High holed - help me understand

Actually a fun day getting high holed Thursday. Wasn't planning on fishing but went to throw a few drys. Was fishing Clark creek at 6:30 am in a stretch that has a bunch of dumb fish that like to take drys. Caught about 6-8 in an hour on a 20 para adams. Then from downstream comes a young woman and she walks around me and starts casting no more than 10 yards ahead of me. Could tell she was a beginner from the obvious signs. Said hi politely. Turns out she was a nurse who got called off unexpectedly, first year fly fishing, had only fished just this one run on Clark ever, and didn't really have any friends that fly fished. Maybe I have calmed with my old age. I had already caught a bunch of fish, wasn't planning on even being there, so I decided to make it a different kind of day. Without mansplaining ( not sure what this really means) I showed her how i like to cast on brushy streams, explained the flys I was using and why, and pointed her to a couple other holes on Clark that have bunches of fish. Also slipped in a bit about stream etiquette🤣. She was so excited to have some advice and to be able to talk about fishing. Helped her out for about 30 min., gave her an Adams, an ant, and a spool of 6x (she didn't have any), and left her to figure the rest out on her own. Teaching was a very big part of my working life and I forget sometimes how fun it can be. Drove home happy from a fun morning. I'm sure I will probably never run into her again but I hope she keeps fishing, talks some of her friends into giving it a try, and remembers to pass whatever knowledge she has gained on to the new generation.
 
tjsingle said:
I'll add this, the high/low holing thing to me is a little bit silly at times. You have no clue if you are fishing behind a new guy just starting out or the best angler in the state. Some of the biggest fish I have ever caught on crowded streams come after I watched another angler there fishing it. Yes trout are spooky, but they don't stay spooked for nearly as long as you thing (Unless they were hooked).

I don't get nearly as mad when I run into people anymore, as I am only in control of how I am fishing. Presentation and approach are far more important.
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I don't mind following behind someone because like you said, the fish are not as spooky as you think. Most times l will catch a few right after another angler moves on
 
I have no problem fishing water behind someone, been doing it for years with my powerbait buddy ,it used to bother me till I figured out fish want to eat what I'm throwing more than his cheese balls the size of marbles, I've tried to get him to downsize his balls to imitate salmon eggs,to no avail. Either way no problem
 
A couple of summers ago, I was flyfishing on Spring Creek below Bellefonte. A person came down Spring on a kayak and had to go right through the run I was fishing. They apologized for messing up my fishing. It was not 90 seconds after they passed that I was landing a trout. I was shocked that the trout were not spooked. I yelled down to the person on the kayak to show them I landed a trout. Positive interaction.
 
LLR said:
A couple of summers ago, I was flyfishing on Spring Creek below Bellefonte. A person came down Spring on a kayak and had to go right through the run I was fishing. They apologized for messing up my fishing. It was not 90 seconds after they passed that I was landing a trout. I was shocked that the trout were not spooked. I yelled down to the person on the kayak to show them I landed a trout. Positive interaction.
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In Alaska the guides sometimes use their bear guns to wake the fish up by shooting the water.
 
I've hooked fish as kayaks were passing by on clarion river and Buffalo creek Butler, Armstrong County, I just haven't fished these particular areas for a few years ,some say these boats produce bites as they scatter minnows, one famous streamer guy even says to run a double streamer in these conditions,
 
falcon said:
It seems that just gliding through is less disruptive than dipping the oars / paddle.
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That’s what guys (or gals) who know what they’re doing and are respectful to fisherman do. Don’t paddle, use the paddle only to steer if necessary, and if possible, go behind the angler.

Last time out WW fishing the Smallie/Fallfish action in the faster water was junk, so I was content fishing dries along a long shaded shoreline eddy with lots of debris/structure for Sunnies. A couple proceeded to load their yaks down a steep and muddy embankment overtop of the eddy I was fishing as opposed to using the boat launch ramp about 50 yards upstream. The woman actually look a pretty good spill getting down. I caught a Bluegill from right where they splashed down, while they were still behind me paddling to get over to the current channel. “No big deal.”
 
Cougarbaby said:
I've hooked fish as kayaks were passing by on clarion river and Buffalo creek Butler, Armstrong County, I just haven't fished these particular areas for a few years ,some say these boats produce bites as they scatter minnows, one famous streamer guy even says to run a double streamer in these conditions,
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I refer to these as barge bites. I routinely fish the Delaware river for SMB where we are drifting along with dozens and dozens of the hundreds of tubers floating down the river and we still catch bass. If you look at the fishes reaction to a boat drifting over them they just drift off to the side a few feet but maintain their position looking upstream for a meal coming towards them.
 
I was fishing a North-central Class A behind some cabins and approaching a pool with many rising fish, when a bunch of kids decided to float around in inner tubes in that pool.

I wasn't exactly thrilled and dad finally admonished them, telling them to vacate the water so I could fish through, but in the meantime I caught a few fish in the fringes and about 10 minutes after they were out of the water the risers continues eating....

I've seen a similar thing MANY times when flocks of geese or ducks with ducklings swim though some of my favorite runs while I'm fishing, but after a short wait, things resume very close to normal...
 
I was fishing a local stream, and there was a guy letting his dog swim in the run/pool I intended to fish. I waited for him and his dog to leave, and maybe five minutes later I caught this nice wild brown. I was really surprised.
 

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I’m thinking that the fish have to become accustomed to dealing with kayaks, tubes and families of assorted waterfowl invading their space. In certain waters it has to be the norm during the summer months, otherwise they would never even get a chance to eat - at least during daylight hours. I never got real hung up on sharing the water with folks recreating in other means, they’re all out there just doing their thing, you (the fly angler) may be standing right in the middle of the best place for them to shoot that run especially considering the current conditions. I have at times stepped out of an area to let them pass cleanly rather than having them drag their kayaks all over the gravel trying to get around.
 
wildtrout2 said:
I actually spoke to a guy from TCO who caught another big brown from the same exact spot, right after a dog had been swimming in it. They must get used to disruption, as dc419 just mentioned.
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True story:

I once got high holed by a cow on Falling Springs at the Skelly Meadow as I was literally crawling up to a riser by the barn....

As I sat there and waited for what I assumed would be my one and only opportunity to make a presentation, the cow proceeded to walk in the pool a bit above the fish, and then it peed and took a dump in the creek, more or less right on top of the fish...

As I sat there shaking my head in disbelief, the cow crossed the creek and in about 10 minutes the fish started rising again.

As badly as I wished I had a Cow Dung Fly to try, I stuck with the Sulphur I already had knotted on and caught about a 10" brownie (who certainly lived up to its name) from that hole...

I don't know if it was the same riser I saw before, but I honestly didn't give a $#!+ 😉
 
Bamboozle said:
True story:

I once got high holed by a cow on Falling Springs at the Skelly Meadow as I was literally crawling up to a riser by the barn....

As I sat there and waited for what I assumed would be my one and only opportunity to make a presentation, the cow proceeded to walk in the pool a bit above the fish, and then it peed and took a dump in the creek, more or less right on top of the fish...

As I sat there shaking my head in disbelief, the cow crossed the creek and in about 10 minutes the fish started rising again.

As badly as I wished I had a Cow Dung Fly to try, I stuck with the Sulphur I already had knotted on and caught about a 10" brownie (who certainly lived up to its name) from that hole...

I don't know if it was the same riser I saw before, but I honestly didn't give a $#!+ 😉
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That’s freakin’ hilarious!!!
 
Bamboozle said:
True story:

I once got high holed by a cow on Falling Springs at the Skelly Meadow as I was literally crawling up to a riser by the barn....

As I sat there and waited for what I assumed would be my one and only opportunity to make a presentation, the cow proceeded to walk in the pool a bit above the fish, and then it peed and took a dump in the creek, more or less right on top of the fish...

As I sat there shaking my head in disbelief, the cow crossed the creek and in about 10 minutes the fish started rising again.

As badly as I wished I had a Cow Dung Fly to try, I stuck with the Sulphur I already had knotted on and caught about a 10" brownie (who certainly lived up to its name) from that hole...

I don't know if it was the same riser I saw before, but I honestly didn't give a $#!+ 😉
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You just can't make this s#&t up. 🙂
 
Fish aren't bothered by this daily summer time entertainment, 5 yrs or so ago the weekend of memorial day a church group of like 30 kayaks got out ,unloading kayaks into the water fumbled around filling kayaks with gear etc ,this went on for 30-40 minutes while dozens of fisherman kept slinging towards all the big trout the Heath twp sportsman club stocked into the Clarion ,people were falling,slipping carrying on like the fisherman weren't even there ,despite we were there first,Now if we behaved in that fashion towards them as they did us we'd be called ignorant no good for nothing well you know ,after they left fishing went on like nothing happened,
 
Cougarbaby said:
Fish aren't bothered by this daily summer time entertainment, 5 yrs or so ago the weekend of memorial day a church group of like 30 kayaks got out ,unloading kayaks into the water fumbled around filling kayaks with gear etc ,this went on for 30-40 minutes while dozens of fisherman kept slinging towards all the big trout the Heath twp sportsman club stocked into the Clarion ,people were falling,slipping carrying on like the fisherman weren't even there ,despite we were there first,Now if we behaved in that fashion towards them as they did us we'd be called ignorant no good for nothing well you know ,after they left fishing went on like nothing happened,
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Ahhh the old Memorial Day Heath Pump Station stocking...it's been a long time since I've partaken, but boy were those some tanks they put in. I often wondered if the fish from that stocking were single handedly responsible for most of the legends surrounding large trout present in the lower river downstream of Hallton.
 
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