Saturday, January 9, 2021

Holiday Swing

 

Two inches of rain fell on Christmas Eve. The storm and temperatures also melted the snow remaining from a mid-December dumping. As I mentally and physically prepared myself to head home for the holidays, I realized that my hopes of spending copious amounts of time swinging for trout on the larger rivers of eastern Pennsylvania were going out the window. My attention turned towards the smaller creeks and streams that would clear much quicker yet still grant the opportunity of catching some sizable wild and holdover browns on the swing. 

In higher flows, these waters are perfect for a trout spey setup, a commando smooth, and any fly you are willing to toss. Although not the same as hucking mega on a larger river every cast, one gets to practice their accuracy and ability to fish small buckets in tight quarters.  Adapting to every situation in a creek forces one to learn a lot about the swing game and how steelhead strategies apply in some situations and don't work in others. Increased interactions with trout and learning from every little experience will only shape and inform your steelhead game. Regardless, swing tactics can be applied for almost any species in flowing water and it is a lot more fun compared to the monotony of nymphing, especially Euro-nymphing. Thankfully, I was lucky to shake hands with some quality specimens and learn a lot in the process. 

That is what it's all about. 




















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