Fly Fishing Trout in a Hunterdon Creek

Brandished my 2wt TFO fly rod against the shrubbery along this trout stream in Hunterdon County, and I didn't lose a fly. In fact, I used only a #16 bead head nymph, though when I first got to the pool in the photo up top, I wished I had tied on a dry fly. I witnessed two splash rises. My approach was too casual to break the nymph off and tie on a little dry, and my time very limited. I flicked the nymph about with very cool, long, side casts, and quickly hooked a chub.

I caught another and two redfinned shiners before I hooked a brown of about seven inches. For wild trout in a stream like this, a good fish. The rod is super light and a little trout gives an account of itself. This one never let me have a close look at him. I saw a few others of about the same size dart through the pool before I gave it up and tried another. No hits there.

I've heard of a 17-inch brown caught in this stream and imagine it's a true story. I saw a sucker about that long. But to catch trout in little cricks is mostly to admit a nine-incher as a good-size fish. You extract the hook as delicately as possible. If you hold the fish in your hand, you wet it first. The trout never really remembers what happened, even if some sort of unconscious memory makes it less likely to hit an artificial again. I noticed these fish were spooky, but the trout that took my fly seemed pretty eager.

Water flowed pretty strong. I saw the Neshanic River today also. It's almost dried up; only a trickle is moving downstream. I don't know what the difference is, but perhaps this other creek is especially well spring fed.