Streamer Fishing the Ham’s Fork

I like to keep an eye on the weather in November; it can have some pretty nice days.  In fact, my daughter Madison mowed the lawn on Thanksgiving Day.  As most of my readers know by now, fall is my favorite season for fishing.  A couple of warm November days can provide the perfect trip.  Ron from my work’s Toxicology lab had been asking how to get to some of the places I had been fishing this year so I invited him to join me.  My intent was to fish the private section of the Ham’s Fork that Nick and I had recently fished.  I was disappointed as I got to the turn off to access the property when there was a sign that said there were no trespassing permits given between November 1 and May 1.  Luckily there is a public access trail and bridge over the fence just down the road.  I had hiked along the upper stretch of this public water on my last visit to Ham’s Fork.  It didn’t look like it had much structure or riffles as the upper section, but that there were some deep pools.  I had always used small nymphs on this river and had had good luck, even with the many rainbows that were over 20 inches.  This late in the year I was curious to see how a streamer would work and rigged my rod accordingly, with a black wooly bugger.  Ron set up his rod for nymph fishing, tying on a bead head pheasant tail.  Since the morning temperature was still in the thirties, we wore our sweatshirts.  By the time we had hiked to the river, however, we were both sweating. 

Ron began fishing right were we hit the water, near the fence.  I headed downstream.  Before I had time to get to another good looking stretch, Ron had hooked one. This was a good start for trying different water.  I set my pole down and ran back just in time to see it released.  He also netted a second rainbow from the same hole.

As I worked my way downstream, I saw a few fish which I must have spooked because they were bolting downstream.  I finally reached a larger pool deep enough for the fish to hide and far enough across that I could barely hit the other side with the streamer. 

 

On one of my first casts, I saw a fish chasing the fly as I quickly stripped it in.  I slowed down my retrieve and it hit.  As soon as it felt the fly it bolted into the deep water.  I let it take out line until it slowed down.  I then slowly reeled in line and brought it closer.  It made a couple more short runs before I was able to bring it to the net.  What a beauty, a 23 inch male; pretty good for my first fish. 

 

I hooked this trout at the start of the pool so I continued to work my way down the pool.  I hooked a second smaller fish a couple of casts later.  I tried to coax it in a little too fast and it came of just as I was reaching out the net. 

 

Another rainbow did manage to come to net.  This one was peculiar because it had no spots except for near the tail.

I hiked back upstream to meet up with Ron and tell him about the deep hole he needs to try. 

 

Ron started nymph fishing at the top of the pool while I continued downstream to the middle of the pool. 

 

Shortly later Ron landed a couple more rainbows on a bead head pheasant tail.

 I could barely hit the opposite side of the river across this pool double hauling with the streamer.  A couple of casts later, I hit the shore with the streamer and quickly pulled it into the river.  Luckily it didn’t get snagged on the weeds and within a couple of strips I had a strike.  This fish took off right away into the deep.  I could tell it was a big one.  I got it close to shore a couple of times but each time it got close it would take out more line.  Ron came over with his net and waited for me to calm the fish down. 

 

I slid the fish over to where Ron was standing with the net allowing him to scoop it up.  In fact, he had to make sure he got it in head first because it was larger than the net.  It wasn’t as large as the first rainbow, but fought a lot harder.  The fish ended up measuring 21 inches and looked a bit unique with its elongated spots, not typical for a rainbow. 

 

At this point I was at a part of the pool where the water had overflowed its banks and there was quite a bit of sediment.  It was easy enough to walk on, but as one stands in the same spot for a moment, for example to cast and strip in a streamer, it would suck you right in.   I started trying to get my feet loose.  As I started pulling up my right foot, my left would sink further.  After going back and forth like this for a few minutes and getting deeper and deeper in the mud, I finally yelled to Ron and had him grab a branch from a nearby bush to help pull me out.  A few minutes later I was out and back on sturdy land.