A Saturday presented itself with no kids so I decided to try my luck at new location. Off to Herkimer I went to the famed West Canada Creek and was on the water by 8 AM.
I chose to stop a few miles north of Herkimer off of route 28 at one of several pull offs along that stretch. The DEC worked overtime to secure miles of PFRs in the area so there's a lot to explore. The areas I checked looked extremely fishy to my untrained eye, though the depth and volume of water made wadig near impossible. Finding room to cast on the shore between the trees wasn't easy either. Given all that, I chose to spin cast for the first par of the day. I went through a range of lures (phoebes, spoons, cast masters) but didn't have much luck aside from the occasional rice chub. I admit, I was getting discouraged.
Somewhere around 3pm the clouds rolled in and I saw my first rise. I switched to a fly rod and threw the kitchen sink at it. Caddis dries, hopper-dropper, wooly bugger, black ghost, etc. but without any takers. Now really discouraged, I saw a small brown leap clear out of the water not too far from me.
Knowing his exact location gave me the chance I needed. I worked the spot over with a small bluewing olive (#18) and finally got the drift right to draw the strike. My first trout in at least a month!
I tried a few different spots along 28 and netted one more small brown before packing it in for the day at around 6pm. To me, it seems like the hardest par of trout fishing is finding the trout! I'm fairly successful at catching them once I know where they are (except on the East Branch)! Fishing blind is like playing the lottery. When I know there's a fish I need everything exactly right to draw a strike. Fishing blind chances seem incredibly slim. It's been a frustrating summer with few very hatches while I've been out, but one day with a modicum of success keeps me coming back.
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