Fishing with the Boys – September Edition

Ethan hoists a rather large Black Creek crappie.

Just before school started for our kids, we had a little time to get out and try to convince a few fish to eat a fly. And just like the past few years we headed west to one of our favorite locations – Black Creek. 

With a good bit of recent rain, the stream flow had increased and the water level had gone up, which we were hoping would put the fish on the feed. The only potential drawback was the colder weather that can sometimes slow the bite down, a counter effect of great water conditions we were hoping to avoid.

Once on the water, we quickly determined that the fishing would be just fine, even if it started out a little on the slow side.

Jonathan started out fishing with his spinning rod, casting a little crankbait. Ethan and I worked some shallow water with small woolly buggers. 

Nice rock bass

Over the next hour, Ethan and I managed to catch many small bluegill, rock bass and small largemouth bass. Jonathan continued to cast his crankbait, but hadn’t hooked up at all in that time. He changed lures and went back at it. Ethan and I changed gears as well and tied on #8 bead head olive woolly buggers and began to work some deeper water just below the spillway. The change proved to be a huge success as Ethan began to catch several really nice crappie and rock bass, while I was able to land a very nice smallmouth bass. This prompted Jonathan to grab his fly rod, tie on a #8 bead head olive woolly bugger and join in the fun.

Over the last hour of our time, both boys did very well, catching some very nice bass and crappie.

Ethan with another quality crappie

Even with the colder weather, the great water conditions prevailed, drawing in plenty of larger fish to the spillway to feed on the smaller baitfish, and providing us with some really good fishing. It took a little time to figure out what the larger fish wanted, but in the end it was well worth the effort.

Jonathan with a nice BC Large mouth

another one for Jon

Me about to release the only smallmouth of the day

So bring on the cooler weather and rain. Maybe this year we will actually receive a decent run of salmon and trout. The fall tributary season is fast approaching, time to switch gears!

Mid-Summer Fly fishing

Jonathan works the head of a long pool.

A nice BC largemouth for Katie.

We are now, slowly, working our way toward the back end of summer. And just like this spring, the constant rain has kept our streams running high and cool.

Once again, we look for little weather windows of opportunity to put fly too water.

The fishing, in-between all the rain, has been really good. At least for this group of anglers as we did our best to find some willing warm water fish in the early part of the summer.

Black creek continues to be one of our best locations to catch fish on a fly! Even when we have fished it during high and stained water.

Its close proximity, easy access, easy wading, variety of fish species and numbers of fish make it an easy choice for us as a family. Mix in the potential for a few really good sized fish here and there and you can understand why it is one of our “go to” places to fish.

We caught plenty of sunfish, blue gill, crappie, rock bass, smallmouth and largemouth bass. And when you add in the occasional carp, it made for a few really great days on the water.

Jonathan with a nice BC smallie

One of the better crappie

Ethan does battle with a large carp

18" inch smallmouth that ate a large streamer

Katie releases a large BC carp

Our panfish and small bass where caught on olive nymphs and small buggers, while most of the larger fish ate the many streamer variations we worked along the bottom and actively fished through the faster water.

It’s been a few weeks since our last fishing excursion, and we are eager to get back out there. Hopefully we can get out again soon.....that is, if we can find a little weather window.

See you on the stream!