Went up to PSU on Sunday to start hauling stuff back from college and made my way to the Little J on the way home. I arrived about 2:00 and settled in a ways north of where Spruce Creek enters. I saw a few cars and anglers, but not as many as I might have thought. At my parking spot there were about four cars and only saw about seven people all day.
Conditions:
Mostly sunny with some high clouds passing over time to time and really no wind to speak of. The air temp was about 70 degrees, water was very low for this time of year and clear (220 cfs). Mixed hatches of caddis and mayflies all afternoon into the evening. Small tan caddis and larger dark caddis (grannoms) were slowly, but steadily coming off. As the afternoon progressed an increasing number of larger sulphurs were emerging into the evening as it got dark. The trout were taking both steadily all day.
A bit of frustrating day with so many steady fish rising. I made the mistake of staying put and casting to the risers in the slower water. I tried every size and variation of sulfur, caddis, adams, Hendrickson, Cahill that made sense while watching the surface activity. I had a lot of time to watch the surface as I was not catching any fish. I skated flies, danced the flies and talked to myself a lot.
The water was pretty still and should have moved down stream. Just too stupid and determined to catch the fish that were in front of me. Finally as it got later things improved for me once in the faster water and I moved around. When leaving I went back to the flatter water and skated a few mayflies into the same area I was earlier and pulled out some really nice sized fish 16"+. Really shocking as the water in the one section was barely one foot deep. The low water has the bigger trout in some unusual spots.
Note to self: move around earlier and throw your away old tippet. Bonus saw a young eagle grab a trout on the water.
Conditions:
Mostly sunny with some high clouds passing over time to time and really no wind to speak of. The air temp was about 70 degrees, water was very low for this time of year and clear (220 cfs). Mixed hatches of caddis and mayflies all afternoon into the evening. Small tan caddis and larger dark caddis (grannoms) were slowly, but steadily coming off. As the afternoon progressed an increasing number of larger sulphurs were emerging into the evening as it got dark. The trout were taking both steadily all day.
A bit of frustrating day with so many steady fish rising. I made the mistake of staying put and casting to the risers in the slower water. I tried every size and variation of sulfur, caddis, adams, Hendrickson, Cahill that made sense while watching the surface activity. I had a lot of time to watch the surface as I was not catching any fish. I skated flies, danced the flies and talked to myself a lot.
The water was pretty still and should have moved down stream. Just too stupid and determined to catch the fish that were in front of me. Finally as it got later things improved for me once in the faster water and I moved around. When leaving I went back to the flatter water and skated a few mayflies into the same area I was earlier and pulled out some really nice sized fish 16"+. Really shocking as the water in the one section was barely one foot deep. The low water has the bigger trout in some unusual spots.
Note to self: move around earlier and throw your away old tippet. Bonus saw a young eagle grab a trout on the water.
