February 6th-7th: Deer, Wooly Buggers and Skunks

February 6th: After a long week of school it was nice to get out on the water again. Hit the road right after class with a city limits stream in mind. I was going to bring company but my friend got caught up with figuring out some school related problems so it became a solo trip. The frozen urban water I found at my planned access put a kink in the quest but I was determined to fish the stream so I went upstream to faster flowing water and acquired permission to access a private stretch.

The landowner mentioned that it was a shallow stretch and right off the bat I found she was right as the stream was shallow and sandy. It was also slightly stained which puzzled me. With temps hanging around 30 I didn't think there would be much for run off.

Was able to find a few decent holes around log jams but it was tough fishing. Saw a couple small fish. Around 3 I decided to leave and head south to a proven stretch of a different stream. Decided to go all fly fishing on for the rest of the evening. Wasn't expecting a whole lot with my limited experience on the fly rod. After making a couple casts through the first hole I had my first strike but never hooked the fish. I walked a little closer and saw bunch of trout sitting down in the depths so I casted up to the top of the hole and dead drifted the black wooly bugger down deep, twitching it every couple seconds. I noticed a bunch of the fishing beginning to look at it and eventually one got the nerve to take a bite at it. Was able to get a good hook set and land it.

Ended up catching 6 in this hole in the same fashion, watching the bugger and watching the strike. Really cool being able to watch the whole process and not spook the fish hardly at all when I know a few casts with a spinner will spook all the fish in the hole. Spent a good half hour at the first hole before I decided to move on as the fish were beginning to reject the fly and the sun was setting on me. Walked up to the next bridge and fished upstream from there for a while. It was harder fishing with lots of overhanging branches, high banks and smaller pools. I would have been better off with the spinning rod here but it was fun with the fly rod. Turned into a very quiet and peaceful evening.

Just when I thought about heading back, I casted into a little hole and heard a huff and something crashing on the bank upstream of me. A good sized doe came down the bank, splashed through the stream and walked to the other side before catching sight of me. At the same time I felt a tug on the line so I set the hook and pulled up a nice little brown for the deer to see. All the movement and noise made the deer decide to trot away off into the woods.

 Hiked off the stream soon after and headed back to campus for some dinner. Ended the night heading out into the woods and having a bonfire with a few good friends. Listening to the owls and coyotes in the bluffs was music to my ears.

February 7th: Woke up early (for a Saturday) and my friend Dillan and I were stream side south of I-90 by mid morning. Fished a new stream that I haven't been to before and had a tough time with the high and tight banks of the pasture we were in. We weren't able to entice any trout to bite but we were both able to get a little better at casting with a fly rod and at least saw quite a few trout as we noisily walked around on the banks. It was Dillan's first time trout fishing and I feel bad that I didn't take him to an easier stretch were we could have had a better chance at catching some fish but I'm glad that we had a good time and he wants to go again sometime.

Came back to campus at noon for brunch then I headed back out to meet with some friends at their farm. Took a hike through the woods with our .22's but the squirrels and rabbits didn't cooperate to well. With the slow hunting, I kept looking down at the stream in the valley below thinking about the brookies I could be trying to catch in there. Comfortable afternoon in the mid 30's with sun.

Hiked out of the woods and over to the cabin that one of our friends has been building for a while and spent the rest of the afternoon drying off in there and catching up with each other. Had an amazing dinner then headed down the valley in route to campus. Smashed a skunk before reaching the end of the valley and could instantly smell the fowl odor. The scent stuck with me for close to a day even after showering. My truck still smells like it... I'll take a day of being on the water and in the woods ending with smelling like I got sprayed with a skunk over staying inside any day.