Today I was meeting up with my buddy Andrew up in Schuylkill county to fish for some stockies and then ultimately get into some Natives before calling it a day. The idea was to start fishing for stockies first as that water would most likely get higher and dirtier before the spring watershed would within the mountain. It did rain and even snow a bit all throughout the wee AM hours and came to an end shortly after we arrived around 9:30am.
Once we got to the stream we started at the end of the lower section as it was totally open. No one else was present at this section, however upstream was packed. There was a car in the middle of the section and then 4 cars at the upper end.
We started slaying fish after fish after fish. Getting them on streamers, eggs, nymphs, the works. Along with probably 20 fish or more fish per person of average size, we also ended up landed a few chunkers as well. I forgot to get official measurements but one was probably around 19″ and other around 16-17″
We ventured over to the upper section eventually and found some more fish. Andrew landed a good 4 or 5 fish with the best being a pretty bow around 15″ or so.
We never got to being able to fish the middle section of the stream. As people started showing up now as it was around 1PM. We had to make a choice, and while getting into big stocked fish was fun, it was time to change gears and go chase some native brookies.
We headed back to the car and started our drive for round two. We only had a few hours now until dark and there would be a good 20-30 minute hike through what ended up being about 12 inches or snow or more to just get to the water. When finally arriving it wasnt long until Andrew hooked up with his first Native Brook trout.
Fishing smaller streams like this is much different then trampeding right up onto a hole of stocked trout. Its not so much about the fly youre fishing, as it is about getting into position, quietly, and making a good cast. Andrew learnt that quickly.
Over the next few hours of sunlight we had, we landed a handful of magnificent fish each, as well as losing probably twice as many. Its always amazes me where these fish are found and sit. Its not always in the deepest part of the pool.
