Plan B was A-Plus!

[Lard Almighty]

So, I was all excited about my smallmouth trip down the Delaware on Monday with my ace guide, Mike. Then I get a phone call the night before. It's Mike, he says smallmouth fishing is a no-go because the reservoirs are overflowing forcing big releases, and the water is too cold. So instead, we would be floating the West Branch for trout. So Monday morning, I was on the road by 3 and pulled into Hancock a little before 6. By 7 we had our lines in up at Hale Eddy.

To say conditions were perfect would be an understatement. Water was high, a bit stained, and the morning was brisk and misty. Almost immediately we were into the feisty 2-3 pound browns that were stacked in every riffle and pool like cord wood. Between the two of us, Mike and I landed about 25 trout in a 6 hour float, a good half of which were in the 16-18 inch range. And the best part was, THERE WAS NOT ANOTHER ANGLER IN SIGHT ALL DAY!

All fish were caught on a mix of spinners and jerkbaits. Between the fish landed, missed, and the follows, we saw well over 100 trout, many of which were pushing the 20 inch mark. That river is STUFFED with trout!