# Hit the Creek



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I love fishing.

Hit a local creek today & was fortunate enough to see a bunch of different species as well as catch a bunch. My main goal was to nab a quillback & as soon as I arrived I was excited to see a 2 or 3 lb. fat boy nibbling near the bank. I tried numerous flies to no avail, both to the quillback & to some rather large common carp. I think they were simply lounging in the sun & could not care less about some small food item passing in front of their eyes. 

Armed with my trusty Scott 3 weight, deep down I knew the the 15 lb golden bone would probably spool me anyways. Abel Super 2 or not, my 4x tippet didn't stand a chance against these raging bulls. Especially considering this creek is all solid rock, with razor sharp edges jutting out everywhere. 

That being said, I put on a pheasant tail variant & got to work on the other species.

The setup.










The water.










The first fish of the day, a shiner, who put on a dazzling display of acrobatics & ferocity as he shot from the depths, grabbed the size 18 nymph & dove straight back to the bottom, only to turn around and shoot into the air. 










The fiercest fighters of the day, a total of 15 in all, were of course the bronzebacks. The largest may have been 15". 










Every eddie had a smallie, every downed tree had a school of rock bass, eager to smash a crayfish as it moved along the rock ledges.




























Did I mention I love fishing?


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

man dude thats awsome!!!...thats a jewel u got there...


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

That's a nice looking little creek. Nice looking fishes you caught too!


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## anglerNpurgatory (Jun 17, 2010)

Beautiful little stream there, looks like a peaceful place to spend the day. Any chance we can get a better look at your crawfish pattern?


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

anglerNpurgatory said:


> Beautiful little stream there, looks like a peaceful place to spend the day. Any chance we can get a better look at your crawfish pattern?


It's on the "what have you been tying" page I believe.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Nothin' spectacular, I'm always trying to make them swim better, sink faster, etc. 











..and an older pattern in black/rootbeer...


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## anglerNpurgatory (Jun 17, 2010)

That thing looks deadly. Especially like the cone head idea.


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

Sweet Report! The fly has a good profile and did it job.


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## allwayzfishin (Apr 30, 2008)

awesome pics. i have a small clear water shale bottom creek that i fish often too. i have to visit this old creek again soon. thanks for sharing!!!


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## Buzzin (Jun 22, 2010)

Awesome pictures Seth! I just may venture to the fly fishing scene soon!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

So I'm at a hospital today, one I've been to a couple times before. From past experiences I knew there was a nice creek behind it... I hoped for a hole deep enough to hold the prized creek bronzeback but only found water @ 18" of depth max, throughout the length. I was somewhat pressed for time so I could only explore about a total of 1 mile of stream. The vast majority of the water was about 12" deep, with a few riffles reaching a tad deeper. Really 2 weight 8x territory but my 3 weight Scott would have to suffice.

A quick overview:










In the far back corner of the lot, a dump... a deer trail... a short jaunt down a steep hill & the limestone crevice reveals itself...










I was impressed yet again with the scenery, even though it was obvious I was not going to be catching any fish of size...




























There were numerous schools of small fish along the stretch, mainly consisting of creek chubs & black nosed dace. 










A size 22 copper/tungsten beadhead nymph variation, tied on before I even saw the creek. I knew a trophy fish was going to be 6".















Why was I at the hospital you ask?! 











Meet Elliott, 9 minutes old in the above photo.  Yes!


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## tjc7t7 (Aug 16, 2009)

congrats!!!!!!!!!! on the new addition to the family! Leave it to a fly fisherman to be scouting out the creek while at the hospital! A great report thanks for sharing. That was quite a day on the water! I really liked the look of that crawfish pattern i have been trying my hand at making some different varations and have been struggling to get one I am really happy with any chance you could share with me the materials your using?


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

tjc7t7 said:


> congrats!!!!!!!!!! on the new addition to the family! Leave it to a fly fisherman to be scouting out the creek while at the hospital! A great report thanks for sharing. That was quite a day on the water! I really liked the look of that crawfish pattern i have been trying my hand at making some different varations and have been struggling to get one I am really happy with any chance you could share with me the materials your using?



I think simple is better. Almost all of the patterns I have come up with have really been too complicated to reproduce & still make sense.

In my experience, the key triggers are small size, earth tone & dark colors & small, pronounced pincers. 
For color, I like rootbeer estaz. Also works killer for two tone hellgrammite patterns. I used black maribou for the claws, black bucktail for the antennae & a soft silicone for the shell back. The tungsten cone helps it all ride hook point up....probably the most important aspect of the fly.... Copper wire segments the body & adds additional weight.

Again, far too complicated to really justify repeating...doing it all over again, I like the cone placement & maribou pincers, but the rest could be replaced with basic flash & dubbing.


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## wabi (Jun 14, 2008)

Looks like a fun stretch of water to tackle with a lightweight outfit!

Was the fishing trip before or after Elliot arrived?


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

wabi said:


> Looks like a fun stretch of water to tackle with a lightweight outfit!
> 
> Was the fishing trip before or after Elliot arrived?



Hehe, after he arrived. I had to run home & take care of the dogs so I took a small detour on the way.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I think the fish I caught behind the hospital is actually a bluntnose minnow, not a blacknose dace....if anyone knows for certain, I'd like to know.

Thanks
S


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## London calling (Dec 12, 2008)

I would also try a crystal bugger or clouser to tempt the smb/rock bass. Did you tie on any mulberry flies for the quil back? Carp @ here will take them. keep us posted . Looks like a fun place to wet a line regardless of the size of the fish in there.

LC


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