Trout

There is a stream not too far from my home that keeps beckoning me back despite the fact that all but one of the dozen or so times I fished it I caught a fish. It certainly is not the fish that keeps drawing me back but something else...

A particularly nice section

The area feels very remote for most of its length with only two or three homes, no roads paralleling it, and only two bridges. You can feel like you are truly submersed in nature.

The one time I caught trout in this river I had hiked into the middle section. The other ten or so times, where I did not catch any fish, I started at the point where it ends by joining another major river...

I was a little miffed that there were not any fish down lower, so I kept trying... Well the other day I decided to hike past all the great holes that look like they should hold trout but never had any when I visted.

It was hard keeping my fishing rod in my Zimmerbuilt pack but somehow I managed. I spotted two turtles but no fish (except some surprise Tiger trout stockers down low...they were just trying to throw me off my game I know it).

As I made my way upstream I came across a small spring fed tributary. This is where I pulled out my trusty Daiwa Wise Stream 45UL-3, and I brought to hand and released a beautiful 13" wild Brook trout. I guess the lower section is too warm for trout (there is also a few very wide and shallow spots with minimal tree cover that I think contribute to warming the water too much in the lower sections of this river...).

One of those wide and shallow sections down low that I think makes the water too warm down stream for trout

As I continued upstream I saw more fish. I was having some issues with my reel causing some horrendous rats nests. I was lobbing a 0.5 gram spoon with 2.5lb test nylon line. So, I missed several fish because of that.

I put away my spin rod and setup my trusty Tenryu Furaibo TF-39TA tenkara rod. On my third or fourth cast I hooked into a small wild Brook trout.

I continued on upstream for aways and the stream entered a dark pine and cedar forest that was just heavenly. I did not want the day to end, but it was getting late and I still had a ways to hike out. I saw no other footprints or any kind of fishing line, lures, or trash along the whole section of the river. It was really nice.