Well folks, today was the official trout opener in PA, so I felt obliged to get
out.
It had been a busy winter/spring, so I hadn't blunder onto a stream yet this
year.
I chose the delayed harvest section of the Tulpehocken, conciously avoiding the
elbow to elbow crowds at most streams. Poor choice, as the creek is big, the
water was fast and pretty cold and the trout largely uncooperative. A few tan
caddis and midges about, but little interest. I did get some badly needed
exercise, and got to play for an hour with the new St.Croix 3 weight. My 5
weight was the proper rod for the conditions, but I put it aside to make my
acquaintance with the new stick. Put it through the paces tossing dries, light
nymphs, even small streamers....then, I figured I would try an extreme test. I
tied on a #6 Perla Stone nymph, weighty as hell, and saw how well I could lob
it.....I figured that perhaps a trip to an upstate stream with only the 3
weight might force me into such torture. Well, it held up, albeit not ideal for
such casting, with the surprise coming on the third cast/drift. A decent brown
grabs the darn thing enabling me to practice actually landing fish on the new
rod. Subsequent casts nabbed another dimwitted trout, a rainbow, for my only
fish of the day. I say "dimwitted" as the Tully has no stoneflies in it other
that tiny black and yellow ones, so God knows what they grabbed the thing for.
This is an odd sport.......
Duly exercised, and heading to Penns on
Thursday!!
Tom