Anticipation
The stream looks very fishy
Time to string up rods
The state's proscription on trout fishing in the stocked streams is only a month and a half long. But add to the regulations a gloomy, cold, and wet March, and the wait seems much longer. Stocking events break up the monotony a bit, but also increases the anticipation that a new fishing season is at hand.
The 2019 season began last Friday, when Capt. DiPaola rolled in to enjoy another Opening Day, the first at the West Branch Tavern. The evening festivities began with Smokey Manhattans at the bar, followed by a feast of steamed mussels in garlic and white wine sauce and mini crab cake appetizers, followed by a main course of Linguine alle Vongole, and ending with a few glasses of Woodford Reserve (double oaked) and cigars on the deck. The night skies were clear, temps comfortably in the high 40s, indicating most excellent conditions for fishing.
Saturday morning broke with partly cloudy skies and temps hovering in the upper 40s, with the forecast only getting better as the day wore on. We quickly ambled down to the Picnic Table Hole (aka Camp Bearclaw), around 0645, set on staking out the best fishing spot behind the WBT from the hord. Over the next hour or so rods were strung up, the drone prepared for launch, and we enjoyed a continental breakfast, courtesy of WBT co-owner Mary Felker.
At 0800, with the sun just beginning to creep over the mountain, the catching began. We sunk Woolly Buggers and Green Weenies to the bottom of the hole, and were rewarded with enough Brown, Brook and Rainbow tout to make the early rise worth the effort. As the weather warmed, we started seeming a few bugs coming off; Little Black Stone Flies, and even a Quill Gordon or two. But the fishing on this stream seem reluctant to rise early in the season.
By noon the bite was coming to an end, so a good time to send the drone up to catch some action before the bite quit for the afternoon. An earlier fight caught some good video of the surroundings. The second launch, however, proved to be a bit more problematic.
After the crash, Captain DiPaola quickly retrieved the drone from the creek. Amazingly, the battery was still powering the drone. Removing the battery, Joe left the vehicle to further dry out, optimistic that a "little" freshwater wash down would not result in a Class A mishap.
While the drone was drying, and the bite off at the hole, we decided to scout around to find another spot or two on the stream. Driving around the west and main branches of Fishing Creek, we noticed a lot more anglers that we had seen on our section of the west branch. The east branch, to my surprise, was empty. So we hit a couple of spots that I had helped stock with the state the previous week, and in one hole puled out a 12 inch Rainbow and 2 Brookies, one of them a bit too small to have been stocked.
All in we caught and released about 15 trout for the day. Even better, the drone proved fully operational after its Fishing Creek baptism. With Sunday came the thunderstorms that swelled the stream, followed by the cold (and spitting snow on Monday). Spring in Potter County is kind of fickle. But the fishing season is on, and with it hopefully the last of Old Man Winter.
Tight Lines,
Mike D Fishing
Great post, guys. You two know how to have fun!
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