York County, Pennsylvania,
May 16, 2009
Jin and I had an opportunity to fish
together so we decided to hit Codorus Creek to try our
luck against the wild brown trout population.
The creek is a narrow, brushy tailwater that is
the home to lots of very wise brown trout. I arrived at
the meeting point first and to kill some time I tossed a
few casts into the fast-running water. The Codorus was
running higher and a bit muddier that our
previous trip but that's to be expected after all
the rain we've been having. Using a size 14 MMS with a
size 18 olive scud dropper I began working the slower
water and eddies close in to me then gradually extended
my casts further into the creek until I was fishing the
opposite bank. I had no takers for the first 15 minutes
but when I tossed out more line to lengthen my drift
downstream there was a smashing hit as a brown took the
fly on the rise just on the edge of the main current.
This was a nice fish and he tried to get into some heavy
brush that was hanging in the creek but I managed to
steer him out and into clear water. As he got closer I
saw that it was the scud that enticed him to bite. I was
checking my tippet and knots when Jin arrived.
After gearing up we headed way downstream and fished back
up to the cars. Jin took the point and I followed about
50-yards behind him. With lots of water to cover we would
throw six casts at the best spots then move on. Jin was
having great luck with flies tied by Tom Baltz and hooked numerous browns.
As we were eating lunch near the
creek three people were having a short meeting nearby.
They turned out to be representatives of the local
Trout Unlimited chapter who were meeting with
environmental scientist Eugene Macri who's report on the Big Spring Creek hatchery
with the late
Dr. Jack Black was instrumental in closing down a
source of pollution that was destroying a world class
brook trout spring creek. The Codorus TU chapter is
trying to stop the construction of a sewage treatment facility
that will empty into
Codorus Creek and is also looking into purchasing about
$1 million in land to protect the fishery. The TU
representative was also meeting with a land owner who
recently posted his land and denied access to water upstream
after an incident with trespassers.
We moved on after lunch and had a great time with the local
population of browns for the rest of the afternoon. As the
weather warmed the insect population became a bit more
active and fish were beginning to rise. We put away the
subsurface rigs and broke out the long leaders and fine
tippet. Jin hooked a brown that just crushed his fly. This
was no subtle take but a vicious slashing attack that put a
bend on his rod. He continued up stream but I decided to
stick around and play. After resting the area for a bit and
remaining still, the fish began to rise again. I counted
over 12 fish all around me with some as close as three feet
away. But there was one fish tight against the opposite
bank that was rising sporadically, but when it did you
could tell it was large. I threw everything in the box at
it. It would either ignore it, pick something off that was
floating near my fly, or create a boil under the fly but
not take it. After a half hour of this game I tied on a
size 18 black caddis and that was the ticket. I had the
fish on and a good bend on the rod but it didn't stay that
way for very long and I lost the fish. And it was time for
me to head home for dinner--or else.
Jin stuck around for a while longer
and picked up a few more fish before he called it a
day and headed home.
EQUIPMENT:
We used 3 and 4-weight rods
with floating lines. The water shallow but very cold, even
during the summer, so you might want wear heavy socks under
your waders.
DIRECTIONS:
I-95 towards Baltimore to 795
Towson to Exit 9B Hanover Pike (30) into Pennsylvania. The
road becomes Baltimore Pike (94). Exit Grandview Road, turn
right at the restaurant on Blooming Grove Road (216) and
several hundred yards later a left on Hoff Road (look for
the Lamb of God). Codorus State Park and Lake Marburg will
be on your right as you travel down Hoff Road. STOP at the
railroad crossing! Codorus Creek runs along a CSX rail line
and parts of Park Road, Porters Road, Hayrick Road and
Thomas Drive. Look for the small yellow signs that indicate
fishing areas and parking. Please respect all property
owners and don't trash the stream.