Big fish, small pools - a tributary of the Hudson River on a low water day.

Last week I took a few hours to hit a stream I had been eyeing on the map for a long time. It flows into the Hudson River and is fed from a combo of feeder streams and a lake. 

Water conditions were low and I figured now was the time to hit it, knowing the fish that were normally spread out in the raging current would be concentrated in much smaller pools and easier to find.

I hiked a bit to find a suitable place to navigate the steep gorge down into the river. On the way down I saw a lot of these large millipedes. I hear they bite, but they weren't bothering anyone.

I found evidence of camping, old times, military presence and other anglers along the way. It was clear that I was fishing a stream that was not much of a secret, although there were enough fish to go around.

Conditions were indeed perfect, with cool water concentrated to the plunge pools and deeper runs between boulders. 

I saw some interesting bugs on a few rocks and fished the pool next to them. Soon a brown trout was brought to net.

A nicer pool with a bit of a water fall was much larger than the rest. I extended my rod all the way and fished right into the falls.

A couple of Rainbows fought valiantly in this pool, one jumping clear out of the water in an attempt to throw the fly.

But this day the luck was in my favor.

Here's a video of one of the rainbows fighting on the line before being landed:

In the hole below, I hooked and lost a really nice fish deep in a run on the opposite side of the exposed rock.

The scenery was fantastic and pool after pool came into view with each rock I climbed. 

 Some sections were slower and flatter than others.

Creek chub and some sunfish were in slower sections of water.

Others seemed to be dominated by rainbows that slammed my fly without hesitation. No brookies here.

At one point, I fell and lost my camera. Realizing it later when I went to pull it out, I retraced my steps to the place of my fall and there it was. Sometimes you get lucky! 

It was definitely a successful day overall, and I still had some nice pictures to show for it. Until next time...