The water was still high when I arrived at Yellow Creek, but after turning around without casting a line yesterday I was determined to at least get my feet wet. I walked the long trek from my truck parked along Route 56 to the long, deep pool I had fished earlier in the year where I landed several fat rainbows. In the process, I caught a glimpse of a very large fish cruising around that I determined to be either a pike or a muskie. It’s not uncommon to find a few large predators in these waters as they flow downstream of Yellow Creek Lake, which is home to a long list of species including pike, muskie, walleye, and bass.
The water was off color with a tinge of brown remaining from the recent rains. It seems obvious that they’re letting a little extra water out of Yellow Creek Lake as other areas streams are lower. I wet waded into the swollen creek and worked a Frenchie nymph with a gold beed and gold crystal dubbed collar. That fly was good to me before but it wasn’t getting the job done this time. Just as I was about to give up I got a take and the fight was on. I could tell it wasn’t a big fish, but it was a trout and a tough fighter for its size.
As I brought the fish closer I felt a sizable tug and then saw the big fish I discovered on my last trip to this pool emerge from the darkness. It mouthed the small rainbow on the end of my line but released it quickly probably sensing the pressure on the other end. I finished the job by netting the trout and immediately saw the bite marks on its back. Wow! That was a lot of excitement I wasn’t anticipating. Having gotten a good look at the predator this time I’m almost certain it’s a tiger muskie, and an aggressive one at that. He would later chase a larger rainbow that I hooked but decided better on helping itself to a free meal.
I only landed two trout, but it was still a great morning adventure. I took a water temperature and got a reading of about 65°, which is right on the borderline for acceptable trout fishing. I packed up and walked out with the thoughts of this likely being my last trout-focused excursion until fall when the waters cool again. I felt a new excitement though knowing that I had an aggressive muskie pinpointed. The thoughts of going after him started flooding my mind, especially since I never caught a muskie.
When I got home I rigged up the largest spinning rod I had dug into my tackle box for the biggest lures I could find. I was able to piece together a sturdy rod and reel combination that was already set up with Spiderwire and I picked the longest crankbait in my box to tie on. It’s pink and resembles a rainbow trout, somewhat. I hope the musky things so too.
I’m going after the beast tonight. A new challenge awaits.