Mercury Rising

Once again I was duped. Brian told me it would be a great idea to wake up at four in the morning (on a Saturday no less), get in the car, and drive three hours to fish in a shallow creek just outside Erie, Pennsylvania. The plan was to try and catch Steelhead trout that were running back up the creek to spawn. I decided to go because I thought it’d be worth the experience and after all, Brian only goes big.

Daylight was just starting to break when we got into the stream. There were people everywhere. It was elbow-to-elbow on the upper reaches of the creek but we weren’t discouraged since there was plenty of water to explore. The morning got off to a slow start but eventually we found some quality pockets that were willing to give up the fish. After that, the day (and the fishing) got better.

For all intents and purposes we got lucky. We got onto some fish; a lot of fish. The sweet symphony of fly line being ripped off the reel as a fish runs for deeper water (or safety) is something that resonates indelibly. Of course landing the fish that sends you on a twenty minute “tour of the creek” is also something to savor. We decided to keep a few fish but we threw most of them back. It turned out to be a great trip with fantastic fishing. It was a long day but when you're crushing the trout it's completely worth it.