Crane Creek 6/11

[gary2400]

Never fished Crane before so after a night of fishing below TR dam I drove over. Went to upper wire road and waded down close to the next bridge. Rainy, cool, cloudy, wow what a day. Managed to only catch 1 but can proudly say I've caught one. Mosquitos were as thick as clouds and about carried me away, sacraficed my share of flies to the limbs, and kept a sharp lookout for those man eating snakes... but had a wonderful time. After observing the sorroundings and habitat, I know now what to tie to improve my luck. Got several strikes on a crackleback, small black popper, but none on a san quan worm. If you don't like having to move extremely quiet and slow, and don't like being dinner and being buzzed by every flying creature in the woods, don't try it. I will do it again, that is fishing like it was meant to be.

[Hugh Glass]

Just fished crane today for the first time. Used a small rainbow rapala the entire time, caught about 10 with only two being over 12" I also got to see something I had never witnessed before. I was just above the railroad bridge fishing downstream in a large slow pool area. The pool was crystal clear, had a cut bank on the far side, and looked absolutely empty. I hooked into one on the downstream side of the pool and as I was reeling it in the pool came ALIVE. Two fish over 22" darted from the bank and began to chase, and then an absolute monster appeared from out of the cut bank and gave chase all the way up to my feet until he spotted me and retreated back to the bank. Absolute adrenaline rush. I work in SW Springfield so its only about a 20 minute drive, and I'm going to be returning.

I didn't read this forum until I got back, and had no idea about the snakes. Kinda wished I had because I was crawling around the brush banks trying to keep stealth. It pushed the mid 90's today and I didn't see a one. Are the venomous snakes that big of a problem? Last thing I wanna do is get caught a mile back into the creek and have to figure out a way to suck poison from my own butt.