Editor’s note: The author is a Delphi resident who has recently taken up flyfishing in Deer Creek.

As sunset approaches, I quietly wade into the creek. I make my way to a spot below a riffle created by a fallen tree, and feel the anticipation that comes with the first cast from my trusty fly rod. What will the creek offer this evening? I manage to nudge the fly into just the right spot for the current to take it past the log and into the riffle, and then it happens. A big splash, the hook is set, and the fight is on…It doesn’t always happen this way, but this scenario plays out enough to keep me coming back to “my part” of Deer Creek in Delphi, Indiana.

After I land and release the fish, I pause for a moment of reflection. Oddly enough, I think first about where I am not located. I am not on the Snake River in Wyoming. I am not in Alaska. I did not arrive by float plane. I didn’t take out a second mortgage for a plane ticket, a guide, and a hand made bamboo fly rod. I continue to reflect as I prepare for the next cast. I listen to the clear water rustling against my waders as it babbles through the riffle. At this moment, I am thankful to live within walking distance of Deer Creek (and some wonderful smallmouth bass fishing). You can travel to distant states and spend a lot of money, but you won’t have a better fishing experience. (And you don’t have to hire anyone to go with you!)

Ok now, relax. I am not going to try to give you a primer on fly fishing. It’s been done many times and way, way better than I could hope to do. I won’t even go into a lot of detail about bass fishing in a creek. If you want to go that direction, then you need to check out one of the excellent books written on those topics. I will share my opinion that pound for pound, the smallmouth bass is the scrappiest game fish in Indiana. Taken on light tackle in a swiftly flowing creek, it is on a par with any fishing experience I can think of. Throw in the bonus of fishing on a scenic (and semi-wild) creek right here in Indiana and you can easily become a devotee of the creek borne smallmouth bass. (And remember, you are not facing bankruptcy for the whole Wyoming trip guided tour thing, either.)

My quest for smallmouth in Deer Creek started five years ago because I wanted a couple of little sunfish for a classroom aquarium. As I was pursuing those, I noticed from time to time that larg er fish were actively rising for flies. Those fish, more often than not, turned out to be smallmouth bass. The next thing I knew, I had dug out my fly rod and procured some waders. I thought, “Hey, a smallmouth is just like a bigger bluegill, so this should be easy!” Wrong. In their way, smallmouth can be just as persnickety as trout. Smallmouth are crafty, too. Just when I think I have a smallmouth whipped, I will find myself trying to salvage a leader and tippet which have been somehow wrapped around a log. Mr. Smallmouth is no doubt laughing at me from his favorite hiding place…

So, what makes Deer Creek special (apart from the smallmouth fishing)? At least for the part that I fish, it is the location. I fish in the middle of Delphi, Indiana. Right about where Highway 421 crosses Deer Creek, you can sample an amazing ecosystem, and the creek is at its heart. The creek is amazingly clean (at least by 2010 standards), so it supports an intriguing array of wildlife. While fishing Deer Creek, I have shared the creek with beavers, muskrats, and blue heron. (The herons usually have better luck than I do!) Delphi is an Arbor Day Foundation Tree City (three years and counting!) and even in the middle of town, many old growth trees lovingly shade the creek. Of course, you can certainly fish other parts of the creek. Many stream anglers pride themselves on how much of a creek they can cover. However, what works best for me is to focus on a small section like the one I have described here. Get to know it, and try to be part of it.

Another quality that makes Deer Creek so endearing is its accessibility. So often, you hear of people fishing in Uncle So and So’s stocked farm pond (private property) or on one of the big reservoirs in the inevitable bass boat (major dollars again). Where I fish on the creek, I am about fifty yards from a lovely city park. I will actually chat with folks out walking their Basset hound while I am donning my waders. (People in waders with a fly rod must seem naturally friendly or at least spark curiosity.) If you go to a stocked pond or venture out in a ten thousand dollar bass boat, you had better catch fish. In contrast, when you land a smallmouth bass in the middle of a small Hoosier town, the feeling is almost serendipitous.

Nowadays, places like Deer Creek don’t happen by accident. Anyone involved with the watershed must be a responsible steward of the environment. As noted above, Deer Creek supports a wonderful array of wildlife, including a naturally occurring smallmouth hatchery. This is a testament to the stewardship shown by the creek’s neighbors. The food chain present along this watershed would not exist without clean water, which is the lifeblood of any thriving ecosystem. As an angler, I am grateful every time I set foot in the creek. Along with that same ethic, most folks seem to practice catch and release…I salute my brother and sister anglers who follow this practice. Put that big smallmouth back in the creek so someone else can feel the jolt of a bass on a fly or spinner!

Hopefully, I have accomplished what I set out to do when I wrote this piece, which was to express a bit of affection for Deer Creek and my smallmouth bass friends. As promised, I didn’t make your eyes glaze over with arcane descriptions of flies, and I even limited my use of the word “riffle”. No, you don’t have the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, but you do have beautiful trees and the satisfaction of knowing that you are nestled in the heart of a happy ecosystem. Indiana was once the frontier of our nation. If you are able to experience Deer Creek with a fly rod (or at least a light spinning outfit), then you are touching that heritage. You will enjoy the time even if you don’t catch much. But, there’s always time for one more cast…Hey, is that a riffle (oops) I didn’t notice before? Let’s try a crawfish pattern…Hope to see you on the creek!