Harrods Creek

[Mattador]

I have been to Harrods Creek twice in two weeks and been skunked both times. Tried a little bit of everything: plastic crawfish, some top water plugs, jigs, spinners. Not a lick of luck.

Is it just too early, or is it just a bad spot?

[ON3 3Y3D WILLI3]

Is it just too early, or is it just a bad spot?[/quote]

both.

[bigrod]

Well I gotta tell you your both wrong. The derby tournament 90% of the field was in Harrods and I know for a fact the top two finishers were in there. So thats at least 17 pounds and I would be willing to bet that out of the top ten 6 were in the creek. So what i am saying is just keep chunking and winding because the river fish are there yu just have to make multiple casts to one target and slow down.

[ON3 3Y3D WILLI3]

1st I'm rarely, if ever, wrong according to my wife, lol.
2nd I was referring to wading Harrods Creek far from the river, Captains Quarters, Cunningham's, pollution, dysentery, etc. Not sure what the poster was referring to but I thought they were referring to wading it. If so, yes, it is too early, and yes, most of the accessible wading areas **** (i.e. Marijuana Mountain, Troll Bridge, and other Sleepy Hollow areas.)

[JD7.62]

Marijuna mountain?! WTF? Ive been wading harrods creek from the dam on the south fork all the way to the "estates of Hunting Creek" neighborhood for years and I have yet been lucky...I mean unfortunate enough to find a spot called marijuana mountain. Maybe I should carry a pistol out there more often then I do cause 90% of the time Im all alone. Really I would like to know how that name came about!

I think the creek is a fine place to fish, though I havnt yet this year. I can count on at least one SMB in the 15" every trip with dozens in the 10-12" fun on ultra light gear if you ask me. I only fish live bait on circle hooks and throw two different lures (one crank bait and one soft plastic and no I wont tell) exclusively.

I even fish a hole that during the summers hold decent numbers of saugar.

[ON3 3Y3D WILLI3]

LOL. If you are speaking of the dam off of Rt. 1694 then the hill across the street from that has been known as Marijuana Mountain since the 70's. Back then that spot was far beyond the outer-rim of the Louisville metro area proper. If you had made it out there from say, the Highlands or St. Matthews, you were in the sticks. This may have been long before Dad's Automotive (now Paradise Divers), that dam, or Sleepy Hollow Golf Course. It became a party hang-out for teenagers. Considering it's remotness and privacy this place afforded in the 70's I guess the next logical step was to begin cultivation- hence the name. I have heard varying stories from my parents and from friend's parents but they say the whole dagone hill used to be absolutely covered in it.
Anyhow, if it were called Meth Mountain, I'd pack your pistol, but since it's called Marijuana Mountain, just bring a lighter. And, the bridge after that dam (downstream) is Troll Bridge named for the menacing troll that used to live under it. I was always told he had a fondness for eating 8-9 year old children who happened to wander (i.e. tresspass) onto that property. This kept me and my cousin from ever sneaking the bikes out at night and riding out to fish that creek. Good tactic by ma and pa. Incidentally, that whole area, as you know, is called Sleepy Hollow which evokes visions of Headless Horseman and other stange occurance. But I digress from the fishing...mainly because as I said, its not as good as it should be/could be. Atleast for most of those public access spots. I fished quite a bit of that creek when I was a kid, from Goshen and beyond, to Covered Bridge Road and Sleepy Hollow, to the one-lane bridge on River Road, and as time has gone by it seems the quality fish have gone bye. I'm not saying there aren't ANY fish in it, you can catch 35 fish in 35 mintues if you want to, but 30 of them will be smaller than the bait your casting. This is becoming more and more true over the years on Floyd's Fork. Especially, since the put in the Canoe Access at Miles Park and Fisherville.
This thread has piqued my interest in Harrods again, however, and I would like to get into one of the more remote areas of the creek to re-check it out. Perhaps out near Westport, KY- it's been a while since I've done that beat. I just kind of fell out of love with it having fished the heck out of it back in the day and I don't live as close to it as I once did.
Those summer pool sauger sure can be fun, huh!? They can be voracious. I like finding those holes on creeks and/or a nice googleye hole when the SMBs have surrendered to the heat and dissappeared.

[JD7.62]

Thanks for the information. we moved to the Glenn Oaks neighbor hood in the late 90's when I was twelve and I rode my bike down there all the time. I know exactly what "mountain" your talking about and the old bridge too. Heck in the last ten years Ive seen easily 10-15ft of the bridge errode away. There are some MEGA LMB right below that dam. I use to have permission to fish it but apprently I dont any more as the guy ran me off last year and said he didnt remember giving me permission (though he did...)

If you ever want to get a trip together let me know, Im only familiar with the areas down stream from the dam off 1694 to the main creek, down stream from covered bridge road bridge to Hunting Creek and upstream about a .5 mile or so as well as down stream from the bridge off 329 about a .5 and up stream about a mile. Id love to try out some new spots or even jsut get back out there to my familiar spots since its been so long!

[psprowler]

LOL. If you are speaking of the dam off of Rt. 1694 then the hill across the street from that has been known as Marijuana Mountain since the 70's. Back then that spot was far beyond the outer-rim of the Louisville metro area proper. If you had made it out there from say, the Highlands or St. Matthews, you were in the sticks. This may have been long before Dad's Automotive (now Paradise Divers), that dam, or Sleepy Hollow Golf Course. It became a party hang-out for teenagers. Considering it's remotness and privacy this place afforded in the 70's I guess the next logical step was to begin cultivation- hence the name. I have heard varying stories from my parents and from friend's parents but they say the whole dagone hill used to be absolutely covered in it.
Anyhow, if it were called Meth Mountain, I'd pack your pistol, but since it's called Marijuana Mountain, just bring a lighter. And, the bridge after that dam (downstream) is Troll Bridge named for the menacing troll that used to live under it. I was always told he had a fondness for eating 8-9 year old children who happened to wander (i.e. tresspass) onto that property. This kept me and my cousin from ever sneaking the bikes out at night and riding out to fish that creek. Good tactic by ma and pa. Incidentally, that whole area, as you know, is called Sleepy Hollow which evokes visions of Headless Horseman and other stange occurance. But I digress from the fishing...mainly because as I said, its not as good as it should be/could be. Atleast for most of those public access spots. I fished quite a bit of that creek when I was a kid, from Goshen and beyond, to Covered Bridge Road and Sleepy Hollow, to the one-lane bridge on River Road, and as time has gone by it seems the quality fish have gone bye. I'm not saying there aren't ANY fish in it, you can catch 35 fish in 35 mintues if you want to, but 30 of them will be smaller than the bait your casting. This is becoming more and more true over the years on Floyd's Fork. Especially, since the put in the Canoe Access at Miles Park and Fisherville.
This thread has piqued my interest in Harrods again, however, and I would like to get into one of the more remote areas of the creek to re-check it out. Perhaps out near Westport, KY- it's been a while since I've done that beat. I just kind of fell out of love with it having fished the heck out of it back in the day and I don't live as close to it as I once did.
Those summer pool sauger sure can be fun, huh!? They can be voracious. I like finding those holes on creeks and/or a nice googleye hole when the SMBs have surrendered to the heat and dissappeared.

Wonder why they quality of fish might have disappeared?

[ON3 3Y3D WILLI3]

Around 20 years ago a good friend of mine caught a 7+ pound LMB by casting directly at the face of that dam. It's still his biggest LMB and a real lunker for any creek. The lily pads along the pool at the top of that dam were always very productive.

Throughout the years I've been thrown off of that creek more so than any other I've ever fished. Another reason it fell from my graces. I actually got my very first violation at 16 years old (going back for another 7 pounder at that dam) by parking mom's car right along the scree slope off of the road. Tresspassing and parking violation all in one. I had to beg for the officer, who had been waiting for some time and who had finally resorted to sounding his siren to alert me to his presence, to please call the tow service he had radioed in and tell them not to come. Thankfully he did but only because it was mom's car. He still issued the tickets and scared the c**p out of me. I'll never forget standing knee deep in Harrods Creek, hearing that siren go off, knowing full well that indeed, I was actually standing in S**ts Creek. The walk of shame up the embankment was horrid then, hilarious now. I've fished there plenty since, but to this day I've never parked in that spot.

Ahh the formative years...

[AJM]

As someone not familiar with the flows in this area, this is still a very entertaining thread. Im sure no matter what region you fish, any creek fisherman can relate to these stories. From personal nicknames to the law interfearing with your fishing trip... You just never know whats going to happen, but it always makes for a good story later.

[JD7.62]

Throwing a large creek chub or shiner right where the water spills over the dam and let it drift toward you will almost always get you a nice fish, Ive pulled dozens out in the 5lb range and lost one that could have gone 7lb.

I see cars parked there all the time still. Sunday I went for a drive after spending some time up the at the summit and went down Wolf Pen, down 1694 and 329 back to Crestwood, where we live, and there were three vehicles parked off the road right there. It seems like there are always cars there when its nice, they might now be running people off any more.

Thats it, next chance I get Im spending ALL day out there hiking and fishing!

The issue of tresspassing has always concerned me. I thought that as long s you were in the water you were fine. But Ive also heard that if you are wading in the water and touching bottom its private property. What is what? I have a friend with porperty on Harrods Creek and say if I waded from his place to the dam and stayed in the water can I get kicked out still?

[ON3 3Y3D WILLI3]

At 16, I was bold/stupid enough to park right alongside the newly installed No Parking sign, right across the street from a severely worn down, rusty nail, flapping in the breeze No Trespassing sign. A quick cast or two turned into 30 minutes, 10 of those, the fuzz was camped out at the car- fuming. This is precisely what made the walk of shame so bad. The "What sign? I didn't see any sign!?" excuse might have worked on the battered N trespassing sign, but it certainly wasn't going to work on the brand new, bright, shiny, reflective, red and white NO PARKING Anytime sign posted right there alongside where my dumb *** parked mom's car.

In the 21+ years since then, I've become a much more respectful and wiser trespasser/fisherman and I always ask permission to go onto peoples property. Incidentally, whether your wading through or just sitting on a rock in the middle of the creek, if it's private land, it's trespassing. The only way around that is to float it. The land owner does not own the water, just the ground it runs over. Most land owners in heavily fished areas would have a different view of this, I'm sure.