P
PaulK
Member
- Joined
- May 18, 2011
- Messages
- 43
Hi All,
I really like to run these kinds of questions past the many knowlegable anglers here.
I have a favorite stream in the Poconos in Eastern Pa that I've fished exclusively each year for the past 14 years over Memorial Day weekend only. At no other time of year have I ever fished it, until this past weekend.
The stream holds plenty of wild browns in the 5"-18" range, with 14"-16" browns common. Off topic, 5 years ago I used to catch many more 5-6" browns here, but recently I find only 10"-16" fish. Another topic altogether.
Anyway, this past weekend, I could not find a brown. It is quite easy to find browns on the stream in the spring. In the spring, I actually resort to fishing only the rise, to reduce my impact on the half mile I fish over the three-day holiday weekend. In short, there's a trout behind every big rock. Simple enough. But this weekend, those trout were NOT there. Can I say that with 100% certainty, no. But two things occurred that have me convinced wild brown trout move out of the stretch wholesale sometime after Memorial Day, at least this year.
First, at the end of the day, I started attaching hellegramite nymphs to my caddis larva. Juicy, wriggling nymphs about 1-1/2" long. I nymphed with them for two hours. I find it simply impossible that I would not have found a brown this way, when in the spring simply swinging a Starling and Herl soft hackle through a run ALWAYS produces a brown.
Secondly, I caught a brookie. Now this is not usual, but why would I catch a brookie on a stream where my experience has told me the browns outnumber the brookies 10 to 1.
Did someone come through my half mile stretch and clean it out? I doubt it. The fishing has been perfectly consistent for me, even after numerous floods in the 2000's, over the Memorial Day weekend.
So I'm hoping to hear from some others who fish Pocono streams with a head of wild browns, and has anyone seen the same thing happen?
I really like to run these kinds of questions past the many knowlegable anglers here.
I have a favorite stream in the Poconos in Eastern Pa that I've fished exclusively each year for the past 14 years over Memorial Day weekend only. At no other time of year have I ever fished it, until this past weekend.
The stream holds plenty of wild browns in the 5"-18" range, with 14"-16" browns common. Off topic, 5 years ago I used to catch many more 5-6" browns here, but recently I find only 10"-16" fish. Another topic altogether.
Anyway, this past weekend, I could not find a brown. It is quite easy to find browns on the stream in the spring. In the spring, I actually resort to fishing only the rise, to reduce my impact on the half mile I fish over the three-day holiday weekend. In short, there's a trout behind every big rock. Simple enough. But this weekend, those trout were NOT there. Can I say that with 100% certainty, no. But two things occurred that have me convinced wild brown trout move out of the stretch wholesale sometime after Memorial Day, at least this year.
First, at the end of the day, I started attaching hellegramite nymphs to my caddis larva. Juicy, wriggling nymphs about 1-1/2" long. I nymphed with them for two hours. I find it simply impossible that I would not have found a brown this way, when in the spring simply swinging a Starling and Herl soft hackle through a run ALWAYS produces a brown.
Secondly, I caught a brookie. Now this is not usual, but why would I catch a brookie on a stream where my experience has told me the browns outnumber the brookies 10 to 1.
Did someone come through my half mile stretch and clean it out? I doubt it. The fishing has been perfectly consistent for me, even after numerous floods in the 2000's, over the Memorial Day weekend.
So I'm hoping to hear from some others who fish Pocono streams with a head of wild browns, and has anyone seen the same thing happen?