Yearly Archives: 2012

75 posts

Maine Brook Trout – Threats From Invasive Species On The Rise

Bucket biologists and other misguided people are contributing to major threats to Maine’s brook trout population by introducing bass, pike and other game fish to waters around the state. Maine has the most and highest quality brook trout watersheds in the United States, and these introduced species push out the brookies. Brook trout is the #1 game fish in the state and this contributes to Maine’s tourism industry. Unfortunately, other game fish would no doubt also contribute, with the result being the potential decimation of the east coast’s only native trout.

Summer Heat, Even in the Poconos

Pickerel-June-2012
Poconos pickerel, aka “snot rocket”

Got to spend some time at the lake in the Poconos this summer. It’s the usual pattern this time of year. May — caught some nice pickerel. Late June — same. Late July and early August — low water, warm temps, the fish are nowhere to be found during the day since they are hanging out DEEP and literally chillin’. Had two bumps this past weekend but no hookups. I even abandoned the fly rod and went with the spinning rod and a Ratt-L-Trap… and everything else in the bag. Only thing left to do was 1) put on a strip of pork rind (I’m not too proud) and 2) get up early. We were having too much fun in the evenings to make (2) workable, and (1) just never happened.

As far as the brook trout, I’ve left them alone recently. It’s just too hot. I think fishing for them when the water temps are in the high 60’s is worse in many ways than catching them when they’re spawning in the fall. Plus, they are so spooky that the two hour round trip hike in the heat and humidity to maybe catch a fish or two also put me off.

The smallmouth are willing, though, if you go very early or at the other end of the day, around sunset. During the heat of the day you can try, but it’s usually (but not always) tough going.

Catastrophic Breakage, Smallmouth Grande

Scott G series, its limits tested only by my stupidity.

An unfortunate series of events on the Shenandoah River near home yesterday evening for sure. I was in a rush — that’s really all I need to say since you know where that always leads. Straight to disaster, though minor in the wide angle view of life, but still…

Beautiful day after the cold front came through. The humidity left, the clouds withered, and being the front end of summer I had about three hours of daylight left after I got home. So in my reckless haste I began to make a series of mistakes as I aimed to get down to the water and maximize my time there. It’s hard to say if any of the small missteps mattered (forgot the nice camera, the anchor for the kayak, the right hat, the good beer), though maybe they all led to the big one. That most painful error started with me deciding, uncharacteristically, to string up the fly rod in my driveway and then… wait for it… shove it in the car sticking out the window. Yeah, I know. The good thing was that nothing bad happened driving down our narrow dirt road to the river. The bad thing was that after parking the car, it was time to disembark and do the car parking ritual — car in gear, brake on, close up the sunroof and (ooops) CLOSE THE WINDOWS.

That fly rod had become one of my favorites, a nice find on eBay early last year, a Scott G, 9’6″ 8 weight two piece, about twenty years old. Still, it looked fine on my rush (that word again) inspection. So into the kayak it and I went, with a yellow size 6 popper on the end of that swank Orvis saltwater line and several bits of leader and tippet. First cast, a strike. The wind was blowing upstream so that was nice to not only cast in that direction but to have the wind push me that way, so no padding required to pretty much stay put in one spot. Anchor not needed. Everything was going my way. Second cast, nothing. Third cast — CRACK.

A noise I’m not familiar with.

I examined the rod, starting from the handle. Guide by guide on the way up, everything looks good, until the last quarter when I see the rod is splintered longitudinally into three shards of once expensive, now junk carbon fiber graphite tech material. Crap.

Beastly, for me anyway. Click on it, it gets bigger!

Back to the car and rig up the beefy Ugly Stick. Paddled to the deep holes near the big sycamores and cast right up against the weeds on shore, chugging and gurgling, pulling another popper (much bigger than the fly rod version) under the water and letting it float to the top like something wounded and dying.  Cast-cast-cast-cast-cast about a hundred times and BAM! I hauled in the biggest smallmouth to date (for me) on the Shenandoah. Awesome!!! He jumped five times, dove several times, pulled me around a little, came up and was, as they always seem to be, royally pissed. Single hook right in the corner of the mouth. Photos all around then release. That was good.

Maybe not worth the broken rod, maybe worth it. No looking back now. Except at that fish.

The Way of Things

So we’re halfway through 2012 and you’ve noticed, no doubt, that my blogging has consisted of a lot of stocked trout reports for my region mixed with some very infrequent writing. I’ve been coasting, riding on the coattails of my past success thanks to the tens of you that read this blog. Milking it. Actually, it’s worse than that. Worse because there are tens of you who tune in each day and that adds up to several times that in unique visitors each month. And that’s worse because it makes my neglect that much more heinous, and neglectful.

I would like to promise you that I’ll post interesting content more often, like each week — nay, each DAY! That I’ll beat the bushes for those remote and nearly lost streams that hold the wildest of native brook trout. That I’ll hike for miles out and back, uphill both ways weighed down by waterlogged wading boots and leaky waders. That I’ll battle snakes, bears and mountain lions just to make a single cast into that last pool in that remote and nearly lost headwater, right at sunset, to find that single fish who, having also tromped uphill fighting snakes, bears and mountain lions, is worthy of great sacrifice and all manly efforts I can offer.

Yes, I’d like to promise you all that and more, but I can’t. All I can do is explain myself. And the truth is pretty uninteresting. Sure, I’ve been fishing, but not as often and not nearly often enough for brook trout.

The truth is, I’ve been busy working. Working for a living. The damn work thing.

Some of you may be out of work or among the underemployed, and I would hate to sound ungrateful for the work I am fortunate to do. People tell me I should be thankful. I am. Things are right with my world I am told. Work. It’s what we do, what we all are meant to do, and on and on they say. No doubt it’s true. And I do it, been doing it since I was twelve years old. First a paper route, then working in the kitchen of a restaurant throughout high school, part time up to 35 hours a week Friday through Sunday. Then I spent a summer bagging rocks at a quarry. Then college. The next summer delivering those quarry rocks in a dump truck. Part time work in college while a full time student. Another summer cutting down trees and feeding and pruning the rest that we didn’t fell. A bicycle messenger in Washington, DC for nearly a year. More jobs and more jobs, working, saving. Most of us have done it and do it still. We’re all meant to. It’s the way of things, no doubt that’s true. It has its merits, and regardless of all that, it’s necessary.

But I’ll tell you what. It sucks.

Like some of you, I have a list. Much of it is in my mind and I tweak it as I read more and talk to more people who fish and travel. It’s a list of places I’d like to go, general see-the-world kind of traveling as well as a lot of destinations to catch fish. I manage to cross a couple off each year, but if I do some rough calculations, it quickly becomes clear… that I’m never going to see most of these places while I keep working, saving and abiding by the way of things, its many merits and necessity and all.

So this fortunate situation I’ve been in for over thirty-three years now has a clear downside. That downside will, if I let it, see me to the end of what will hopefully be a long life, but left with most of that long list of places I’d like to see still long and hopelessly uncrossed. It’s simple math. Hours in a day, days in a life and places on a list. Even if I could not do the math, I can just look at many people I know personally who have been fortunate and have lived to a very old age. Their own lists will too soon be folded up and put away forever, hopelessly uncrossed items trailing away in long columns. Things that could have been. Things that now permanently remain dreams to those folks. For all of its twists and turns, life always ends up delivering us to the exact same place. Surely you remember a quote along those lines from some computer nerd marketing genius at a Stanford University commencement speech a few years back. “Death is the destination we all share.” It puts a very fine point on things, lights a fire under your tuchus. At least it should. But for most of us it does not.

Anyway, I could go on. In fact, I will. That I do promise you. This blog may take on a slightly different twist as I explore this, ehmmmm, “middle of life” I’ll call it. Can I achieve some new balance and do many of these things? And just what are those things?

And how much brook trout fishing am i going to be doing, seriously? Well, I’m going to tell you. And in the meantime, I have some fish stories you need to catch up with…

Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule May 25 2012

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Virginia trout stocking info for the past week is below my minor rant here…

Gotta say that I really appreciate what the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries does. We have a lot of great fishing opportunities in this state, many in remote areas and most maintained in a very natural, often primitive condition, which makes a great fishing experience in my opinion. However, their counterparts at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation could take some tips from the VDGIF.  I experienced the downside of their efforts to “upgrade” certain places last night, namely the pond at Sky Meadows State Park in Paris.

I arrived at the site about an hour and a half before sunset and noticed the improvements such as monofilament disposal tubes, nice benches and signage. I got to the parking area and saw one of the upgrades that was a surprise — a new $3 parking fee ($4 on weekends). I’m not opposed to paying for the privilege of fishing and I support fishing efforts in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and other states by paying for annual licenses, access fees, buying tackle locally, etc. I paid the new parking fee and got to fishing, casting a blue size six Shenandoah popper on my five weight. Got two small largemouths and one bluegill in the wind and light rain, not nearly what I was hoping for but a good time nonetheless. The final park “upgrade “I experienced was the park police in their brand new pickup truck pulling into the driveway and barking on the bullhorn, “THE PARK IS NOW CLOSED.” It closes at dusk and since it was exactly sunset I guess they were technically correct. I spent many great evenings there in the past, but not sure I’ll be going back there very often now. A bummer since it’s a nice spot, but I don’t need a chaperone barking on a bullhorn at the end of a peaceful evening of fishing, and paying $3 to fish for an hour and a half just isn’t worth it.

Anyway, here are the stocked trout streams this week:

Amherst Co.
Pedlar River (Lower) (05/21)
Augusta Co.
Braley Pond (05/22)
Elkhorn Lake (05/24)
Hearthstone Lake (05/22)
Bath Co.
Jackson River (Rte.623) (05/24)
Botetourt Co.
Jennings Creek (05/22)
Craig Co.
Potts Creek (05/24)
Floyd Co.
Burkes Fork (05/24)
Giles Co.
Wolf Creek (5/18 Evening)
Grayson Co.
Big Wilson Creek (05/23)
Madison Co.
Hughes River (05/24)
Robinson River (05/22)
Rose River (05/24)
Page Co.
Hawksbill Creek (05/23)
Roanoke Co.
Roanoke River (City) (05/23)
Smyth Co.
South Fork Holston River (Lower) (05/19)
South Fork Holston River (Buller Dam) (05/23)
Tazewell Co.
Lincolnshire Lake (05/22)
Little Tumbling Creek (05/24)
Washington Co.
Big Tumbling Creek (05/24)
Whitetop (Upper) (05/22)
Whitetop (Lower) (05/22)
Wythe Co.
Rural Retreat Lake Pond (05/18 Evening)
Cripple Creek (Ravens) (05/23)

 

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule May 25 2012

West Virginia

Compared to Maryland, West Virginia has done a good bit of trout stocking this past week…

 

 

 

May 24, 2012

  • Back Fork of Elk River
  • Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
  • Desert Fork
  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Glade Creek of New River
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
  • Lost River
  • Marsh Fork
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • Pinnacle Creek (lower section)
  • Right Fork of Middle Fork River
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • Sugar Creek
  • Trout Run
  • Waites Run
  • West Fork Greenbrier River

May 23, 2012

  • Big Clear Creek
  • Brandywine Lake
  • Brushy Fork Lake
  • Bullskin Run
  • Cranberry River
  • Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
  • Evitts Run
  • Gandy Creek
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • Middle Creek
  • Middle Fork River
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • North Fork of South Branch
  • Paint Creek
  • Pond Fork
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • South Fork of Cranberry River

May 22, 2012

  • Boley Lake
  • Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Castleman Run Lake
  • Dillons Run
  • Edwards Run
  • Fort Ashby Reservoir
  • Glade Creek of Mann
  • Glady Fork
  • Kimsey Run Lake
  • Middle Wheeling Lake
  • North River
  • Opequon Creek
  • R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
  • Rocky Marsh Run
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • Spruce Knob Lake
  • Teter Creek Lake
  • Tygart Headwaters
  • Williams River

May 21, 2012

  • Anthony Creek
  • Big Sandy Creek
  • Buckhannon River
  • Burnsville Tailwaters
  • Coopers Rock Lake
  • Knapps Creek
  • Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • North Fork of Cherry
  • South Fork of Cherry
  • Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
  • Summit Lake
  • Sutton Tailwaters
  • Watoga Lake

May 18, 2012

  • Buffalo Fork Lake
  • Clear Fork of Tug
  • Cranberry River (C&R)
  • Cranberry River (Children & Class Q) Woodbine section
  • Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
  • Glady Fork
  • Indian Creek
  • Kings Creek
  • Left Fork of Buckhannon River (rail stocking)
  • Rich Creek (Monroe)
  • Seneca Lake
  • Shavers Fork (Bemis)
  • Shavers Fork (lower section)
  • Shavers Fork (upper section)
  • South Branch (Smoke Hole)
  • Summit Lake
  • Tomlinson Run
  • Tygart Tailwaters
  • Watoga Lake

May 17, 2012

  • Big Clear Creek
  • Brandywine Lake
  • Brushy Fork Lake
  • Buckhannon River (rail stocking)
  • Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
  • Castleman Run Lake
  • Hills Creek
  • Kimsey Run Lake
  • Little Clear Creek
  • Little Kanawha Headwaters
  • Lost River
  • Lower Cove Run
  • Middle Wheeling Lake
  • North Fork of South Branch
  • North River
  • Potts Creek
  • Right Fork of Little Kanawha Headwaters
  • South Fork of Potts Creek
  • Teter Creek Lake
  • Trout Run
  • Waites Run

Maryland Trout Stocking Schedule May 25 2012

Small number of trout streams stocked in Maryland this past week…

 

 

 

County Location Date Map
Garrett Youghiogheny River – Oakland (960 BN) May 23 GO >
Washington Licking Creek (200 RB/GN) May 22 GO >
Garrett Savage River Reservoir (960 RB/GN) May 22 GO >
Allegany Wills Creek (1445 RB/GN) May 22 GO >
Allegany Evitts Creek (1445 RB/GN) May 22 GO >
Allegany Fifteen Mile Creek (1095 BN) May 21 GO >

Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule May 18 2012

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

A fair number of streams were stocked with trout in Virginia this past week. This includes some good ones — the Jackson, Back Creek, Big Stoney Creek, North River, South River, the South Branch of the Potomac, plus everyone’s favorite stream to love and hate at the same time, Passage Creek (just stocked yesterday).

 

 

Albemarle Co.
Mint Springs Lake (Upper) (5/17)
Mint Springs Lake (Middle) (05/17)
Amherst Co.
Davis Mill Creek (05/12)
Pedlar River (Upper) (05/12)
Augusta Co.
North River (Upper) (05/15)
South River (Ridgeview Park) (05/16)
Bath Co.
Back Creek (05/15)
Jackson River (Hidden Valley) (05/17)
Bland Co.
Laurel Fork Creek (05/11 Evening)
Buchanan Co.
Dismal River (05/11 Evening)
Carroll Co.
Crooked Creek (05/17)
Little Reed Island Creek (05/17)
Floyd Co.
Little Indian Creek (05/14)
Little River (05/11 Evening)
West Fork little River (05/14)
Giles Co.
Big Stoney Creek (05/16)
Grayson Co.
Elk Creek (05/12)
Fox Creek (05/17)
Hales Lake (05/16)
Helton Lake (05/17)
Middle Fox Creek(05/17)
Henry Co.
Smith River (Dam) (05/14)
Highland Co.
South Branch Potomac River (05/15)
Patrick Co.
Rockcastle Creek (05/15)
Roanoke Co.
Tinker Creek (05/15)
Glade Creek (05/15)
Roanoke River (Salem) (05/16)
Rockingham Co.
Silver Lake (05/14)
South River (Grottoes) (05/16)
Scott Co.
Bark Camp Lake (05/15)
Shenandoah Co.
Passage Creek (05/17)
Washington Co.
Straight Branch (05/14)
Wise Co.
Clear Creek (05/16)
Middle Fork Powell River (05/16)

West Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule May 18 2012

West Virginia

West Virginia trout stocking info from the past week, as of this morning…

 

 

 

May 17, 2012

  • Big Clear Creek
  • Brandywine Lake
  • Brushy Fork Lake
  • Buckhannon River (rail stocking)
  • Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
  • Castleman Run Lake
  • Hills Creek
  • Kimsey Run Lake
  • Little Clear Creek
  • Little Kanawha Headwaters
  • Lost River
  • Lower Cove Run
  • Middle Wheeling Lake
  • North Fork of South Branch
  • North River
  • Potts Creek
  • Right Fork of Little Kanawha Headwaters
  • South Fork of Potts Creek
  • Teter Creek Lake
  • Trout Run
  • Waites Run

May 16, 2012

  • Anthony Creek
  • Beech Fork Tailwaters
  • Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
  • East Lynn Tailwaters
  • Fall Run
  • French Creek Pond
  • Greenbrier River
  • Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
  • Knapps Creek
  • Laurel Fork of Holly River
  • Left Fork of Holly River
  • Meadow Creek of New River
  • Middle Creek
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • Mill Run of Back Creek
  • Milligan Creek
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Lunice
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • Tilhance Creek
  • Tuscarora Creek
  • West Fork Twelvepole

May 15, 2012

  • Bear Rocks Lake
  • Blackwater River
  • Bullskin Run
  • Burnsville Tailwaters
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Cranberry River
  • Deer Creek (Nicholas)
  • Elk River
  • Evitts Run
  • Jimmy Lewis Lake
  • Laurel Creek of Cherry River
  • Opequon Creek
  • Pipestem Lake
  • Rocky Marsh Run
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • South Mill Creek Lake
  • Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
  • Sutton Tailwaters
  • Wallback Lake
  • Wheeling Creek

May 14, 2012

  • Anawalt Lake
  • Dillons Run
  • East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Edwards Run
  • Fort Ashby Reservoir
  • Gandy Creek
  • Horse Creek Lake
  • Horseshoe Run
  • Laurel Fork (Randolph)
  • Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
  • Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
  • Mill Creek of South Branch
  • Red Creek
  • Spruce Knob Lake
  • Tuckahoe Lake
  • Tygart Headwaters
  • West Fork Greenbrier River
  • Williams River

May 11, 2012

  • Berwind Lake
  • Big Sandy Creek
  • Buckhannon River
  • Cacapon Park Lake
  • Coopers Rock Lake
  • Dry Fork (McDowell)
  • Dunloup Creek
  • Elk River
  • Glade Creek of Mann
  • Glade Creek of New River
  • Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • Middle Creek
  • Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
  • New Creek
  • North Fork of Cherry River
  • North Fork of Lunice
  • North Fork of Patterson Creek
  • Opequon Creek
  • Paint Creek
  • Poorhouse Pond
  • Right Fork of Buckhannon River
  • South Branch (Franklin)
  • Watoga Lake