Two Creeks

[WestCentralFisher]

After about 6 weeks of conditions decidedly not suited to chasing wild trout, a little rain earlier in the week, a cool morning, and a day off led to me getting on a couple spring creeks today. 

The first creek I fished is one of the larger ones of its kind in Missouri. It has both wild trout and stocked trout in various sections, and is generally my old reliable. I started the day off in the wild trout water, and after one glance at the creek, I put away my spinning rod and got out my 3 weight. One of the more impressive mayfly hatches I've seen in Missouri was coming off, and the fish were rising like crazy. I'd love to tell you I caught trout hand over fist, but that wasn't quite true. I didn't have the right fly pattern in the box, I experienced some of what you'd have to call operational challenges, and generally did not get mixed up with Brad Pitt in A River Runs Through It. Still, small, stupid trout exist, and I caught a few of them. My own struggles aside, it was lovely. 

I then went a few miles downstream to another access. This isn't really wild trout water, and doesn't have blue ribbon protections, but the stocked trout were still fun to catch. It still looked awfully trouty down there (see above), but naturally there were far fewer fish. I finally left when I went back to the car to get a drink of water, and an unmarked white van pulled up. We were pretty far down a real secluded Forest Service road, and it might have been just fine (people are allowed to go fishing in unmarked white vans) but it still felt like my cue to move on. 

Next up was a smaller creek a few miles away. As soon as I found the creek and spring that fed it (and that took some doing, as it turned out; always a great sign), I caught little rainbows more or less effortlessly on a little Panther Martin spinner. I called it a day when I caught a "good one" which on this creek was an 8 incher.

Wild trout and spring fed creeks are good for the soul.