I was excited to hit the water with some of my new nymph patterns I had tied from the vise at home this past week, and I was itching to hit the water.
Since Saturday was opening day for trout fishing in MD, I decided to try a closer and smaller stream on Sunday evening. I had about 3 hours of fishing light when I hit the stream. I was kind of surprised when I didn't see any trucks parked in the parking area near a bridge that is a common stocking area, but I commenced tying on some nymphs as temperatures were in the 80 for a change.
After some casts I noticed I wasn't seeing any fish, I thought I had seen a rise but later hooked up a 5-inch fall fish (creek chub) which may have been the culprit. I saw a few other groups of fishermen as I ranged upstream, but none were catching anything as far as they were saying, and I wasn't getting as much as a strike I could tell. In addition, I realized that I was really sweating in my heavy neoprene waders. I was diligent about hitting every good-looking riffle but was not seeing any action. I started to question if they really stocked this area.
After a mile or so in a lather, with my waders chaffing me around where the boot seam ended (at least I had enough sense to have shorts on instead of pants), I made my way to a bend in the creek and a deep pool around a boulder. I could see a good-sized palomino just outside of the main current running around the boulder. Usually there are other stocked fish nearby as well that are harder to see. Finally, I had found some fish. The spot was challenging. There were many overhanging branches on the downstream side that prevented me from casting up to the fish. The current hugged the boulder and was fairly stagnant where he was parked. I tried to circle upstream and get my fly into the current to run by the fish but kept getting hung up on the boulder. When I missed the current my fly would just die well ahead of the fish. I had one cast where it looked like the fish made a move to snag my fly, but there was nothing on the end of the line at all when I raised the tip. This was the only time in the several tries and about an hour of attempts. I thought I saw another trout rise and kept at it thinking that maybe another would get into the fly, but after a long time it was getting dark. I had no luck coaxing the trout to bite. I lost several flies and tried everything except dry flies.
I left the creek humbled and extremely dehydrated. When I got home, I was soaked and after drinking my fill of water weighed 6 pounds less than I was the evening before. Tough trip.
I also learned too late to get tickets that the local theater was premiering a movie about the Frederick native and fly-fishing legend Lefty Kreh. I am going to have to catch this show when it airs, as I work where Lefty was employed after WWII before he became famous. I've caught a few stripers on the "Lefty's Deceiver" fly and that was one of the first big fish flies I learned to tie.
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