Monday, August 5, 2013

Tenkara Fishing in Amawalk Outlet and the Croton East Branch


My wife and I visited the middle section of Amawalk Outlet for the first time.
However, we did stop by this stream just below the Amawalk Reservoir more than 20 years ago.
At that time the stream looked not much better than a small ditch to my eyes and I never gave it a second look until now.
Since I have started tenkara fishing, I get more interested in small mountain streams.
So I read the TU guide book, "FISHING THE CROTON WATERSHED" about Amawalk Outlet again.
I realized the image of this stream in my head seemed not the same as the descriptions in the book.

Though it was raining last Saturday morning, we went to see the stream.
Once it caught my sight, I felt I wasted 20 something years not knowing such a nice and beautiful trout stream exists in the Croton Watershed.  It is also the closest to our home among other streams we often visit.
Well, I had this feeling of loss even  though only recently we have been interested in these types of streams.

I caught a small brown trout downstream from the Wood Street bridge.
We were late for lunch, so we left.  But we have to explore this stream more next time.

















In the Croton East Branch, we caught several trouts.
I used Nissin 13-foot tenkara level line rod which has a very soft action.
This rod can be casted with the fluorocarbon level line to its maximum length when one can cast the line with the right casting speed and right timing of the start forward cast.

Also, because of the line's light weight, the level line doesn't pull the fly toward the fisherman when the fly is drifting.  The fly can keep drifting in the far distance current.

But the rod's softness can cause big problem.  It is difficult to control a hooked fish, especially a larger one.

I lost my last and the largest fish of Saturday when I grabbed the line, and the tippet broke off.
I guessed the tippet became weak when I couldn't net the fish right away, and the fish was struggling wildly to escape weakening the tippet.
To grab the line and land a larger fish is like a gamble to me.  I don't know if the tippet is strong enough or not.  I must find some good ways to land a larger fish.

  



No comments:

Post a Comment