Stream Fished: Apple Creek
Date: 05-14-2023
Angler Name: Ryan Norris
Angler Age: 35
Angler Home: Lodi
Fishing Tackle: Fly Fishing
Fish Caught: Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout Caught: 9
Comments: Mom wanted to walk and wade the creek for mother's day. We visited from 7am - 9:30am. No one else was at the creek. She had a blast borrowing my back up pair of polarized glasses and watching the trout as well as numerous other species in the water. Water was low and gin clear. Heavy angler pressure was extremely evident in the behavior of the trout. Walk, wade, or move too quickly and they would bolt. Was getting hard refusals on nymphs / streamers in slow deep pools where they could see everything around them. Moving along to fishing the riffles with good surface disturbance leading into deeper pools is where I found success. It was about 50/50 even between swinging streamers down through a run and stripping them back as well as dead drifting a stonefly / worm.
Mom doesn't fish but she was happy to visit the park and she really enjoyed netting fish even though I didn't ask her to. Today was the first time I've convinced her to take a knee, wet her hands and release a rainbow trout. In the past she never wanted to touch them for fear of hurting them. Wonderful morning and wonderful memories!