Brookville Fishing Report 10/25/13

          Winter is fast approaching and the fish know it. The fish are in feeding mode, looking for any type of easy meal. Right now Brookville is a little high at 3.88 ft. This might not be ideal nymphing conditions, but it is an awesome time to throw some streamers. After two weeks of mid-terms, I decided what better way to unwind than to pick up a fly rod.

          I went over to Brookville today right after classes and was on the water by 1 pm. As soon as I got there, I noticed the high water and decided that it was going to be a streamer-chucking kind of day. I rigged up my Sage ONE 6 wt. with a full sink line, but still brought my Sage ESN 10' 4wt. along for the ride just to be on the safe side. Even though the water was high, it was still pretty clear. This lead me to fish in the shade during mid-day. Another useful skill to have on days like today is to fish Brookville when it is at its lowest; around 2.7 ft. One then knows where submerged structure is so that on days like today, when it is not visible, they know right where to cast. I picked up my first fish on a tan and yellow wooly bugger which was dead drifted through a fast moving pool.

          In the run up above this pool, I decided to throw some meat on the end of my line and see if I could bring up any of the big boys. I chose a large articulated olive and pearl streamer to swing through the current. When doing this in the fast high water, a full sink line really helps to keep the fly towards the bottom and hopefully carry it to the face of a big hungry brown. While doing this, I didn't pick up the 20+ inch brown I was looking for, but I did manage to hook into a nice 16 incher.

          During the rest of the day, the sun fully came out. This destroyed all hope of hooking a big brown on an articulated streamer. It was a good thing I decided to bring my nymphing rod. I set up a tandem nymph rig with a caddis larvae and a small trico nymph. I had to set my indicator about 10 ft up from my flies and add some heavy split shot to keep the nymphs down in the fast and deep pools. I picked up a couple little guys doing this, but nothing big.

Fell for a caddis nymph

          Like I already said, the cold weather is moving in. My favorite time to fish Brookville is late fall through early spring. The water is usually running high which makes for some of the best streamer fishing of the year. Along with this usually comes big fish. Before heading over, stop by the shop to pick up some Rio sinking versileaders (to keep the fly down), 8-10lb saltwater fluorocarbon tippet, and some big streamers. This will not disappoint and good luck!

Tight Lines,

Alex