A while back, I told a quality Kossack that I’d shoot down to the shores of the mighty Unami Creek and snap some photos. Finally, I had the time and did so. Please give this diary a lazy read if you are interested in one of your fellow Kossacks favorite places on earth, the Unami Creek.
Located in the far northeast corner of Montgomery County, PA, the Unami is, in my almost 3 year experience of living up here, the best and most diverse place to fish in the area. Moreover, if nay a single fish graces itself to your lure, the deep serenity that surrounds you on the Unami will make your aching life just that much better once a day, just like vitamin U.
The big draw, that fills every available pull-over along its banks, it seems, is trout. On any given day, I see anywhere from 20 to 100 “outdoorsmen” all decked out in their Khaki/flannel garb, waving their overpriced rods around any available pool in search of trout. Yes, there are plenty of trout in there, both native (brown) and stocked (rainbow;) but if you ever know anything about me in your lifetime, it’s this:
I’m there for the bass.
It’s not that I have anything against trout. I love fishing for, catching and eating trout, minus the browns, which I ceremoniously throw back when I have the grand luck to get one. However, when I am going for trout, I’m going for them in VT or upstate NY, where they are wild and not in a perpetual state of spooked as a result of every rubberneck tossing anything they can rig at them. Trout fishing on the Unami is absolutely no fun from my experience, unless you are into ignoring the serenity that abounds around you and instead love the sound of city wannabes (my alma mater) yelling at the water, each other, and all the while leaving garbage that you have to clean up everywhere.
The Unami has three distinct dynamics, all separated at times by mere feet. Its northeastern run is mostly wide, swift and shallow. I rarely fish up there because it is largely residential. Moving downward toward its first major meander, it is saturated with glacial boulders and deep, glassy pools, making It a virtual carp/sunfish heaven. These areas are hard to get into and because of my intense arthritic foot of late, I haven’t had the gumption to wander in there. Lastly, crossing Upper Ridge road, it is a mixture of the two with the addition of both deep and shallow rapids, which are separated by wide spillways and boulder runs towering up out of the almost still water. It is here where I spend most of my lunch breaks.
While there are much shorter rides into my preferred Unami, I always take Price road, which is a steep dirt road off of Upper Ridge. I do so because it is dense and scenic, and I often encounter deer and a rich diversity of birds and the occasional fox. Plus, the views that break out of the sharp curves are what takes the edge off.
Some typical views from Price Road.
At times, my ‘valet foot’ (which I coined my aching ankle as a result of parking cars for 11 years) prevents me from taking the long trek into the more remote areas of the Unami. Luckily, there are excellent spots within a few paces of the road. At the right time of day, you can see the enormous carp and ginormous largemouths wandering the submerged boulders in the glassy water, both of which, I should warn, are highly finicky and at times impossible to tempt into striking. But when they do, get ready for a fight.
Other times, when the menthol icy hot stuff is working well, I’ll venture in, and, if I don’t catch a single fish, it is always worth the journey.
When you get in there, you’ll notice that it’s clean. That’s because of me. If you see a flyer on a tree that says, don’t be a douchebag: carry out your trash, think of me. If you visit, I’ll assume it’s clean and think of you.
My stomping grounds!
This is what a walk-in to a more remote area of the creek is like.
Pure heaven!
Now, for the main event: Catching bass in the Unami.
Despite any superstitions or conceptions, if you put a worm on a hook, you are most likely going to catch a fish. However, you are more likely to catch 10 sunfish before you even see a bass, carp, or even trout. The sunfish of the Unami are numerous. Worse, they can be huge. I have caught more than my share of 4+ pound sunny in there. Whatever their size, they are contagiously smelly, they will cut you while unhooking, and their tiny mouths make getting them off your hook and back in the water are a constant project. My advice is to avoid worms for bass unless you are polarized and you are watching your hook to avoid strikes by sun fish.
If you hook one on any bait, here’s a tip:
Let the sun fish run with your bait. When the line tenses up, pull the rod up slowly until the fish jostles and then quickly release the tension. Doing this a few times serves 2 purposes: One, it tires the fish out, so when you bring it up to unhook it, the fish won’t jerk around as much and you are less likely to get cut by its razor sharp fins. Two, while the fish is distressing in the water, its action will attract bigger fish to your casting area. Often, I’ve seen a small sunny attract a huge bass or even a brown. make sure you (gently) put the fish back somewhere you are not intending to cast. Sunnies are pretty dumb and aggressive. They aren’t likely to learn any lessons.
I have a wide variety of lures, but the 2 I most often equip myself with on the Unami are the bumble bug, and the all powerful baby popper.
The bumble bug is awesome, but be warned, it attracts carp, and if you are going for bass, you’re probably setting your drag to a tension that will snap your line if a carp gets it. While I have brights, I have found that the often crystal waters are more conducive to naturals and silvers (shad rigs.) In my experience, anything with a natural top and a white to orange belly will do the trick.
Bass reside anywhere and everywhere in the Unami, and even better, the bass of the Unami are often enormous. Last year, I caught a fourteen-pound largemouth, the largest bass I had ever caught in my life (including in Canada.) While I was wrestling it in, another at least 12 pounder was following it around. It was such a beautiful fish, I just had to give it back. My wife was sooo mad.
There are plenty of smallmouths in there as well, but for whatever reason, they are relatively small. Perhaps the largemouths and carp are the cause. If I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know.
Some Fishies!*
It figures, but I only caught small examples on my photo expidition :)
In the dusk hours, you’ll see some major league jumpers. That’s when the bumble bug is primo. Try to learn this retrieve: Watch the way a skitter bug works its way across the surface. Zig One Zag Two Zig-Zag Five. Pause, Two-Three... Repeat. Try not to splash it. Just get that ‘buggy’ swirl going around the lure, occasionally shaking the rod tip to get the wings ‘flapping.’ I guarantee, if there’s a bass around, your lure will be in its mouth three feet above the water.
These guys will fight, and I mean hard. They’re college educated, too. If there is a log around, it will try to tie you up on it, so be mindful of your rod tip. Also, I have found that they are harder than the average bass to set, so you really have to get a nice swift and diagonal motion going to set your hook. Many a time on every occasion, I watch my lure fly straight up in the air after I congratulated myself for hooking a bass in the unami. I just know that they laugh about me at their annual meeting.
Wherever you are on the Unami, you are within walking distance of swifter moving water, and the inevitable trout that will result. Just be prepared to do some climbing over the gigantic boulders to get to that unexploited pool that likely contains your trout. Often, the walk to the swifts is more enjoyable to me than the actual fishing. These trout are smarter than average and they won’t help you out as they would under generational wild conditions. If you want to get trout in the Unami, here’s a hint: rig a #12 with a meal worm and put an egg sinker above. Don’t try to set the hook. Rather, let the fish swallow it and run before you raise the rod. They’ll let go on the slightest movement (darn them!)
Swift/shallow meets glassy/deep wherever you go on the Unami.
Whatever you are looking for in a freshwater day, the Unami’s got it. Scenery, Quiet, Places to sit, Birds, Gigantic turtles, even (from lore,) eels.. You name it! If you are looking for other varieties such as muskies, perch, have no fear, just go all the way down to where the Unami feeds into the Perkiomen. Tons of monster tales have resulted.
Well, that’s it. If you are ever around here, I hope you’ll stop down at the Unami. I won’t be around it for much longer, which is an upcoming story, but I am certain that I’ll think of it every single day.
Hope you enjoyed!
Love,
Andrew
PS: Watch where you're a steppin!
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