Maybe my hook sets need a little more conviction. I did land a few too, including this one at the West Branch which fought like a much bigger fish. I was very relieved to bring this one to hand after a good five minute battle.

Also saw a lot of risers today- there was a bit of a Caddis hatch for a while and the trout were paying attention. It felt great to ditch the nymph rig for a while and do some actual casting. In keeping with the theme of the day, I didn't land any on dries- but I had some takes and even managed to hook a few. All in all, a long day, but the fish I was able to get in the net made it all worthwhile.