Before the storm

It looked like rain all day today, and the forecast called for thunderstorms tonight. I thought I might be able to sneak in a few hours on the Credit before the rain started. I fished up through Brimstone. It was very humid. There were few insects (besides the plentiful mosquitoes). I saw a few caddis, a few no-see-ums, a very few green drake duns, and one big mayfly I thought was a grey fox. That's it. I raised a couple good fish on attractors, and caught a few small browns.

There were a number of guys out for the evening fishing. I packed it in early and was in my car on the way home by 7:30. Perhaps half-way home, I drove through a torrential downpour for about 15 minutes. I hope a few good ones were caught before the rain.

An evening at the Forks

I was tired after moving a lot of stone for some landscaping in my backyard, but I couldn't resist driving up to the Credit for a couple hours this evening. I had planned to fish the stretch above Grange Rd. but there were 4 cars there when I arrived, so I continued on to the Forks where I knew I could find some water to myself. I walked a little way, and fished the stretch between the second parking lot and the first house at Brimstone. There are two runs there where good trout rose to my fly last time out. Nothing doing in the first stretch, but in the second, I caught a lovely 15 inch brown right where it was rising before. Downstream, I caught another brown, but this fish was only about 9 inches.

There were a few small spinners (baetis) and a small number of hendrickson spinners in the air, and quite a few no-see-ems, and the only trout I saw rising were to my flies. There were no other fishermen anywhere near me, which is the way I prefer it.

A slow day on the Credit

After a good day yesterday, I drove back to the same spot and fished more or less the same water. When I arrived, it was slightly overcast. There were no bugs. I caught a trout right away on an attractor, and watched a few larger fish come up for a look. It was the same deal all day. The bigger trout would come up and not take. The Hendrickson hatch did not really come off - there were a few bugs in the air, but not enough to interest the fish. It was a hot day, and by the time I reached the meadows, I was tired. Although I brought along two bottles of water, it wasn't enough. Good thing I had plenty in a cooler in my trunk, which I really needed by the time I got back to the car.

It's interesting how the river can be so generous one day, and next day be so frugal. Still, it was good to be fishing.

above Forks of the Credit

Beautiful day above the Forks of the Credit... Hendricksons were emerging most of the afternoon - not a heavy hatch but a steady one. I caught 6, all browns, broke off an alligator, and cast for ages at two large risers that came up several times only to refuse my flies. Fished from noon until 7:00 and did lots of walking and wading. The water level has settled nicely and the river showed lots of trout today.

There is construction on Forks of the Credit Road. You can still drive to and park at the Forks though, but don't expect to drive through to Bellfountain because you can't do it. Hardly anyone out today - Mondays are great days to fish!

Sorry I didn't get a better shot of that nice trout. After I netted it, I remembered I had my camera with me. I wanted to release the trout quickly and safely, so I only allowed myself a quick shot of the fish in the net.

Opening Day - Credit River

After breakfast with the boys, I parked at the Forks of the Credit and went for a long walk. It was a gray day, but that is misleading because the overcast skies bring out the vibrancy of the spring colours. It was cool, but not cold, and a few times while I was out, a fine mist fell. The water was high and coloured, but still fishable. With the high water, some nice pools seemed to disappear into long riffles.

Mid-afternoon, some olives emerged, but the trout were not coming up for them. I couldn't move trout on nymphs or soft-hackles either. Finally, I caught and released an 11 inch brown on a small white streamer, near stuck-truck pool.

There were a few guys on the water today, but fewer than I expected, given it was opening day of the season. It was very good to get on a stream again!