Cookie Cutters

I slipped away for a few hours on Sunday morning to fish Nine Mile Creek near Syracuse, New York. I was armed with my trusty 4/5wt Beulah switch rod and ready to try some new tubefly/streamer creations. I was lucky enough to hit the stream early with almost no one around. I threw the tubes for a bit, but after a few short strikes I decided that I was a bit over-gunned in the fly department. I made some changes and threw a wet fly with similar results, but eventually connected with a cookie cutter brown. As more people began to arrive, I headed down to some pocket water and returned to dipping bigger streamers in the fishy looking spots. Several fished lunged in territorial defense at the fly, but none connected with hook point. It's quite exciting to stand in rushing water and try to focus on where to deliver the fly and watch an unseen fish attack your offering. As I made my way through the pockets, I noticed a nice slower stretch below me. It wasn't long and I noticed a rise or two. I went back to the soft hackle and living for the swing. As soon as I reached the water, I connected with another brown trout. Before I knew it almost every other swing resulted in a short strike. It was tremendous fun, and how quickly I noticed the rushing pocket water noise was gone and I was in the sneak attack zone, stepping softly, calculating my casts, and taking in the world around me. This is what I came for...a few more fish came to hand, all cookie cutter brown trout but I was a happy camper.

You never know what you're going to encounter when climbing up a drain pipe: