Tiny Water Stalkers - what to enjoy besides the Boo?

nativebrownie · Post by **nativebrownie** » 08/17/09 13:14

Alaric - luscious shots - the bend in the cane (lead pic) must connect to some jewel of a native - pretty run...
A heavenly place to visit (now that's a pool)..

Marty - beautiful flavor throughout... Now that's a pool to sit by and plan before a first cast... amazing - all so heathy on that southern cookin ... And seems like everyone is in the spirit of gorgeous fun for all ... real nice...

Strikes me that boo falls naturally into so many of these tiny water scenes - just nice to have a beautiful walking stick for a stroll (or stalk) in the park...

Ed Pirie · Post by **Ed Pirie** » 08/18/09 03:35

Just great shots, all of them - love this thread!

Just one thing: Alaric11, please take me to your leader - what a great looking brook.

Ed Pirie
West Topsham, Vermont

quashnet · Post by **quashnet** » 08/18/09 04:16

Marty: Cardinal Flower along a trout stream is about as beautiful to see as a native trout rising to mayflies. It looks like Joe-Pye Weed is also growing with the Cardinal Flower on the rocky bar. Looks like a wonderful place to fish.

Marty · Post by **Marty** » 08/19/09 01:37

Quashnet... there are dozens of streams just like that all over east TN.... If you get down this way you're welcome anytime...... I have one of the audobon wildflower guides but never seem to get beyond "wow look at that!" and snapping a pic or two .... just upstream of that bar is a feeding lane that always holds 3 or 4 browns if you can miss the rhodo that over hangs it they're always ready to go.....

Middle Branch · Post by **Middle Branch** » 08/19/09 17:59

Here's the stream I started flyfishing on so many years ago. It's in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, so I don't get up there as often as I'd like, but I make it at least once a year. It runs down a ravine, really high gradient and water that numbs your feet all year. A mixture of wild brookies and rainbows, the rainbows are actually baby steelhead (trib of Lake Superior), and they fight like it.

The rainbows have amazing colors, they really match the stream bottom.

Since it's in Michigan, of course I have to fish it with a Heddon, this is a 7' Featherweight Black Beauty. This is my all time favorite small stream rig actually, a very fine tip that throws a 4 weight beautifully.

nativebrownie · Post by **nativebrownie** » 08/20/09 02:25

Middle Branch,
Whew... returning to the stream of your youth, in that kind of beauty, with a Heddon in hand ( a Heddon in Michigan - nice ring to it) - thank you so much for letting us join you - precious...

dawgvet · Post by **dawgvet** » 08/21/09 07:21

I have really enjoyed all the small stream afficionados posts. I grew up fishing small headwaters in north Georgia as this is the only place wild trout survive our hot summers. Thought you might enjoy pics of a brief afternoon jaunt I took yesterday afternoon. Nice to enjoy some natural air conditioning in August.

robcane · Post by **robcane** » 08/21/09 09:34

Wonderful stuff, fellas. The heartbreaking beauty of small streams. Mysterious trickles and plunge pools hidden by laurel jungles and hemlock boughs. What sanity I have left, I owe to these mountain wellsprings.

Rob

freestoner · Post by **freestoner** » 08/21/09 14:13

Here's a view of one of my newest favorite streams, the Upper Sacramento River:

A bit wider than a headwater brook at that point- but not much wider.

For me, the real kicker is the location of the stretch of river where I took both of these pictures- this is the Dunsmuir, CA city park. Right in the city limits, at the north end of town.

BobB · Post by **BobB** » 08/21/09 14:19

your compelling post on tiny water fishing goaded me to revisit one of my favorite little creeks.

Thank you. One of the most relaxing and satisfying days I've had on the water in quite a while!

Well here we go.......a man should always take a little time to thank the higher being for giving us these jewels.

I guess a man should select his weapons of choice for the task at hand.........

This creek has a fairly steep gradient rise with some beautiful plunge pools and small pocket waters interspersed......

This particular pool held a surprise.

A 13" native brownie........a fish to be proud of on this little stream!

This little feller is much more typical..........

My hand looks like Seinfeld's lobster cracking girlfriend!!!

A few closing shots.........

I enjoyed, hope you do?

bobbyg

nativebrownie · Post by **nativebrownie** » 08/21/09 16:34

Alaric- yes, agreed, so special (especially knowing a beaut of split cane joins these shots)...And yes, you did recognize well...

dawgvet- appreciated the revisit of my memories of No. Georgia (Dawg alum here)... beauty galore out there - that Medalist fits right in...

robcane - to me, on the mark, "canopies of sanctuary" for me when I get weary...

freestoner - not a bad Park where I come from! Oh, to flick a dry on light longer cane in that Park...

Bob - such a bounty of gifts to be shared ... those richly fashioned , mossy mounds are defintely from "above"... you're right. so peaceful and quite a day...Very nice of that 13" brownie to join you that afternoon...

robcane · Post by **robcane** » 08/24/09 07:06

Tough to let this thread go. L&C Captain and mossy spring trickling into wild trout stream, last week in Catskills.

spruce grouse · Post by **spruce grouse** » 08/24/09 09:20

I wish I had some pictures from 10 days ago but I don't. Actually, it's probably lucky I didn't have my camera with me. I was in Yosemite on family vacation and wasn't planning on doing much fishing for a couple of different reasons. I spent a couple of hours one morning fishing the South Fork of the Merced which wasn't very productive due to very little water - a few nibbles and a couple small fish on. As I was walking back to where I was staying, a guy loading up his car asked me how the fishing had been. When I told him, he said to try the creek at the end of the road which he'd been fishing all summer. I had planned to fish the creek but given the low water in the "larger" river I had decided not to. I quickly changed my mind.

The next morning I went to the creek. There was not much water to see, partly because there wasn't a lot of water but partly because there were tons of rocks and boulders in the streambed that is much wider in the spring. When I got closer to the stream I could see that there were pools nestled in between the rocks and they looked fishy. This was a high gradient moutain stream and between the pools there wasn't anything fishable but many of those pools (3' to 8' in length, 2' to 5' wide) yielded beautiful native rainbows. This was also somewhat 'extreme' fishing as I found myself free climbing up boulders the size of Mini Coopers or Minivans with fly rod in mouth (luckily I'd brought my new 7'9" 4 piece McFarland glass rod) to get to the next pool. At times the only way to get the fly into a pool was from 10' above it and then scramble down somehow when I hooked a fish. It was pure bliss. Luckily I had cell phone reception (brought in case of emergency - we'd seen rattlesnakes in the area mating) and could call my wife and ask to spend more time fishing.

But here's a photo from this side of the country of the kind of water I wish I fished more often:

riverwader · Post by **riverwader** » 08/25/09 15:00

Nice reports guys. Enjoyed all of them, especially since with work being hell and healing after surgury I havent been out much this year.

janotcastermans · Post by **janotcastermans** » 08/27/09 02:30

Hello Riverwader,I hope you recover well.

Here's a view of one of my favorite streams In Belgium,The Lesse.

I hope you guy's love it. Best greats Janot

spruce grouse · Post by **spruce grouse** » 08/27/09 03:10

Janot,
I guess what they say is true - Lesse is more.

Nice looking stream and fish.

BobB · Post by **BobB** » 08/27/09 04:41

Very nice Janot!

bobbyg

MJF · Post by **MJF** » 08/28/09 06:35

This thread had some fantastic photos of some beautiful places to be, let alone fish.

Short Tip · Post by **Short Tip** » 08/29/09 11:41

Lovely photos, lovely memories. A few of my own......

Cane Rods and Harleys · Post by **Cane Rods and Harleys** » 08/29/09 12:38

Stream by my home

Brookie with my Bill Taylor 7' "Harley Quad"