valley creek, chester county, 06/16/2008

[chstrcntyfish]

I fished today from 10:00 until 2:00. When I got there the water was a cloudy in the deep holes, but pretty clear in the shallow water. I didn't take the temp. I didn't see any bugs on the water at all. I started out up from the metal bridge with some scuds and picked up two fish. Both around 11 in. which is great for me. I kept moving after stirring up the water where I caught the first two. Came to a hole and just had a seat and started watching for about 10 minutes since thats always what I hear the pros saying to do. I started seeing a fish rising every 3-5 seconds in some slower water that must have only been 8 inches deep. I casted a caddis pattern since I was clueless, but I couldn't see what it taking. It came to the top and checked it out and turned away. I think it was taking cream midges. I didn't have any so I tried a black midge. I sat down and tied it on and waited for the fish to start rising again, and then I realized there were two fish rising. So I casted and it came up....and went back down. The second fish did the same thing. I was noticing lots of those big black ants around since I was sitting in the tall grass. I tied on a size 14 parachute black ant. First cast, everything was perfect, the trout came up and sucked it down. It was a nice 8 in. brown. I really had to get into detail for that story since it was my first trout on a dry fly. I know I could have picked up more fish on scuds, but I figured before the trout get any harder to catch, I would get it out of the way. Anyway, I moved to deeper hole where I saw a rise. I casted the same ant right where I saw it and I watched the BIGGEST fish I have ever seen at valley rise and turn away. I know it was a trout because the colors really shined in the sun. This fish must have been 14-15 inches. Hows that for a fish story. After that I sat there casting fly after fly trying to get that fish back to the top. While I was there I thought I saw a log floating downstream out of the corner of my eye...next thing I know it is a snake. According to google it was a norther water snake.

It must have been atleast 2 feet long. Also, the deer amaze me in the park. I was fishing a hole and here something behind me. I turned around and saw a doe just grazing 10 feet away. It looks at me and just keeps eating...crazy.

 

[mute]

Awesome, those water snakes are EVERYWHERE on all the local streams around there. When the sun come out, so do they.

 

[Wmass]

Glad you had a good day at VC, I miss that place alot.

Watch out for those snakes, they can sneak up on you. I was walking up the bank last year just above the metal bridge and something brushed against my shoulder, I look over and there is a snake staring me in the face at head high level. He was just sitting in the tree. Then spooked several in the grass.

 

[mute]

they dont seem to take defense which is good. Everytime ive jumped down or stepped near one sun bathing, it quickly startles itself, which startles me to hell, and it quickly takes off in half a second.

 

[chstrcntyfish]

Well, it is really getting overgrown near the water. I guess that's good for runoff. So far, the fish seem bigger this year too. I guess that's just because I caught bigger fish.

 

[pete41]

Did you ever see a mating ball of water snakes?
I did on the Green Springs one time.Must have been at least 200
of them boiling around.Sorry I didn't have a stick of dynamite.I image they pretty much kept the fingerlings down to zilch.

 

[Maurice]

Great story Chester, Observation is the key to success. Presentation is the lock. Without both you don't get in the dryfly door. You got in that day.

Regarding your approach to flytying in another post, I think we approach that in the same way. See the pattern, pick out whats important and wing the rest.

You are on the right track.

See the bugs, use the materials you have to create them and throw them at fish. It isn't very difficult. It just takes the effort to observe and report to your learning center. Books are for worms and worms are for bait and bait is for childish angling. Plus it makes your hands stinky unless you are using corn or velveeta cheese. Not that there is anything wrong with that!

 

[timmyt]

hey chester nice job! Catching your first on dry is always great but to do it at Valley is awesome! those fish are not easy. way to go man

What size/color were the scuds you were using?

 

[mattmask]

Those snakes can be scary at valley. The ones i mostly see are red with whitish in them. The other anglers told me it was a copperhead. Anyways i did really well on valley with dries this spring. Haven't fished it in the summer yet, I started fishing it last fall. Hopefully i can get some fish on terrestrials this summer there but will mostly be smallie fishing.

 

[chstrcntyfish]

The scuds I use are size 16 olive. They are really simple. Like maurice said, I pick out what is important and just wing the rest. To tie them all I do is:
1. Tie in copper wire at the hook bend.
2. Tie in plastic baggie at the hook bend.
3. Dub any olive dubbing I feel like from the bend to the to the hook eye.
4. Pull the plastic baggie over the dubbing to the hook eye and hold it in place by ribbing the copper wire foreward over it.
5. Tie the wire off.

I weight them and just dead drift them along the bottom. I usually do better in the faster water. I guess that the fish don't get spooked as quick.