Fishing the creek-three rock lock

To be a successful angler on moving streams, creeks or rivers it really helps to be able to read the water. Most can spot the gorgeous slack-water pools and big pretty flat sections. These easy to spot areas get hit by every angler that passes through. My success comes from locating the pieces of water that get overlooked or fished less frequently.

 

One such spot is a section of boulders that create an ideal place for fish to hold up. Rocks break up the force of the current and create a feeding trough of sorts behind them. Having three rocks in close proximity triples the odds that I will pull something out. I will cast in front, to the side and then run my lure through the sweet spot of water holding behind the boulders.

 

Fishing on the creek this year has been decent but I have had to deal with a lot of summer traffic and bad weather in the afternoon. The rainstorms have been mild to “run for your life”. Traffic brings frustration from all angles including tubers, kayakers to dogs swimming right through the casting lane. After no bites, a pair of shades and several flip flop shoes…I decide to move on.

 

Now I have to take a moment and admit that I spend time doing things simply for my blog. For a few years now I have tried to catch a fish near the bronze sculptures to show a fish on fish photo. Finally I was able to stick the landing on a decent browny near the sculpture and pull off the shot.

 

Water levels on the creek have been good to great considering recent drought years that brought things to a mere trickle. Runoff was not where we would have liked but the more than average rains made up for the lack of snow melt in a big way.  Around April I was becoming deeply concerned that some of these smaller slips of water would be pushed to absolute desperation mode this year. Being able to catch a few sturdy brownies on the nearby creek is a blissful way to spend a few hours where a larger trip was not possible.

 

A lot of money and effort has been spent over the last few years to cleanup and restore Clear Creek. Quality of creeks is often a lesser concern when mining and development occurred in the west. We are slowly undoing the damage of the past and given the opportunity nature will respond in kind.

Restoration projects are just the start and very expensive. Not every creek is going to get this type of attention. Anglers for the most part are doing a great job but there are still way too many signs that we are not. Spent fishing line, lure packages and big red discarded bobbers on the shoreline discredit us all.

 

Every recreationalist has a responsibility to respect the creek and minimize their impact. At the very least folks need to pack their trash out and approach all wilderness areas with a “leave no trace” attitude. The number of trash picker uppers is growing on the creek and I would love to see this trend continue.

My name is Matt and this is just another creek trip, nothing to see here, folks. Move along.