I ended  up back in Allegany this weekend. Having only a limited amount of time to explore the area the previous weekend because of the terrible rain storm, I felt obligated to go back. Me and my fishing buddy from Oregon packed up my Subaru monday morning and headed off. We were not dissapointed. Although the watersheds in this area only hold small trout, they are such a blast to catch. Most of this fish were hitting a hopper fly that was a third the size of their bodies. They were found in pools that were no more than 12” deep, at the end of beautiful little streams, meandering through tiny mountain passes. I’m not much of a spiritual person, but being in that forest elicited something in me that made me really appreciate being right there in that spot. Anyways, let’s get back to the fish. Here are a few pictures of some ones I managed to catch. These guys A.) don’t like to pose for pictures, and B.) I don’t like keeping them out of the water for long:

These native brook trout are beautiful fish. I know I am speaking for most of us fly fisherman when I say that catching these tiny little fish can be worlds more fun that the most furious battle put up by a trophy trout. No? Well, maybe not, but the locations these guys are nestled in makes for an unforgettable fishing experience. Here’s another with some awesome colors:

Now I did manage to catch a fish that I would consider pretty sizable for the creek. I came to a nice little pool in between two tiny falls. It seemed to be vacant, you could see straight through the crystal clear water to the nice bed of quartzite down below. I threw down my polarized glasses and managed to spot a lone brook trout hanging out on the far side of the pool. I threw a quick cast and landed my hopper fly about a foot in front of him. He immediately rose to it and pounded it. The hook-set wasn’t clean and the fly came right out of his mouth. Luckily he wasn’t spooked, and settled right back in the same spot. A second pass and a good set of the hook, and he was on. It took some decent work to get the fish in and when I finally did, he was in no mood to hold still for a picture. It took some time to finally get a clear one, but here he is:

As usual of late, it was a good day of fishing. Me and my friend each managed a few dozen fish a piece, all of which were released unharmed back into the creek. A very beautiful spot, a nice sunny day, and a plentiful amount of brook trout is enough to make any day a perfect day for me.