PeteCz
06-14-2008, 10:47 PM
After getting nearly skunked yesterday evening above Tremont, I decided that I needed to try someplace out of the way. I had thought about going above Middle Falls on Snowbird Creek (14 miles roundtrip), but it would be a very long day trip and since the weather was sketchy (and woke up too late), I decided that I should try the trip up Snowbird Creek, on another day (anyone interested?).
Instead, I headed out to Upper Deep Creek. Traffic was fairly light in the Park and I made it to the trailhead in 80 minutes from Maryville. I planned to hike down to the unmaintained campsite and fish from there, but when I got there the water looked a bit skinny so I moved farther down. Along the way I flushed 6 grouse that were right by the side of the trail. It was quite a ruckus.
Since the trail is so high above the stream in most parts down there, I wound up hiking almost all the way to CS#53 before I could find a good spot to access the stream. I put in about 3.5 miles from the TH (a 60 minute hike – to about .5 miles above the campsite). I wound up fishing some of the same water Steve and I fished last year, so I may have even been closer to 53 than I thought.
First pool, first cast and the first fish! I don’t believe I had ever done that before (it was a nice 8” Brookie). I got a few splashes on the next couple of pools, but no hookups so I switched from a #14 Yellow Stimi to a #14 Parachute Mr Rapidan (my only one, of course). That did the trick. I managed to catch eight fish with that fly in the next 45 minutes, before losing it in a Rhodie on the far side of a deep pool. I switched to a couple of different flies, but nothing worked consistently (or I couldn't see it) and I managed four more fish. Who in the world can see a #16 Adams in choppy water on an overcast day...
I wound up catching thirteen fish (LDRd 4 more [on the Adams] and had over a dozen splashes), which is on the low side for that stretch of water, but the size of the fish more than made up for the quantity. All but 3 of the fish were 7” or larger. I caught two very feisty rainbows mixed in with the 11 brookies. One ran about 10” and was almost lost when he jumped out of the water and into some branches. The other rainbow was a fat 11” with very white flanks. He was hanging out in a small pool and once he was hooked made several leaps and an attempt to break me off under a ledge before I managed to horse him over to me (6x on a 3wt is not really horsing, is it?).
It had been very, very dark down along the stream with light drizzle from 1-3p (Deep Dark Creepy Creek, was the name that kept coming to mind). At about 4p, it started pouring, so a I headed out. It took about 75 minutes to hike the last 3miles of the trail back to Newfound Gap Rd. It was actually quite comfortable hiking in the rain (something I had never done before). It never rained hard enough to effect the footing and it definitely kept the temp down. Not a bad way to go.
I had been skeptical about attempting the trip again as a day hike, but it was definitely easier this year in the rain, than last year in the heat…might be a good early spring or fall day trip.
Now I just need to find the energy to do the Middle Falls (Brookie) trip, and possibly a crazy partner for the 14 mile daytrip. Anyone? Anyone?.....Buehler?
Instead, I headed out to Upper Deep Creek. Traffic was fairly light in the Park and I made it to the trailhead in 80 minutes from Maryville. I planned to hike down to the unmaintained campsite and fish from there, but when I got there the water looked a bit skinny so I moved farther down. Along the way I flushed 6 grouse that were right by the side of the trail. It was quite a ruckus.
Since the trail is so high above the stream in most parts down there, I wound up hiking almost all the way to CS#53 before I could find a good spot to access the stream. I put in about 3.5 miles from the TH (a 60 minute hike – to about .5 miles above the campsite). I wound up fishing some of the same water Steve and I fished last year, so I may have even been closer to 53 than I thought.
First pool, first cast and the first fish! I don’t believe I had ever done that before (it was a nice 8” Brookie). I got a few splashes on the next couple of pools, but no hookups so I switched from a #14 Yellow Stimi to a #14 Parachute Mr Rapidan (my only one, of course). That did the trick. I managed to catch eight fish with that fly in the next 45 minutes, before losing it in a Rhodie on the far side of a deep pool. I switched to a couple of different flies, but nothing worked consistently (or I couldn't see it) and I managed four more fish. Who in the world can see a #16 Adams in choppy water on an overcast day...
I wound up catching thirteen fish (LDRd 4 more [on the Adams] and had over a dozen splashes), which is on the low side for that stretch of water, but the size of the fish more than made up for the quantity. All but 3 of the fish were 7” or larger. I caught two very feisty rainbows mixed in with the 11 brookies. One ran about 10” and was almost lost when he jumped out of the water and into some branches. The other rainbow was a fat 11” with very white flanks. He was hanging out in a small pool and once he was hooked made several leaps and an attempt to break me off under a ledge before I managed to horse him over to me (6x on a 3wt is not really horsing, is it?).
It had been very, very dark down along the stream with light drizzle from 1-3p (Deep Dark Creepy Creek, was the name that kept coming to mind). At about 4p, it started pouring, so a I headed out. It took about 75 minutes to hike the last 3miles of the trail back to Newfound Gap Rd. It was actually quite comfortable hiking in the rain (something I had never done before). It never rained hard enough to effect the footing and it definitely kept the temp down. Not a bad way to go.
I had been skeptical about attempting the trip again as a day hike, but it was definitely easier this year in the rain, than last year in the heat…might be a good early spring or fall day trip.
Now I just need to find the energy to do the Middle Falls (Brookie) trip, and possibly a crazy partner for the 14 mile daytrip. Anyone? Anyone?.....Buehler?