Posted on June 03 2021
Drove back to camp early this morning after a nice day spent with two daughters and three youngest grand kids. Went out about 11:30 with no clue where I was going to fish. Drove up the PA side and saw no risers on the river and almost no trailers (three) at Buckingham (it was way early so you can discount the number). Turned right in Hancock and took a leisurely drive up old rte. 17. Stopped to glass the river for bugs and risers a bunch of times. Saw two good fish rise in private, posted water at Cooks Falls and that was it. Ended the drive at Carin's pool where I saw an angler catch a fish on a dry.
On the trip back down river I drove down a little used dirt road to a row of summer homes on the BK. A homeowner was walking to her car and I asked her if there was anyplace where I could park and fish. She said I could park there and walk down her stairs to the river. So I did. Came out on the river just above where I had fished a week or so ago and walked upstream (a long ways). There were bugs hatching in modest numbers (green drakes, sulfurs and black caddis) and an occasional fish rising.
So, how'd it go? Some places the fish hadn't been fished to - they ate. Some places they had been fished to and takes were much harder to come by. A third of the fish hooked were beautifully colored wild trout, while two thirds were 14 to 15 inch stockers. A 19 inch brown was fish of the day.
Got back to the car at 5:00 and spent the next two and a half hours looking, without success, for rising fish. There were brown drakes hatching behind the Sunoco Station in East Branch and some fish were up and feeding on them. Anglers (both waders and the two boats I saw coming down the UEB with the Harvard gage at 270 cfs) had them surrounded. Ended up in the fog while fishing the "Home Pool" in the BR, otherwise known as the Lordville riff. There were next to no bugs, heavy fog and no fish rising.
If you are planning to fish in the next few days, look for bug activity (both hatching and spinners) on the WB and UEB. The lack of spinners tonight might have been weather related but it seems most of the hatching on the freestones is over.
I went to to stay at the Troutfitter, it’s been over a year since I have been down there, went back to school. I am a Troutfitter Dewitt regular. Starting new job end of june so it was time to hit the river and say hi to Dave. Did well caught fish all three days. Actually for the first time ever had a nice fish eat my green drake fly at Long flat. My excitement at this feet caused an slightly overzealous hook set and donated my fly. I did develop your dislike for unethical boats!!! I took your advice and went where there were no people. Found no one where the beaver kill meets the east Branch and there were hundreds of Drake’s, they were almost yellow with a very slight lime cast, I mistook them for march browns given the color. Not sure what they were. Do Drakes vary in color? The ones at Long flat were huge and very pale, seemed to have almost white wings. Anyway to the boats. There were a bunch of fish rising and a very pleasant gentleman and myself were spotting fish and making casts, he lost two good fish. I had refusals, which for me was pretty good for that river. Then the boats came and rowed over the rising fish!! There was plenty of room behind me. At least the second boat asked where to go, the first rowed in front and put down every fish. They didn’t just have to get out of the boat to cross the riffle but had to physically push it through! They acted like we weren’t there. Needless to say that killed the fishing for that spot. All in all your advice, go where the crowds aren’t, was spot on and I had a great time and landed some fish, and 17"ish" rainbow was my best fish, it started to straighten out my daiichi 1110 #14 Caddis tied to Cortland premium 6×.