JakesLeakyWaders
Active member
So I drove out to Big Sping Creek today in 32 degree rainy weather. I wanted to get out fishing since I got my license and also wanted to take a look at the stream improvements on Big Spring. My first fish of the year is without a doubt the smallest trout I've ever caught.
I took a few pics of the stream and my first fish, then put the camera away, my camera bag was soaked within 15 minutes from the cold light rain. It was cold and wet the entire time I was there.
The stream structures look promising and really deepen the water. The area in the bottom picture was similar to that of the top picture prior to the improvements, very wide and very shallow with sparse weed growth. I noticed a few large rainbows right out in the current feeding in the fast broken water, it was actually deep enough and fast enough that spotting them was difficult in the deep holes and runs below the stream structures. There are a few spots now that are maybe 3 feet deep and the depth certainly adds some cover for the trout. I watched one large rainbow feeding in the now deepened and narrowed section and due to the depth and fast broken water in one particular stretch I would keep losing sight of it, despite it's bright pink stripe down it's side.
Found one big rainbow over 20 inches and tried for a while to entice it, however it was feeding on the surface under a tangle of briars and brush on the far bank, and getting a fly to it was impossible. I lost about a dozen flies trying to drift under the mess of brush only to repeatedly get snagged on the branches hanging into the water.
I saw one very large brookie maybe 16 inches hide under a log structure and managed to hook second 6-7 inch rainbow before I left.
It was a tough day, some big rainbows were rising and I thought I saw some small black stoneflies near the bank. I fished until my fingers started getting a little numb, I had trouble tying knots and I left. Caught the trouts on scuds I tied last year.
I took a few pics of the stream and my first fish, then put the camera away, my camera bag was soaked within 15 minutes from the cold light rain. It was cold and wet the entire time I was there.
The stream structures look promising and really deepen the water. The area in the bottom picture was similar to that of the top picture prior to the improvements, very wide and very shallow with sparse weed growth. I noticed a few large rainbows right out in the current feeding in the fast broken water, it was actually deep enough and fast enough that spotting them was difficult in the deep holes and runs below the stream structures. There are a few spots now that are maybe 3 feet deep and the depth certainly adds some cover for the trout. I watched one large rainbow feeding in the now deepened and narrowed section and due to the depth and fast broken water in one particular stretch I would keep losing sight of it, despite it's bright pink stripe down it's side.
Found one big rainbow over 20 inches and tried for a while to entice it, however it was feeding on the surface under a tangle of briars and brush on the far bank, and getting a fly to it was impossible. I lost about a dozen flies trying to drift under the mess of brush only to repeatedly get snagged on the branches hanging into the water.
I saw one very large brookie maybe 16 inches hide under a log structure and managed to hook second 6-7 inch rainbow before I left.
It was a tough day, some big rainbows were rising and I thought I saw some small black stoneflies near the bank. I fished until my fingers started getting a little numb, I had trouble tying knots and I left. Caught the trouts on scuds I tied last year.
