Flashback

Back in the late 90's, before I met my wife, before we had kids (etc) I spent all of my time on the spring creek near my home. When I got married that got cut back to 3 or so days a week. And now that children have entered my life, a day a week is about all can manage. Over the past few years, smallmouth fishing in the mid-summer became an interesting change from my spring creek forays. This past weekend, with my wife and kids out of town, I relived the old days with a serious dose of troutin'.
Friday afternoon I headed out despite foul weather and fished until dark. I would have stayed longer but the unusually high population of mosquitoes this year drove me off the water. (For the record, I grew up in Northern Minnesota so I know all about these critters. At quitin' time on Friday night I had on a rainjacket with the hood up, dishwashing gloves with the fingertips cut off, a Muskol soaked buff over my face and a ball cap pulled down nice and low...) I have this question about this pesky bastards: What were they planning to eat before I got there?
Saturday as well as most of Sunday were spent on the creek. I fished old familiar stretches and revisited pieces of water I haven't seen in over 10 years. I even bought a new spool of 7x which I recently started to doubt was ever necessary...I no longer think it's a gimmick. Trout were caught on midge pupa, baetis emergers, and tiny black ant patterns. Overall I would mark the reunion as a success. There remains no better backdrop for solitude and mental health than a spring creek.


Brownie caught while fishing slow and low with a beadhead PT.


Midge pupa looked good to this one...


Despite naturally reproducing browns that haven't been stocked since the 70's, the DNR drops a batch of these in every year...


Release view...


See ya.


Local denizen.


If you look closely into the eye of this trout...you'll know right where I was fishing.


An errant backcast just about ended the life of this Halysidota tessellaris larva. Luckily, it'll soon be a Banded Tussock Moth (No trees, caterpillars or trout were harmed in the photographing of this picture).


A dinker that figured my Baetis emerger was good enough...


Dawn till dusk...just like the good ol' days...


A nice one...

On Sunday afternoon I crept heronlike into position and remained still long enough for the locals to resume the position. I apologize for the shaky camera work...but alas, I wasn't carrying a tripod (plus I had the Olympus zoomed all the way in).