Exploring Mountain Streams and Fishing the West Branch of the Delaware in the Catskills ( lll )

I fished with a tenkara rod in the upper Willowemoc Creek in the state land and its branch, Fir Brook yesterday.
The lower part of Fir Brook has a long pubic fishing right bank. It is a very beautiful stream and looks like a spring creek. The photos above and below are Fir Brook.
Both streams are brookie water and easy to access.

In the evening I fished in the Upper Game Land Pool in the West Branch of the Delaware.

Last two times here I caught only two small fish.
So for these picky trouts, I added no hackle flies in my fly boxes.
I had several good experiences with these flies which saved my day while all other flies failed.
But I haven't tied this pattern for a long time since CDC becomes popular, and it beomes my favorite material.

 

The no hackle flies did save my day yesterday.
When fish started taking sulphur mayflies on the water, I caught a 17-inch brown with a #18 no hackle sulphur fly.
Later when darkness almost covered the river, I caught one more brown with a hackle wing isonyshia spinner fly, the largest fly in my fly boxes.

I was happy that the no hackle flies worked for these picky trouts.   I truly had a memorable day.

 

Exploring the Mountain Streams and Fishing the West Branch of the Delaware in the Catskills ( II )

Last Saturday I visited Trout Brook for the first time for tenkara fishing. It is a tributary of the lower Beaver Kill  in the Catskills.
In the evening, I went to fish the West Branch of  the Delaware.

                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

I caught several small browns and a brookie in the public easement area in the lower part of Trout Brook.
It was only a short stretch of water.
Afterward, I drove further up the road. But there was no more area opened to the public.
                                                                           
Fishing in such a small stream, I wanted to try a 5-foot PolyLeader with my tenkara rod, rather than a nylon one. I figured a PolyLeader's good turn ability was better for casting in a narrow stream.
As I expected, the casting was good, but the line's heavy weight made natural drift difficult.  
                                                                                                                                                                    

Just like the week before, I fished the West Branch of the Delaware in the evening.
I caught only one small brown which was even smaller than the one the week before.

In the late evening, a decent number of bugs drifted on the water, and some good size fish started rising in front of me.
I could see their heads and tails when they rose.
They did rise to my flies a couple of times in the beginning, but I failed to hook them. Then they completely ignored my flies.
I tried many different flies until dark without any success.
        
It seems since I spend much time tenkara fishing lately, I lose some of my flyfishing skills and brain to deal with the difficult situation.  Maybe I am just tired in the evening after I have fished whole day, or the fish are very picky eaters.

Exploring the Mountain Streams and Fishing the West Branch of the Delaware in the Catskills.

I plan to fish the head water of one of the legendary streams in the Catskills with a tenkara rod.
It flows in the public land.

Last Saturday morning I drove there and found out the road became private before it ended.  As I couldn't go any further, so I gave up fishing there.  In stead I went to the West Branch of the Delaware in the afternoon.

At first, I fished with a tenkara rod under the bridge in Hale Eddy, then I went to the Upper Game Land Pool and fished with a fly rod.

There were not many bugs or rising fish in the whole afternoon. When the sulfur started appearing in the late evening, I finally caught a 12-inch brown. It was the only fish I caught in this pool as I had waded for about 5 hours.

 Surely these were frustrated hours for me, but at the same time I was engrossed in the difficulty of this fishing.