The Coxing Kill Kebari



Coxing Kill Kebari

 It's been a while since I have had some time to play at the vise. In many ways that's a good thing.  For one, it probably means I'm fishing more, which has been the case.  There has been family and work obligations and a vacation thrown in for good measure.  In addition, I have been tying a number of flies for the purpose of making a few extra dollars.  This has been a blessing and a curse to some extent.  I very much enjoy tying flies for other anglers but the limited time I have for tying flies does not leave very much time for new fly experimentation.  However, I did manage to spend and hour the other night playing around with some ideas floating around in the melon on top of my shoulders.  I called this fly the Coxing Kill Kebari (or CK Kebari).  I named it after one of my favorite streams to hike along. 



Split Rock on the Coxing Kill, Mohonk Preserve

Strangley enough you can not fish on this stream because it flows through a state park and a private preserve for the majority of it's length.  It's highest contributing source of water begins at the southern end of Lake Minnewaska (Minnewaska State Park Preserve) and continues to flow several miles through The Mohonk Preserve on it's way to Roundout Creek and then eventually the Hudson River.  I love the solitude of walking along it's banks and observing all of the flora and fauna that surround it.  I have had encounters with turkey's, grouse, deer, and black bears.  The stream itself has an abundance of aquatic life including salamanders, frogs, insects, and the occasional tiny brook trout.  The fact that the Coxing kill has fish is unusual due to the makeup of most streams in the Shawangunks.  Most bodies of water on this ridge are naturally acidic and can not support fish.  This probably accounts for why the few trout that are present are so small.  Despite their diminutive size they are still beautiful to watch in their small pools going about their business.  Over all the Coxing Kill (kill is a dutch word for stream) is an idyllic place to take a stream side stroll.  To me, this fly seems like something these little brookies would eagerly snap up.  It reminds me of a olive or greenish caddis pupa, which are present on many of the area streams. Below is the recipe for this fly if anyone is interested in it.

Coxing Kill Kebari

Hook: #12 Mustad C49S

Thread: Pearsall's silk, olive

Collar: Peacock Herl

Hackle: Hungarian partridge

Body: several raps of light green vinyl rib



Alina and Bella in Indian Echo Caverns, Hummelstown, PA



I also thought I'd thrown a few vacation pictures in with this post for family who may be checking in on the blog from time to time.  This trip was a very fun and pleasant distraction from the usual hustle and bustle of the work week, I didn't even mind not fishing!



One of the cavern's features, crystal "lake"



Factory workers hard at work in Hershey



This is pretty much how we all felt by the end of the trip