Sometimes it’s not entirely about the fishing. We decided to take a quick trip over to the Little Juniata River which is about 45 minutes from the house. We’ve fished the Little J, as it is know in fly fishing circles, quite a few times in the past. We where just looking to do a quick trip to quench our fly fishing thirst then grab a bite to eat at a local eatery.

It was cold.. very cold today. It was the “real” first cold day of November. The kind of day that reminds you all too well that winter is just around the corner. The cold from the water was biting through our waders as we tried to navigate the full bank flow of the Little J. There was even a little ice forming around the bank.

My son struck first with a lost fish then a solid connect on a healthy silvery and gray brown trout. I asked him what he hook up on because I hadn’t even had a look from a trout to this point. He cracked a wide smile proclaiming, “got that one on a green weenie”. I laughed and shook my head. He has been doing well on the lowly green weenie across a variety of fish this year. He’s become the “Jedi” of the green weenie these days! Ha.. Ha!

I must have changed the point fly and dropper on my Euro rig at least ten times in the same number of minutes. (A slight exaggeration) I eventually settled in on a double beaded Prince Nymph and a Hairs Ear. Fishless and frustrated I set my nymphs on a nice drift through a 3 foot deep cut surrounded by only a few inches of water on either side. Halfway through the drift my sighter went taught and I lifted the rod to set the hook. I immediately felt the rod go into a deep bend and the tell tail “throbbing” of a nice fish shaking his head at the end of my line. I chased the fish a little but the water became too deep so I finessed.. I mean… horsed the fish to the net hoping that my 6X tippet would hold. I was eventually able to scoop up the beautiful buttery Little J brown in my net. A fitting end to an exhilarating fight.

We fished for a few more casts after I landed my trout but the air was getting colder and the frigid water was starting to get the best of us. As we walked up the path to our vehicle, we decided to go into the little town of Tyrone for a bite to eat. Small town living is the best! We enjoyed our dinner as we watched the local Veterans Day parade. It gave us both pause as we thought about how those who have sacrificed so much, have made it possible for us to enjoy days like today.