Spring in the Park

I sometimes find myself trying to come up with a reason to fish somewhere other than the Park stream I wrote about a couple weeks ago in my Wiley Coyote story. I've been trying to explore as much of the Park as I can, but there's just something about that little gem that keeps drawing me back in. Exploration of a new stream is best done with a partner in crime, and since I was fishing alone this Saturday, I decided Wiley Coyote Creek was my best bet. I feel like I'm getting to know it pretty well and am not likely to end up lost or dead in the back country...and it doesn't hurt that my biggest brook trout to date came from this stream last May. On this trip, the creek was running full but clear, and the extra volume made the waterfalls and cascades even more scenic than usual.

Not much was going on in the bug department, and I found no rising fish, so I was forced to dredge the bottom with heavy flies and split shot. The fish proved to be hungry and aggressive and I quickly lost count of the number of little guys brought to hand. Sadly, none of the big boys that call this place home came out to play, but fish in this size range came out of virtually every pool.


I thought this was an especially pretty little pool:

And this little feller was tucked up tight against the far wall:

I finished the day off with some exploration of a stretch that's difficult to reach. The trail swings away at this spot and doesn't rejoin the stream for about 1/4 mile. From the first time I saw this spot, I wondered what kind of treasure awaits above but for some reason have never made the effort to go and have a look.

Deciding it was high time to find out, I managed to sneak up along the left side of the cascade to take a peak. The high water made it too dangerous to go any further alone, but I think I figured out a route that will allow access after the water drops a little. What I found was a couple sweet looking plunge pools that will definitely require some attention in the future. So I'll be back again soon to check it out, and even if I can't make it all the way up there, it should be a fun ride back down.