NEPA Class A

[Bamboozle]

I made a trip to a new stream for me in Northeast PA. After a 1.5 hike in along a snow covered trail I came to this tiny jewel that was about 3 feet across in the WIDEST spots.

I was fishing a 6'6" 3wt rod and it was about 2 feet too long in most spots! I soon ditched my leader and tied on 3' of 4X right to the end of my fly line. I could ALMOST cast for the first 20 yards of stream as I headed up stream but after that it was all bow and arrow casts.

I was fishing a size 12 bead-head Prince about 13" under a yarn indicator. After another 10 yards of upstream fishing even bow & arrow casts became impossible so it was crouch in and poke the tip of my rod through the thick brush and TRY and feed line downstream to suspected lies.

A little further upstream the stream branched SERIOUSLY into tiny splits no more that a foot or two wide. I continued the poke and dapping fishing with good results WHEN I could find an opening. Many great looking holes were impenetrable. Hiking along the stream bank with the snow, hidden rocks and thick brush was no picnic either.

End result: 14 Brookies landed between 3"-7" all with the same fly!

This was possibly the hardest stream I ever fished access-wise. While I fish LOTS of tiny streams, on this one casting was just about impossible. Even a spinning rod would have been whacking branches. I can't even imagine what it would be like in the summer when there are leaves on the trees!

I guess I'll just have to go back to find out!

 

[albatross]

Bamboozle,

Sounds like a nice day out. I got a little 6 1/2 foot 2 weight for Christmas this year for streams like the one you describe.

Was the snow melting today? You were pretty fortunate to get in to 14 fish if it was...

 

[Bamboozle]

albatross:

If the snow was melting it was very subtle because the water was crystal clear and 41 degrees. I live about 40 minutes south of this stream and while we have almost no snow on the ground; up there, (Poconos) I was walking through at least 6-8" of frozen snow.

I have to admit that those Brookies were pretty willing. The holes where I poked my rod tip in were in many cases about 3 feet long and a foot and a half wide with a big dork standing above it trying to jamb a rod WITH A CHARTRUSE fly line through the tree branches. The fish STILL took my fly!

I hope you like your 6'6" rod. I use mine a LOT but I at times due to the dapping and poking a 7'0" or longer rod would have been nice but walking through the woods with it would have sucked. But on NORMAL small streams where you can actually cast; that length is sweet!

I actually e-mailed a guy last night about a 5'0" 3wt. If I'm lucky he still has it and it will be mine!

 

[NJAngler]

Sounds like WSR. I've been there a few times. Hard to fish for sure. Impossible forest of rhododendron literally chokes it off seemingly forever. Nice fish in the 4- 8" range but the regs are hardly necessary or needed and do nothing except get anglers attention -in this case not a good thing. "Promotion" of 3-4' wide streams seems hardly beneficial to the trout.

Mark

 

[Bamboozle]

No but I was at WSR on Tuesday checking out the mouth since the upper end is barely a trickle. I didn't fish it though.

It's on my short list for this year once I get that 5'0" rod!