TR: Penns Creek - Sorta (part one)

Thursday night after work, I blasted through Bal'more, enroute to
beautiful downtown Coburn. Pulled into Hemlock Acres at about quarter
to ten and was greeted by a roaring fire in the fire pit, tended by
Handyman Mike, Clavemeister Tom and Bruce Fisher.
The discussion around the fire was about Ivan the Terrible,his effects
on the creek and the house Bruce is buying on Penns. Telephone poles
laid out in yards and water four feet over the bridge at Three Streamer
Stan's house. The plan for the morning was to head to the trestle
bridge and see what we could see.
Bright and early (yeah, right), we role out of bed. No coffee. Oh, the
Humanity! Road trip across the street Bruce's trailer. Roust him out
of bed and raid his dark roast.
We pack up and head down to the trestle. On the way, we stop and look
at the devastation wrought by Ivan. At Stan's Pool, the water washed
away the approach to his bridge. All of the vegetation lining the bank
is stripped bare or gone. Water went through the tunnel to the trestle.
There are parts of a trailer wrapped around the trunks of trees just
upstream from Stan's bridge. The trailer started out above Hemlock Acres.
At the trestle, more trees stacked up against the bridge. The high
water mark is to the right of the road. We look at the water, its still
high, as Hurricane Jeanne had gone through on Tuesday, adding insult to
injury. Bruce looks at the house he's buying. High and dry. Its the
second house down from the trestle. Very nice place, big, stream is 80
feet away and a jacuzzi too. (He's looking to rent it out during the
clave).
We decide to head to Big Fishing Creek. We stop in a the Feathered
Hook. Jonas tells of a freezer in his back yard that was destined for
the dump. It circled in an eddy for 5 to 6 hours. Stacked railroad
ties that were planned for some terracing floated away. If you had
parked in front of his store, water would have been up to your axles.
6'6" of water in his 6'10" basement.
Tom, Mike and I head to Big Fishing and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Bruce
stays around to talk to the morgage folks.
At Big Fishing, there's a phone pole laying across the yard. The line
of debris is as much as 75 feet from the water. Bugs are coming off the
water. Tan caddis, BWO's and the fabled Orange or October Caddis. This
is a rust orange caddis up to two inches long. Bugs all over, but 90
percent of the weed bed has been stripped away. No fish. I get a rise
on an olive flash-a-bugger and have another spit out a golden stone fly
nymph. Tom and Mike get a couple of splashy rises on emergers and elk
hair caddis. No fish brought to hand.
We head back to town, hit the butchers (sirloin steaks for 3.61 a
pound), drop the stuff off at the trailer, then head back to the trestle
to hook up with Bruce at 6.
Bruce walks around the house with the new owner and Handyman Mike (Mike
plays building inspector). Tom and I head back to start dinner.
At 8, Mike roars back up to the trailer with a shout of "Where's Tom!?
I'm gonna kill him!!" I decide to go find a gentle bear to bunk down
with. Don't want brains splashed on my waders. Seems that Tom, or
someone (its still not been determined who), locked Mike's keys in his
van at the river. Coat hanger came to the rescue. We placate him with
a 1 1/2 lb sirloin and red beans and rice.
(Next issue: PA trout grand slam)
--
Frank Reid
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