The Grannom Fly Hatch on Penns Creek -- April of 2008

Nothing short of blind and great timing landed an ol' fishing pal and I on Penns Creek at the absolute best time during the Grannom Fly Hatch of 2008.  We both caught fish each day during our trip, here and there, but nothing of size, and were convinced at the time, as were many an angler who we met on the stream, that the fish in Penns Creek are "smart".

I have since learned that wild fish are wild fish, and are not smart by any stretch of our imagination.  They are certainly aware of their surroundings, as is any wild creature, but to call them smart is dumb.  Trout eat sticks and stones and berries and take a nibble at just about everything that floats their way in a natural manner.  Fooling them with a hook and hair and feathers attached to plastic line is a skill on many levels, but the fish themselves are not smart.

Included below is a picture of some guy fishing upstream of me.  He wasn't catching anything while I watched him fish.