Sunday, July 10, 2005
Fishing in Benson Creek
I arrived at the ford across Benson at the bottom of Snow Hill Road about 7:30 this morning. The low sun cast a warm yellow hue westward and upstream. As I sat on the tailgate of the truck and rigged up my rod, I noticed a flock of Great Blue Herons in a shady nook about 100 yards distant. I say a "flock" because there were 5; I rarely see more than 2 together. The stream is at extremely low, base level conditions. Most of the broad shelves of limestone (Curdsville Member of the Lexington) are exposed, or under only about 6 inches of water that is flowing in a slow trickle to the Kentucky River.
As I hike upstream, it always amazes me that the Kildeer, ducks, and herons always fly upstream, ahead of me. They never fly over me to land in the stretches of creek I've just passed.
At the ruined dam that used to impound the water supply for the Kennebec Distillery, I decided to bypass the pool and fish it on the way back. Often I've waded this pool in waist to chest deep water, but not today. It was barely knee deep and mirror smooth as I worked my way around it.
The next pool upstream is the one with an upstream facing ledge (most ledges on most streams face downstream and make little falls). There are always fish here, but as far as bass go, I didn't have what they were looking for this morning. A minnow immitation in the evening may produce better results. A yellow popper and a "Bream Killer" wet fly brought several redbreast and green sunfish to hand. The redbreast sunfish, a relative of the Bluegill, is one of my favorite fish. The vivid orange-red breast is fades upward into beautiful turquoise vermiform markings along the gills. Even the smallest ones are very game on a fly rod. The green sunfish has a characteristically large mouth hinting at its relation to the largemouth bass (which itself is really a sunfish). The creamy yellow accents that outline its fins give this fish a beauty all its own. Before you ever land one, you know when you've got a green sunfish on your line. They hit the fly as faster and harder than many fish. They quickly give up the fight, however.
I continued upstream to the largest pool (in area) that is downstream of the "railroad bridge" pool below Red Bridge. The passage upstream is through a narrow shaded rocky bed that is always cool. It is along this stretch that native mussels survive in Benson. I was glad to see mussels from about the size of a dime all the way up to more than 4 inches along their long axis. I caught a few green sunfish on a wolly bugger. As the day warmed and the wind picked up, I decided to start back.
On the way back downstream, I was careful to observe the mussels. Many had been stranded as the water level got lower. It looked as if some had tried to bury themselves in the sand, to no avail. The raccoons (or maybe skunks) had dug them up and enjoyed them for dinner. Speaking of raccoons, a young sow with one kit and I surprised each other. She sent her young one up a tree and sat on her haunches watching me for a bit before disappearing into the underbrush. She was obviously catching crawdads.
I stopped at the head of the pool behind the dam. The head of the pool is a ledge with a cool spring entering the pool at the base of the ledge. I decided to try a bead-head nymph (about 1/4-inch long) and caught a few. I ended the day fishing a (floating) Madame X. The dark fish rising from the depths to examine the fly, then darting forward in a slashing attack is always a thrill. You have to pay attention and be quick about setting the hook, or you'll miss the fish. As I worked the pool, a Pileated Woodpecker landed in a nearby tree. He rattled the dead branch and I spotted his red head. He called a few times and then flew off again on his woodpecker errands.
All in all, it was a good day to be fishing.
BTW, In case you were wondering, flies were tied with the barbs bent and filed down. All fish were released with minimal handling.
As I hike upstream, it always amazes me that the Kildeer, ducks, and herons always fly upstream, ahead of me. They never fly over me to land in the stretches of creek I've just passed.
At the ruined dam that used to impound the water supply for the Kennebec Distillery, I decided to bypass the pool and fish it on the way back. Often I've waded this pool in waist to chest deep water, but not today. It was barely knee deep and mirror smooth as I worked my way around it.
The next pool upstream is the one with an upstream facing ledge (most ledges on most streams face downstream and make little falls). There are always fish here, but as far as bass go, I didn't have what they were looking for this morning. A minnow immitation in the evening may produce better results. A yellow popper and a "Bream Killer" wet fly brought several redbreast and green sunfish to hand. The redbreast sunfish, a relative of the Bluegill, is one of my favorite fish. The vivid orange-red breast is fades upward into beautiful turquoise vermiform markings along the gills. Even the smallest ones are very game on a fly rod. The green sunfish has a characteristically large mouth hinting at its relation to the largemouth bass (which itself is really a sunfish). The creamy yellow accents that outline its fins give this fish a beauty all its own. Before you ever land one, you know when you've got a green sunfish on your line. They hit the fly as faster and harder than many fish. They quickly give up the fight, however.
I continued upstream to the largest pool (in area) that is downstream of the "railroad bridge" pool below Red Bridge. The passage upstream is through a narrow shaded rocky bed that is always cool. It is along this stretch that native mussels survive in Benson. I was glad to see mussels from about the size of a dime all the way up to more than 4 inches along their long axis. I caught a few green sunfish on a wolly bugger. As the day warmed and the wind picked up, I decided to start back.
On the way back downstream, I was careful to observe the mussels. Many had been stranded as the water level got lower. It looked as if some had tried to bury themselves in the sand, to no avail. The raccoons (or maybe skunks) had dug them up and enjoyed them for dinner. Speaking of raccoons, a young sow with one kit and I surprised each other. She sent her young one up a tree and sat on her haunches watching me for a bit before disappearing into the underbrush. She was obviously catching crawdads.
I stopped at the head of the pool behind the dam. The head of the pool is a ledge with a cool spring entering the pool at the base of the ledge. I decided to try a bead-head nymph (about 1/4-inch long) and caught a few. I ended the day fishing a (floating) Madame X. The dark fish rising from the depths to examine the fly, then darting forward in a slashing attack is always a thrill. You have to pay attention and be quick about setting the hook, or you'll miss the fish. As I worked the pool, a Pileated Woodpecker landed in a nearby tree. He rattled the dead branch and I spotted his red head. He called a few times and then flew off again on his woodpecker errands.
All in all, it was a good day to be fishing.
BTW, In case you were wondering, flies were tied with the barbs bent and filed down. All fish were released with minimal handling.
