Spent the weekend up around the town of Slate Run.
I spent some time observing Pine Creek including careful use of my thermometer. I got a water temp of 74 Friday evening and 72 degrees at the public access area along the east bank in town Sat morning July 8th. Too warm for trout fishing. Nevertheless, anglers could be seen in the reg water all weekend. A few tubers and yakkers but not many.
I went downriver exploring for bass. While I saw bass in the predictable spots, fishing was tough. I prospected mostly with poppers but streamers and big buggy nymphs didn't produce much either. Bank side shadow areas and willow grass beds produced a couple little guys. Of note, although hatches were sparse during the day there were sporadic rises everywhere I fished (I was outside the C&R section and not at cold water inflows). These fish ignored the poppers I threw at them - rising bass will usually eat a popper. In one case, just to try to verify if it was a bass, fallfish, or trout, I tied on a dry fly and promptly caught the fish. It was a brown trout - which I quickly released - and returned to throwing poppers without any luck. I can confirm the water temp was 74 when this happened.
So bass fishing on lower Pine Creek was tough this weekend.
NOTE: Saturday night was cold there and I took the water temp at the same spot yesterday morning (Sunday) and got 65 degrees. So perhaps if one is careful and prospects early in the am, trout fishing temps might be around from time to time in Pine Creek if things stay cool at night. Overall, however, I wouldn't plan a trout fishing trip to that part of Pine until autumn, if it were me.
WEATHER: Nice day, partly cloudy, upper 70s, scattered thunderstorms and showers.
WATER: Nice flow with water temps mid-70s at mid day.
HATCHES: A few caddis and mayflies but nothing significant during the day. I did a kick seine survey at the bridge in town and this produced fewer bugs than I predicted: mostly small crawlers and ISO, with a few caddis. Most prevalent large nymph were dragonflies which were tan colored. A couple YOY crayfish.
I spent some time observing Pine Creek including careful use of my thermometer. I got a water temp of 74 Friday evening and 72 degrees at the public access area along the east bank in town Sat morning July 8th. Too warm for trout fishing. Nevertheless, anglers could be seen in the reg water all weekend. A few tubers and yakkers but not many.
I went downriver exploring for bass. While I saw bass in the predictable spots, fishing was tough. I prospected mostly with poppers but streamers and big buggy nymphs didn't produce much either. Bank side shadow areas and willow grass beds produced a couple little guys. Of note, although hatches were sparse during the day there were sporadic rises everywhere I fished (I was outside the C&R section and not at cold water inflows). These fish ignored the poppers I threw at them - rising bass will usually eat a popper. In one case, just to try to verify if it was a bass, fallfish, or trout, I tied on a dry fly and promptly caught the fish. It was a brown trout - which I quickly released - and returned to throwing poppers without any luck. I can confirm the water temp was 74 when this happened.
So bass fishing on lower Pine Creek was tough this weekend.
NOTE: Saturday night was cold there and I took the water temp at the same spot yesterday morning (Sunday) and got 65 degrees. So perhaps if one is careful and prospects early in the am, trout fishing temps might be around from time to time in Pine Creek if things stay cool at night. Overall, however, I wouldn't plan a trout fishing trip to that part of Pine until autumn, if it were me.
WEATHER: Nice day, partly cloudy, upper 70s, scattered thunderstorms and showers.
WATER: Nice flow with water temps mid-70s at mid day.
HATCHES: A few caddis and mayflies but nothing significant during the day. I did a kick seine survey at the bridge in town and this produced fewer bugs than I predicted: mostly small crawlers and ISO, with a few caddis. Most prevalent large nymph were dragonflies which were tan colored. A couple YOY crayfish.
