Lookin' Back...

The wintry weather we've been experiencing around these parts lately hasn't allowed for much fishin' time, and since it's been difficult to get out and create new memories, I've been reflecting on some of the old ones. In particular, the Summer of 2009 was especially sweet.


There's a little spring creek out in the Shenandoah Valley that haunts my dreams. It's widely known for being...well, hateful. The place gets heavily pressured and the trout are skittish, nervous and educated. Throw in conditions such as high banks, tall grasses, extensive weed beds, ticks, cows in your back cast, muskrats that have a knack for scaring the jeebus out of you and...you get the idea. I fished there a half dozen times before I came close to fooling a fish. Why then would anyone subject themselves to such torture? Because the fish are HUGE. Browns over 20 inches aren't uncommon and some go much bigger.


There's one lesson a fisherman learns early on, and that is persistence pays off. Last year, this little babbling limestone brook took on a whole new character...the stars aligned, the heavens opened up and the fishin' turned ON like donkey kong. The big boys were out and about all summer gorging themselves on terrestrial insects and I was out there almost every weekend chasing them around. I can't think of many things in life more fun than site fishing a 25" brown with a big foam grasshopper pattern. It's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys...seriously.

So for your viewing pleasure I present a slide show full of gratuitous fish pics from the infamous spring creek during the summer of 2009. If you're a fan of Cajun music, turn your speakers up and enjoy. A lot of the better fish were seduced by my buddy Marty, who can be a huge jerk when it comes to catching big fish. Here's hoping we're in store for more of the same in 2010: