Carpin' at the Cal Sag Channel

  So I went out today, to the Cal Sag looking for some Carp action. The temp was a balmy 30° F. Winds at about 5mph gusting up to 20mph. So it was delightful weather for a fishing outing. About 2:15p.m. I arrived at the water. I had been out there a couple days ago to see if anything was stirring in the water. The place I went to check out, had a lot of Carp tailing when I stopped by. However, today I think I was the only thing stirring around out there. I took my 8wt out there and for the third time all year I took some spinning gear as well. Getting kinda tired of roughing through the cold and not getting anything on the fly. So I decided I would double my chances of hooking up with some fish. Sadly after 2 hours of no fish, I decided to call it a day. My fly rod kept freezing up and everytime I cracked off the ice, my fingers got just a little bit colder and colder. I did take some pictures today to share. No fish, but at least you can get an idea of the area I was fishing at today. Hope to post more soon, I feel a re-cap of the summer with pictures, is in the near future.

Not the best stretch of water I've ever fished, but it IS the closest to home. So , I don't mind as much going out there and getting skunked as much as if I drove for a couple hours. Till next time,
Tight Lines,
Wooly Bugger

Salt Creek Skunkin' in Indiana.

  Today I went out for some Steelhead action in Indiana. I woke up late, was slow to get ready, and left the house about three hours later than I wanted to, but I was going Steelheading! So, let me back it up a little and start closer to the beginning of this story. ...... I had been reading up a bit about Steelhead Fishing in Indiana. It's hard to get any really reliable info though. And I don't really know anyone who lives out there or fishes out there.  So, over the past couple weeks I have been at Cabela's in Hammond,  pretty regularly and have been talking with the fly fishing dept. employee's as much as I can. I purchased a 8wt outfit last week so I would have a set up with enough backbone to handle a serious fish. The employee's at Cabela's seemed to be very helpful, with everything from a good set up for Steelhead, to a solid place to start on the creek. So I've been watching the weather for a week now, knowing that today was gonna be good weather and I didn't have to work. I decided I was gonna make a run at some Steelhead. I'm at least an hour to an hour and a half away from any of the entry points of the creek. So I wanted to get somewhat of an early start, but that didn't happen. Ya see, I was really excited about going fishing. So much so, that I couldn't fall asleep last night. The last time I can remember looking at the clock it was 3a.m. And the first time I looked at the clock this morning was 9:30a.m.  Not the best start to a good day of fishing.

  So,
I finally hit the road. I decided to stop at Cabela's on the way so I could get my Non-Resident fishing license and double check the directions they gave me. I figured I could kill 2 birds with one stone. After all was said and done, directions were good, license in hand and ready to go! So I take off for Salt Creek. Unfortunately, no one had mentioned there is a long area of the expressway that is currently under construction and a drive that normally takes an hour, would take almost two! After, I exited the E-way at my stop, I was able to let the road rage go, and continue on my journey just happy to be going fishing.........and.......... I finally get there!!! Or at least where they told me to go. Ya see, where they sent me, wasn't quite there. They gave me bum directions to the first spot on the creek!!! You wanna talk about P.O.'ed. But again, I was able to brush it off and keep on my journey. I knew from my own research that there was a public access area near where I was. So I headed there. It was my back up plan, and I was really glad I decided to have a "just in case" plan. So, most of the day is gone by now, and only a couple hours of  daylight remain. Now, I'm focused! I need to get on the water! I finally get to the public parking area and start setting up the Fly Rod. I look around and there is only one other car in the lot. I'm thinking to myself...."Solid!" I look around the lot a little closer and I notice there is what seems to be a dead Deer on the ground, just at the edge of the parking lot. I walked a little closer to see, and there are two Deer laying dead on the ground, gutted, and completely butchered! Some one decided to leave the remains in the parking lot. What an A-hole!
Anyway,
  A couple fisherman come walking slowly, and empty handed (aside from their gear) out of  the woods and we got to talking. They were telling me how full of it the Cabela's guys are. That they set me up with the wrong flies, (way too big) and that they sent me to the wrong area of the creek. They said, they fish the creek pretty regularly and that the area we were at, has been really slow for a couple weeks now. They suggested I go back a little further north. And one of the fellas just gave me some of his flies and said I'd have a better chance with those. I decided to stay and fish the area I was in, cause if I drove back north I'd probably only get about a half hour of daylight left to fish. They wished me well and took off.  I finished setting up and took off to the trail. The trail itself was nice. I really enjoyed walking it. The trail runs right along the creek as it twist and turns. I fished several spots and nothing, not even a strike. There was no room for a back-cast at all, so it was all roll-casting. I ended up covering about a quarter mile of the trail in just about an hour or so. Still nothing. Daylight is fleeing quickly at this point. More quickly than I thought it would. Being unfamiliar with the area, I decided to start heading back to the parking lot, but fishing a couple spots on the way. I stopped by a downed tree and let a white wooly bugger drift out. Within a couple casts I caught a couple of creek chubs, but that was all for the day.

   Time to get out the headlamp.
I was so glad I had grabbed the headlamp on the way out of the house today. If I had forgotten it, I would have been just wondering around in the woods, in the dark, in the cold. Instead, I was able to get to the car quickly, break down the gear (somewhat quickly),  pack it up, and head home. All in all, not the best day of fishing I have ever had, but at the same time not, the worst. I did drive all over hell just for two creek chubs, that I could have caught ten minutes away from my house. However, that is all just part of learning the water I guess.  Till the next adventure,
Tight Lines,
   Wooly Bugger