Generally, position yourself downstream and cast up and across. Study the area and figure out where you can stand so you’re not right on top of the fish. But if you are dealing with clear water, approach a hole cautiously and keep your distance. Most of the time when I take my son to a local creek, we never leave the “big hole” under the bridge, and every worm or Trout Magnet we cast gets smashed for hours on end. Ideally, the water level or color will provide enough cover that you don’t have to be super stealthy. In clear water, depth isn’t enough to stop the fish from being alerted to your presence and getting spooked. Never forget that if you can see the fish, the fish can see you, even if you’re looking into a hole that’s 3 feet deep or more. What you must be mindful of, however, is water clarity. The most obvious areas to target on creeks are deep holes, particularly in summer when the water gets low. Three Key Creek Locations and Tactics Sunfish are eager players in small local creeks. With your arsenal set, the final piece of the puzzle is dialing in your approach. Because of its teardrop body shape, it casts like a bullet despite its size and perfectly matches the micro baitfish you often see schooled up along the edges of a creek. My final must have is a Panther Martin spinner in the itty bitty 1/32-ounce size. Big rock bass and smaller creek smallmouths will positively clobber it, but the dressed tail hanging below it also mimics a flying insect in the water, and white perch, bluegills, and chubs will often grab it and just pull the popper under. Not only does it allow you to add a little finesse to your presentation, but it’s not as likely to get hung up as other lures. The Pin’s is great in shallow, rocky water because you can just let it float along and impart twitches of the rod tip to make it dive, wobble, and pop back up. The two hard lures I’m never without are the 2-inch Yo-Zuri Floating Pin’s Minnow and the 2.5-inch Rebel Pop-R. Creek Fishing Gear: Keep It Simple A small spinning reel and a panfish rod is all you need for creek fishing. If you tailor your gear and approach, you can easily make creek fishing a little more “grown up.” Here’s how I go about creek fishing in summer, and whether my son is with me or not, I feel like a kid again as soon as I set foot in that water. To be honest, though, I don’t take him along all the time. He can flip rocks and hunt for crayfish (which also make great bait). One rod, a few hooks, a bobber or two, and a tub of nightcrawlers is about all we need to catch anything in the creeks. Why? Because most people don’t get excited about rock bass, green sunfish, bluegills, suckers, tiny smallmouths, and the odd leftover stocked trout. I like creek fishing because, for one thing, I enjoy solitude, and local creeks are the only places I can go in the summer where I’m just about guaranteed to get it. Local creeks are the perfect places to take a kids for rock bass or sunnies or stocked trout. Frankly, a good creek is overlooked and under-pressured because it doesn’t (usually) scratch the big-fish itch, and it doesn’t contain a lot of “glam species.” There are loads of waters like this where I live in the Northeast, and, as crazy as it might sound, they’re some of my favorite places to fish. Save for perhaps a bump in traffic if it receives a trout stocking during the spring, it’s not a destination nor a world-class fishery. In other words, there’s no spring feeding it or keeping it cool year-round. While it varies by region and depends on who you ask, my definition of a creek is a small- to medium-size body of flowing water at the mercy of the seasonal conditions. Learn more ›īefore we can talk about creek fishing, we have to define a creek. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
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