Solo Creek Fishing

August 16

College has been busy.  It's been a long first semester, but football season has ended and I've finally got some time to update.   I haven't gotten around to updating since the summer, so this will be one of a few entries.

I had a free day, and unfortunately Charles had a family event to attend.  So I decided to go to the creek solo.  This turned out to be an amazing move.


I hopped in at the same bridge we usually fish.  I initially wanted to try out a new crawdad fly using Kiley's Exo Skin, a new tying material.  This fly has been a proven producer for one of my guide friends.  It turned out that that fly was not the ticket today.  I wish I would have known earlier.

I started fishing this fly through a few holes, including one which is usually has monsters in it..  I had no luck.  I moved on to a hole behind a small rock that usually produces smallmouth and plenty of sunfish.  I didn't even get a look.  Right here I switched to a small swimming nymph fly.  I immediately caught around 5 tiny smallmouth and a few pretty green sunfish.



I continued moving on to what is typically one of the best spots in the creek.  One side has a gravel bank, while the other is a steep wall cut out of the shale and dirt.  I approached the first shallow pool and within 15 minutes caught 6 more of the tiny smallmouth.  The 8 inchers are tiny, but fight harder than many fish.  Creek smallmouth in my opinion are the hardest fighting freshwater fish pound for pound.  They really battle until the bitter end.  These fish were so much fun.

I continued for a few more minutes and got a fish that actually had a little heft.  He cleared the water twice, and I saw that it was a decent smallie, maybe a pound or so.  This fish tanked me for about 3 more minutes until I lipped him.  After this, I finally started moving down to the more productive end of the pool.

This pool is amazingly good.  At the tailout of the run there is a downed tree by the steep walls which feeds into a pool with one submerged rock.  I fished this pool for two minutes and caught 3 smallmouth right off of the rock.

All were small, about the same size I had been catching, but they were fun.

Then I got a nice one. This fish pulled back line when it bit, so I knew it had to be decent.


After a few absurdly high jumps, some tail walking, and a tough fight, I brought in a feisty 13 inch about 1 pound smallmouth.  Not a trophy by anyone's standards, but so much fun on a 6 weight in a tiny creek.

I continued on to the next hole, a short run next to a downed tree ending in a large, evenly deep pool full of isolated rocks.
I made one cast and drift with the nymph next to the fallen tree.  I hooked immediately into something nice.  It burned out 30 feet of line to get itself onto the reel in mere seconds.  I was almost frightened of the power this fish exhibited.  After 5 seconds of chaos, the fish jumped 2 feet into the air, and I could see it was a smallmouth of gargantuan proportions, surely close to the 20 inch mark.

As I was in awe of it crashing back down into the water, the fly popped out of its mouth.  Dejected, I stripped back in to find my fly, frazzled but fishable on the end of my leader.  Trembling with adrenaline, I checked my tippet then made another cast, this one to the rocks in the pool.  Immediately I pulled a 7 incher out.  I continued this for 15 minutes, casting to an isolated rock and catching small fish.

I made another cast and hooked up with a fish I could tell was big.  It didn't jump, but fought down deep for over 5 minutes.  After the chaotic fight, I lipped a nice 16 inch smallmouth for a few pictures.  This was an especially pretty fish with beautiful dark markings in certain lights and a smooth mossy bronze side in others.  After enjoying the pretty fish for awhile, I released it and made my trek back to the car.

While not the best evening for size,  I did catch a lot of fish end enjoyed a solo evening on the river before my night with friends afterwards.