MY2006 FISHING JOURNAL
MARCH
~ 25 th - Saturday ~
Well I really began to get the fishing bug today so I went over to the Fish Hatchery near Beltown like I do every year and took some photos of the trout there that will be stocked this season by the Health Township Sportsman's Club.
My license is bought, my gear checked and ready to go..now all I need is some warm weather..
~ 29th - Wednesday ~
I managed to squeeze in two hours of fishing the Clarion River today. I fished from noon until 2:00pm.
I hooked a Smallmouth on my VERY FIRST CAST of 2006. It hit a white spinnerbait on a medium speed retrieve.
Unforutnately that was it for the two hours. I did enjoy the time though, helped cure "cabin fever".
On a side note.. Have you seen the TV commercial with the squirrel standing in the middle of the road....Been there and done that today. On the way home a big Black Squirrel was standing up-right in the middle of the road. He did not move until I stopped and went for my camera. He then ran and up a tree he went, wonder where his buddy was to give each other those "high fives ?
I did see one whitetail on the way over to the Clarion River, I fished below Hallton, so it was the road I always see deer on while driving to or from the Clarion on on that road.
The season has begun..
APRIL
~ 7th - Friday ~
Opening Day of Trout Season
Today I attended the PFBC Committee Meeting in DuBois, Pa.
It was a very interesting meeting.
~ 15 th - Saturday ~
Opening Day of Trout Season
The opening day of trout season for 2006 was quite different for me this year. I did very very little fishing... 8-)
I had asked a friend's son if he would like to go fishing with me this year and he said YES.
So now I have a fishing buddy for 2006.
He and I spent Friday night at "my camp" and got up and hit the Toby Creek in Brockway at 8:00am on the first day. Fishng was very slow until about 10:30am, he caught a sucker that when he tried lifting it from the water broke my 4# test line. But after 2 1/2 hours of no action this is what he needed.
He ended up landing two Brook Trout, which I showed him how to clean and he took them home.
He showed a lot of patience during the slow periods and I am excited about his casting ablilty already. He is dying to go again...
I did very little fishing excpet to cast my line out and hand the pole to him to watch. I use a spinning reel and he has a closed face DALE EARNHARDT JR. SPECIAL 8-)
And I did not want to get him confused in the different casting methods this early in his fishing experience.
I stopped and visited board member RICH on the way home from Brockway, he and his son and another friend did well on Belmouth Run in Elk County.
In the evening I drove over to meet a new board member STREAMWALKER and he and his two friends did well on Spring Creek near Hallton earlier that morning.
We walked across the road from his camp and fished the Clarion River just before dark and one of the guys landed three Smallmouths.
All in all it was an enjoyable opening day even without much fishng or landing a fish for me personally.
~ 17 th - Monday ~
Fished Toby Creek for three hours this morning and landed only one Brook Trout. Fish did not seem too active and I had the place to myself... no other anglers..
~ 19 th - Wednesday ~
Started the morning out on the Clarion River below Portland Mills throwing everything I had in the tackle box and all the types of bait I had for two hours and did not even get a bite or see a fish.
Changed locations and moved up river then up the Toby Creek to a big hole that I like to fish when I am in that area.
Saw lots of trout and had them follow/look at just about everything I threw at them, only a couple really hit what it was I was throwing, the rest just seemed to take a look then swim away. I did land 5 Brook Trout all about 9 inches in length.
Saw two hen turkeys on the way to the river this morning. An enjoyable morning...returned home around 12:30pm.
~ 22nd - Saturday ~
Fished for two hours this morning between rain storms on the North Fork at Humpback Bridge. I had one bite but could not get the hook-set. I could see some trout but they were not interested in any of my presentations.
~ 23rd - Sunday ~
Fished Toby Creek this morning for three hours between thunderstorms. Water was not in the greatest shape. Lots of "junk" in the current that would totally cover your bait if you let it sit near the bottom for too long. Made for a lot of casting.
Managed only two "hits".. One miss and the other was an excellent Brown Trout - twenty inches long.
I managed to get my feet wet for the first time this year as I slipped and fell into the water after leaning on a tree that was dead and as it broke started me head-first into the creek, I have no idea how I managed to get turned and go sliding in feet first, but certainly glad I got turned somehow.. 8-)
Spotted two grouse on the way home by the entrance to the old game school.
My first "20 incher" of 2006 is in the freezer waiting for the grill... 8-)
~ 29th - Saturday ~
Fished a couple places on the Clarion River this morning between Hallton and Belltown. Fished a total of 3 1/2 hours and had two fish..One Brook Trout and one Smallmouth.
Weather was beautiful but the fish were not hungry.
I did get some video of two whitetails on the way home.
MAY
~ 2nd - Tuesday ~
Spent 4 1/2 hours fishing Toby Creek this morning, trout seemed to be everywhere that I looked. They were not hungry... just curious. They took a look at everything I threw at them but not many deceided to "take a bite"...
I did land 4 Brown Trout, 2 Brook Trout and a small Rainbow Trout.
Had an enoyable morning, I believe they are going to stock North Fork behind the house later this week, so I'll be looking forward to that.
~ 7th- Sunday ~
They did stock North Fork on Thursday, but I will wait until next week to fish it.
Let the crowds thin out first..
I left the house early this mornimg and started fishing the Clarion River at 6:30am. Fished a total of 3.5 hours between two spots.
Trout were co-operative until the sun came out at Belltown.
Landed two Brook Trout and missed/lost 4 other trout.
Then I move upstream a couple miles to a spot I have never fished before. I fished some rather fast deep water rapids with a white heavy spinner.
The fifth cast hooked a beautiful 20 inch Rainbow hitting the scales at a little over 2.5 pounds. Nice fat male trout. That was it for that spot .
Saw two deer and one hen trukey on the trip home..
That's #2 for 20 inchers this year already..
~ 14th- Sunday ~
Fished for 2.5 hours in the early morning and 2.5 hours in late afternoon on the Clarion River today. Managed to land 4 trout and one Rock Bass.
Saw 4 nice whitetails on the way over in the morning. SLOW day fishing.. 8-(
~ 24th - Wednesday ~
Saw one whitetail on the way to the Clarion River this morning. The trout from the hatchery were put into the river and this was the first chance I had at catching some of them.
Fished from 7:30am until noon for a total of 4.5 hours and landed only two trout.
I concentrated on using spinners, wax worms amd meal worms and landed one on wax worms and one on a white spinner. I missed three others..
There were two guys across the river from me and they landed about three or four apiece using spinners of some sort.. before they moved on up river.
FAIR day today nothing really exciting. Here's one of today's fish ---
~ 27th Saturday ~
Met Streamwalker (Ray) from the message board and we fished the Clarion for about four hours this morning. Water was high and fairly discolored and I believe that accounted for the BAD results.
I lost one nice Rainbow Trout when I tried to "swoop' it into the net and that was it for catching fish. We basically got SKUNKED.
I did see a whitetail deer on the way over to the river.
I enjoyed fishing with Ray but I sure wish we would have caught some fish....
~ 28th Sunday ~
After such poor results fishing yesterday, I just had to make time to go back to the Clarion River and try again. I decided to fish for two hours and see what happened. I fished from 9-11:00am and had a MUCH better day. I landed and released one Rainbow Trout, one Brook Trout, 3 Rock Bass and a Sucker that was about 24 inches long..a monster !!! Sure was fun landing him the the current of the river 8-)
One whitetail spotted on the trip over but I could not get photos or tell what sex the deer was..
JUNE
~ 6th - Tuesday ~
Went over to the Clarion for 3 hours from noon until 3:00pm...water was high and muddy from all the rains.... visablility was about 6 inches...
I did manage one Smallmouth and a Rock Bass, fishing poor at best...
Spotted 4 deer in my travels..
~ 14th - Wednesday ~
Decided to give the river a try for a couple hours this morning. Fished from 7:30am until 11:00am. Water level was very low and murky colored.. NOT my favorite conditions for the river.
Saw three deer on the way over and managed to catch a couple fish while there.
The bass must be starting to spawn, or at least the Rock Bass... those little buggers were driving me crazy, hook was not small enough to catch most of them but did land 4. Also landed two Smallmouths and one Brook Trout, before running out of crawlers.
I had fun and that's what's important to me.
~ 24th Saturday ~
Our friends Glenn & Dot (his wife) from near Hershey,Pa. came to spend the week-end with us and to do some Clarion River fishing.
The Clarion was really muddy from all the recent rains, so I was not expecting much in the way of fishing action. But as luck would have it.. it turned out to be an enjoyable day.
Everyone caught fish and a variety of them at that..
I managed a couple Rock Bass, a Smallmouth, a Bullhead Catfish, a Rainbow Trout, and a few Creek Chubs.
All our fish were caught on nightcrawlers about a foot off the bottom near the shoreline.
Dot had something on that was giving her a terrific battle that unfortunately ended with the breaking of her line. She also landed one of her Smallmouths that had a fresh crayfish in it's mouth... and as I expected she was the winner of the biggest and most fish caught for the day... Congratulations to her for that...
JULY
~ 9th Sunday ~
I headed over to the Clarion River this morning at 7:00am. I spotted two does on the way over near Green Briar, one had a set of twins with her.
I fished from 7:30am until 10:30am.
Fishing was slow but I did land one beautiful Rainbow Trout.. 4 Rock Bass and two Smallmouths.
Also had a beaver swim by ...
AUGUST
~ 12th Saturday ~
Thought I would give the Clarion River what may be my last visit for this year.. saw 6 whitetails and a grouse on the way over. Fished for 2 hours. Landed one Smallmouth and the fish below. I have fished the Clarion for almost 10 years now and have never heard of a Walleye being caught this far North (Hallton Area).. what a wonderful surprise for me.. MADE MY DAY !!!
~ 13th - Sunday ~
Took my little buddy Todd fishing this morning down on the Clarion. He had a family reunion to go to so we could only fish for a couple hours. We saw 10 deer on the way over and one almost put my truck in the body shop ... misssed by about 6 inches....
Fish were not co-operative at all this morning,
Todd did ALL the fishing and land two ceek chubs and a sucker that was just short of 24 inches, and as kids will do missed about a dozen strikes.. It was funny as he brought the big sucker in he kept saying he thought he was snagged..
~ 20th Sunday ~
Had one of my better days this year on the Clarion River. I managed to find out what was hitting Todd's line that he was not able to get a hook-set on.....TROUT....
they were just nibbling at the bait but if your timing was JUST RIGHT you could hook them.. I landed 7 trout.. size varied from about 9 inches up to a Brown that was a little over 17 inchs. Also pulled in 5 Smallmouths and 4 Rock Bass..
GREAT FISHING TODAY...
~ 26th Saturday ~
Fished the Clarion River again today for 4 hours, 10:00am until 2:00PM. Landed 9 Smallmouths in the 10-15 inch range and 6 Rock Bass. I was surprised at the size of the Rock Bass they were all about the size of my hand.. nice fish...
I was also surprised to see a deer on the way over considering I was traveling much later in the morning than I usually do. Also saw a hen and her brood on the way home in a field... as usual another great day in the outdoors...
~~ 2006 FISHING SUMMARY ~~
TRIPS
Clarion River - 16
Toby Creek --- 4
North Fork ---- 1
FISH CAUGHT
Smallmouth Bass-----23
Trout--------------36
Rock Bass-----------26
Walleye-------------1
Sucker--------------1
Bullhead Catfish----1
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