Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Forks of the Credit on the fly

 Late September still offers excellent top water opportunities. You may need to work a little harder for big fish, but there's plenty of action with small brooks. This area has special regulations - artificial lures only, single barbless hooks, catch and possession (0) zero.
Getting there
 From Yorkdale Rd., take the 401 westbound to the 410. Follow the 410 north right to the end, and stay on hwy 10 to the Forks of the Credit Road. The Forks road is a scenic drive that will take you right to what is known as the Forks of the Credit. Park just before Dominion Street on the right shoulder. Parking is free, and this spot will give you access to both branches of the Credit and the south park entrance if you want to go up there.

Forks of the Credit from the
 Dominion St. Bridge


Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
 From the Dominion St. bridge, the south park entrance is about a 10 minute walk. (there is no parking allowed anywhere on Dominion St.)
The trails heading into the park are well groomed and markers identify which path you're on. It's easy going and there are several footpaths through the bush that will get you down to the river. The river is very tight up there except for a few locations, so you'll need to adjust your casting often. Roll casts are useful and can be rewarding to the persistent fisher. The park's nice, but I prefer south of the Forks myself.

South of the Forks
 This stretch of river is my favourite. It holds some very nice size Brooks and Browns. My personal best is an 18" Brook, but there are many in the 10 - 15" range that reside in this area. There are plenty of runs, holes, rocks and logs. Today I was fishing with a #14 Tan Caddis - dry fly. I hooked several small fish (5-8") and just missed a really nice one. It's good to see all the small ones - this appears to be a very healthy river at the top end. Let's hope it stays that way. Only a few more days and the season closes until next April. I'll try to get out again tomorrow.


Small Atlantic Salmon - kind of fun watching them come up and nab a fly.