April 14 and April 20, 2024 – A Couple of April Trips: One Meh, and One with a Little More Magic – A Pair of Northampton County Limestoners

A good one during the early shift.

I should not expect “normal” April weather anymore, but it is hard to break 50+ years of muscle memory.  The ups and downs of air temperatures are strange, but at least the precipitation is keeping streams plenty "hydrated."  I fished last Sunday for the evening shift at a limestoner that has so many springs that it holds the pulse of rainwater for a long, long time.  It was a bit too high to chase heads, even if I had seen fish rise to the evening caddis dancing over the water—alas, I did not see a single rise.  A weird front was coming too, so I did not do well.  Fish had lockjaw, perhaps from the odd barometric pressure and impending storm.  I ran into another fly fisherman who had the same results, perhaps worse, since I actually stuck a YOY.  On the ride home, on April 14, mind you, I saw a lightning storm in the heavens and even small hale in the deluge of rain that fell for a brief time.  A weird night, but a nice walk in the woods and an experience, for sure.

A couple more decent ones.

After a busy week at work when I couldn’t even sneak out for a morning Wissy trip, I just had to fish on Saturday morning.  It was my birthday, so my phone was blowing up all morning, but it did not distract me from the task at hand.  I arrived at another SEPA limestoner about 7 AM in clouds and drizzle.  This creek gets pounded, so I rarely get anything to move on a bugger, except in the dead of winter, but this morning would have been perfect on a less pressured and fertile creek.  I had a jigged bugger on to start and caught a little brown before rerigging to nymph.  Besides one friendly and respectful angler, I had the place to myself, which was a good sign for a Saturday.  We spoke briefly and worked out a plan.  Unsolicited, he shared a truth about this creek that I have found to be the case myself.  Small bugs, nothing flashy, not even a hot spot or silver bead; otherwise, the fish tend to ignore.  You would swear the place has no fish until you dial it in or get lucky enough to hit them during a mid-hatch feeding frenzy.  In one such hatch a couple years ago, I landed a 22-23 inch wild brown feeding late morning in 8 inches of pocket water.  A rarity, of course, but today I did land a toothy buck in the high teens on a fly Eric and I like to call the little brown nothing—just a size 18 on a 16 competition hook with a spot of hare’s ear and a dull tungsten bead.  You might mistake it for algae, but the fish don’t.  

Clouds to sun, tan to black sedges.

Don’t tell dude, but I caught this fish in the hole where he began fishing today!  I said I was going to fish the next two holes below where we spoke, and he could have the third if he wanted.  I was going to nymph upstream after that.  I saw him work this third plunge, but not the spots I would have worked, so after he left, I had to tuck my nymphs into a sweet spot in the riffle, and sure enough there was a good fish in there.  This buck just dug for bottom, and I kept him upstream of me, so the fight was nothing epic on a small stream, not like the aforementioned pig that had me running through knee high water to keep him in control.  This was still a beautiful fish and even sweeter on a warm Saturday morning on a pressured creek and in a hole that had just been fished not ten minutes earlier by a dude who at least knew the bug secret if nothing else!

A pretty one just before the release.

It got sunny and warm as the morning progressed, but in between taking texts and calls wishing me a happy birthday, I did pick away at a dozen more fish over the next few hours.  Most were average size, but there was another one close to 12 inches in the mix and only one stocked rainbow amongst the catch, so a solid day.  There were tan caddis in the bushes and some over the water, but on my walk out the black caddis were starting to get active.  I planned to quit sooner than I did, in the end choosing to take advantage of the new bug in the mix and so adding an hour to my outing.  I re-fished a couple deep holes on the way back downstream and caught a few more fish to add to the tally.  All were deep avoiding the direct sun but still interested in dark-colored, buggy flies—as long as they were small, of course.

Bonus piggy shot, one bow, dude missed a spot, little brown nothing.

Eric and his wife both celebrate birthdays this month, his wife’s on the 21^st, both the big 4-0, so I pledged to meet up with their friend group and some neighbors at a local brewery around 5 PM for a joint birthday party.  My day had begun at 5 AM, so I needed nap before all that.  I also had to have cake and celebrate with my own wife and son, but they knew that a good fishing morning was all the present I needed, and they knew what attending Eric’s party would mean to him too.  I guess I get birthday part two on Sunday?  I might actually get the boy out for some local trout.  In true fashion for this April, a front is coming and the temperature is going to drop ten degrees, but maybe by late afternoon we can find some eager fish.  If not, maybe I am due for a Monday morning stocky chase before they stock again.

I actually got three good shots and couldn't decide which one to share.

April 12, 2024 – Another Soaker but a Productive Window after a Too-Long Absence from the Game – Valley Creek

 A day-maker on Valley for the first fish of the morning (and a couple weeks out of the game).

Besides getting soaked to my boxers during a brief (boxer brief?), heavy shower, I found a good window on Valley Creek this morning.  I had a bunch of afternoon meetings, but after getting the boy out the door for school, I had about four hours of time to catch a few fish.  The fresh stockies would have to wait, as the flows were up and muddy on the Wissy, but seeing the gage for Valley, which is by the Turnpike and the Park, I knew some further reaches of the stream would be less impacted and improving.  I needed a day, so when I landed the beauty pictured above, I was very grateful to the fish gods.  I have just been busy with work, but mostly home: Easter, yardwork for my mom, the boy’s schedule, some college visits, and so on. 

Went for numbers when the bugs made their case.

I arrived around 7:45 and was fishing by 8 AM.  The flows were up, but the riffles and shallower water had good visibility, so I would guess at least a foot of visibility—for me, probably much more for the fish, who had no problem finding my bugs.  As shared, my first fish was a very solid Valley fish that fought her arse off.  I was fishing upstream with a mono rig and one of Eric’s small, jigged buggers to start.  I also got one later in a really deep hole with one of George Daniel’s sculp snacks.  After the first fish, I had the requisite chases and bumps by the many, many small fish until I had another good fish eat the bugger.  I turned this one with a hookset and saw his head turn back towards me like I had gotten him, but a second later the bugger flew back over my head and into the many greening scrubs and overhanging trees behind me.  That greenery was full of caddis, not surprisingly.  Eventually, about 9 AM, I saw a riser in the riffles above a deep muddy hole I was trying to dredge with a bugger, and I noticed that more caddis and a couple craneflies were aloft.  I said, “Eff it, let’s go for numbers,” at that point.  I got the riser to eat a single duracell before I got poured on for 10 minutes or more.

More trouts & bonus shots.

Instead of switching back to the bugger, I took that rain break to rig up a soft hackle on the dropper and a larva on the bottom.  When the rain stopped, I had a steady two hours of action on the nymphs.  No more size, but enough to bend the rod.  I went for broke a couple other times with the bugger, but I could only catch average fish with that, so the nymphs were far more effective.  It got breezy at times, and the trees were creaking ominously, but the wind dried my clothes a bit and all the noise amounted to nothing, at least until I was back at the ‘Ru prepping for the ride home.  One other interesting note, which is sort of par for the course with caddis: Half of the fish hit on the swing.  I just hold the rod out steady and let the bugs swing under the rod tip once I notice that swing getting noticed.  Potentially deadly with grannoms. Anyhow, I am hoping to get out at least once this weekend, but I have a busy Saturday, and I am going to see a band in Philly with Dolf that evening, so a late night with a potential mild hangover and/or a belly full of Mexican food and likely a pummeling live show.  Eric mentioned Sunday evening on the crick down the street.  So maybe I will get into a few of those fresh stockies if nothing else motivates me to take a longer ride.  Buster wants to fish, yo.

March 30, 2024 – Tried to Mix it Up, with Very Mixed Results – Brodhead Creek

A pretty bow, and the bobber back there.

With such a wet winter messing with my plans to visit, I have missed the Mighty Brodhead.  There are sections where fishing is legal before opening day, so I decided I would pay a visit on Saturday.  I set the alarm for early in the morning, but I think I messed with the clock in the night and switched things to PM instead of AM!  Well, I did not leave until 10:00 AM, which was fine, I guess, except for the breeze and high sun.  Leaving later would give me a shot at some variety of early spring mayflies, one or two of the quills, and tan caddis, of course, if I could find some elbow room.  When I packed the night before, I was not fully committed to the bigger creek, which was a bit high but certainly clear, so I also packed my small stream stuff and mapped a couple Class As that I had not fished in some time.  I probably should have gone to one of them after missing my shots at a couple dry fly eats around 3 PM.   Instead of nymphing my usual way, I decided to give my 10-foot 5 weight some exercise this afternoon, so I was mostly bobber fishing heavy bugs or one heavy bug and a small imitation on the dropper.  I was definitely out of practice, as I dropped two fish on the retrieve, unable to keep up with them running towards me.  Takes were light, so that did not help either, I am sure, but if I were tightlining I am positive I would not have dropped these trouts, light hits or not.  One was a decent wild brown that leaped off the line not 10 feet in front of me, too.

Moving water but certainly fishable and very wadable (in spots).

I did manage to land two wild-ish rainbows that either migrated upstream from previous spring stockings or migrated down from some private clubs upstream.  They had been around, based on the fins and the skinny shape from having to work for their meals for a couple years.  There was plenty to eat today, even a good hatch of small tan caddis and some larger mayflies around 2-3 PM.  That potential was another reason for throwing an actual fly line today.  I switched to a caddis dry when I had four decent fish rising around me.  I did not even get a refusal, so they were either taking the mayflies or something I could not see.  My gut said caddis emergers based on what they were doing, but my go-to caddis soft hackle dropped off the dry got no love either.  Humbling, of course, but that was why I changed it up today.  These fish are oft-targeted by better dry fly guys than me.  In fact, a nice guy hunting heads in a slick where heads are often spotted was rewarded with a nice wild brown on the dry.  Also humbling, of course.  It will come back to me over time, I am sure, and I did vow to throw a fly line more this year.  Just to really make my day humbling, I also dropped a nice streamer fish just before I quit for the evening ride home (in heavy rain).  Maybe the botched alarm was sign.

March 18, 2024 – Wind and Cold are Four Letter Words but Fortunately So are Tube and Bass – The Mighty Susquehanna River

Mitches catch fishes.

I have not fished let alone hung out with my good friend Young Kenny in ages, so when he rolled up on his motorcycle last week, I was happy to see him.  When he told me he had an opening today on the main branch of the Susquehanna for an early season smallie trip with Chris Gorsuch and Reel River Adventures, I was even happier to see him.  Of course, it was 70 degrees and sunny that day.  March weather changes, and by the time Eric and I were fishing on Sunday morning, a cool breeze had returned ahead of a series of cold fronts.  We were going either way, Kenny and me.  It had been too long, and we both had the utmost confidence in Chris, whom we knew would take care of us, shelter us from the worst of the weather, and find us some fish.  The fact that we beat the worst of the first cold front and also caught 72 mostly nice bass between the two us speaks for itself.  It was a fantastic late winter trip with a few fish over 18 inches and many in the mid-teens enthusiastically eating tubes, ned rigs, and other small soft plastics.  For me, a heavier ¼ ounce lead head was the only alteration needed to account for the high water and wind, a way to have more contact and less line bow.  Fish still thumped the heavier baits too.

We caught 72 bass in the cold, wind, and high, dirty water.  Some good ones too.

I met Kenny at his house at 6 AM and we arrived early for the 9 AM departure time.  Chris’s wife reminded him the night before that the wind chill was going to be 35 or something ridiculous at 7 AM, so waiting for what little sun to warm things up a bit was probably wise.  I guess I am part of the club now because Chris greeted us both with a hearty hug.  He is not only a good captain but good company, and I know he appreciates the fish Kenny and I catch, which have to be good for the socials and business in general, but more importantly the belly laughs that Kenny and I can supply—I swear that truckers on 322 must have witnessed Kenny doing a Kid and Play leg-grab dance worthy of House Party 2, and I may have tried to twerk after a particularly good run of fish.  In addition to having fun, Kenny and I do have real talks and play catch up on the long rides there and back.  And we fish hard even in tough conditions.  The wind was not bad to start, but as the day progressed, the east side of the river was unmanageable even in a heavy 20-foot jet boat with spot lock on the trolling motor and two power poles.  We had limited success early on an east bank spot, but when we tried a creek mouth on the east side later in the afternoon, the attempt did not last long.  Instead, Chris returned to the late morning and midday game plan that was working, tucking us into some creek mouths and behind islands on the west side of the river. 

We had a chance, twice...

Dirty and high water, so I jokingly called my tube “the arborist.”  Kenny and I helped do a spring cleanup for the next jamokes to fish these spots.  I believe the classic Caddyshack line, “Right in the lumber yard” was even evoked as gusts took the baits on a flight once in a while.  Chris is always happy when the crew is catching and always patiently continues tying and serving as rod caddy, so breaks in the fishing are few.  Snags are just par for the course this time of year and under these conditions, and fortunately for us so are rather short runs out there exposed in the river.  I caught plenty of fish pretty much dead drifting a ned rig in the current under overhangs and close to cover, but the dead drift also brought up a lot of dead (drift)wood, so I settled on the heavier tube as I mentioned above.  Having control of the lift AND the fall paid dividends.  Because this river never ceases to amaze and surprise, we even had a chance at a musky, both of us, a fact confirmed on Tuesday.  Kenny and I both got bitten off in the same spot, and Chris returned to the same creek mouth the next day and not only caught a musky but also retrieved one of our tubes from its mouth.  At least one of our hook sets was solid, you know?  A good, good day.

Some bonus shots.  Tough old dudes.  A swimbait fish.  Thanks Chris!

March 15 and 17, 2024 – Two Mornings of Small Stream Sneaking with Very Different Outcomes - SEPA

A bunch of quality small stream fish.  Eric's best and the best of the morning.

I had the morning again on Friday, March 15, but unfortunately only the early morning.  Olives bring the fish to life on Valley and other creeks, but usually not until well after 10 AM.  I was leaving at 10 AM.  I am glad I went out for a walk, but fishing was pretty terrible, resulting in only a few YOY, one flying into the air behind me I was so shocked by the hit.  Despite the spring and summer feels, the fish on Valley and even a couple Lehigh Valley creeks remain in winter mode and/or focused solely on those BWOs.  That can’t last for too long if my trip with Eric to our little freestone oasis on Sunday is any indication.  The caddis in size 18 were out in full force.  Shake the last papery leaves holding on to a birch tree, and there were even more bugs in the air.  We did not catch dozens, but we caught some quality fish in quality numbers for this creek.  Eric had the fish of the day, one far closer to 15 than 14 by hand measure, but we each had one that was at least 14 inches and a few others over 12, probably only one dink and she was 7 or 8 inches not 4.  For this small Class A creek in SEPA, one that is not a food-rich limestoner either, that is exceptional by my estimation.  Eric and I both had to rank this visit high on the growing list of excellent visits to this spot.

A great start!

The fish were fat, healthy, and angry in the cold water.  We had a blast watching a few of the better fish, including Eric’s second fish of the morning, jump and run all over the creek.  Flows were up but clear, so pretty perfect for this time of year.  Riffles and pockets were disappointing, as was one of our honey holes, but fish were actively taking our nymphs in the wintering holes, and some of the deeper cut holes overperformed too—including a pair of really nice fish back to back in a hole that was once the swimming hole of Eric’s youth!  I mentioned the caddis, which started showing around 10 AM, but midges were present right away, so we started with small perdigons and thread body bugs before retooling for the caddis.  We both got a couple to eat size 18 blowtorches and buggier soft hackles on the dropper tag, including my solid, far-wandering, holdover rainbow, but the simple, natural bomb walts was really what they wanted as the morning progressed.

Another of Eric's good fishes, and he did let me catch a few nice ones too!

Eric had stopped at my house on Saturday morning to have me take a look at what he’d been tying and also to help put together a working box for Sunday.  We hooked him up with my most simple mono rig too, just 30 feet of 12 lb. Trilene XT Extra Tough in green attached to his sighter, which had seen better days—hunting and not fishing will do that to a leader, you know.  I had to take a ride to the fly shop later that day to send my Simms waders out for repair, anyway, so I picked up some new sighter and some tungsten shrimp bodies for his vice too, just for fun, maybe more weight on small buggers or some bomb-bomb walts and caddis larva?  Anyway, the knots tied with my aging eyes held, and he got his first good, sustained exposure to the joys of the mono rig.  He is a quick study and a very good fisherman, as I know I have mentioned, so I was not surprised.  For me it just added to the pleasure of the day, probably not unlike me catching fish on bugs that Eric ties, just a little vicarious extra bonus.

Left, the typical average. Right, today's average!  Below, the bow + another good brown.

We generally enjoy each other’s successes, which is why we make good fishing partners, but today was probably even sweeter because we both had a lot of success.  Eric’s beauty fish landed toward the noon hour bested the previous quality fishes, but there were so many quality fish to share throughout the day that it just accentuated what an exceptional late winter morning we were having.  We even stuck one more in pocket water on the way out, perhaps a preview of what is possible in another month or so.  We also ran into the landowner who granted Eric permission to fish here several years ago.  He was out riding on the big tractor, but we got to share a brief word over diesel noise if only to, as Eric put it, “make sure we are good for yet another year” on this often-magical creek.  Keeping with the theme, Eric even collected a fresh shed on our walk into the morning’s first spot, which is another clear sign that the other wildlife here has continued to survive if not thrive for yet another year.

A shed, skunk cabbage bulbs, caddis, a mitch, signs of spring abound.

March 12, 2024 – A Couple Stolen Hours on a Tuesday – Valley Creek

A real fish?

Well, I beat the steadier breeze today by fishing from 8:30 to 10:30, but I also beat the warmup and the olives by at least an hour or two.  My workday was pretty loaded towards the afternoon, but I had a quiet morning after getting the boy to school, so I suited up and braved Tuesday rush hour traffic—still not used to that, and I typically take the train to work when I am in-person—and I made my way to Valley for a visit.  There were a lot of boot prints, which is not surprising, and I even spooked another dude out before 10 AM, but I think I had first crack at a few holes today.  The holes weren’t cooperating, however.  The water is still up and a bit cold, but visibility was perfect for nymphing, so I am sure it would have gotten better had I more time to wait for them to rise off the bottom and sink bank to the tailouts in anticipation of the potential afternoon feast.  That said, I caught a few fish, including one the Silver Fox likes to call a real size fish with respect to Valley—probably 9 or 10 inches, which says a lot about the Valley average, of course.  I caught a couple on an 18 perdigon and 6X in two moderately flowing runs.  The better fish hit Eric’s version of the sculpin snack, with an extra bead added by yours truly, when I decided to switch it up and look for something bigger.  When I tactfully texted a mitch a critique on my free fly this morning, he informed me that he already has some 4.6 mm beads on the way and will be whipping up the heavier versions soon.  He’s a smart mitch, at least.

Some crick pics for RR and a better shot of Eric's bugger?

I am trying to figure out a day to give it a real try, but this week is busy.  I do have Thursday morning open again (so far), and I can leave a bit earlier that day, so I am hoping the continued warmth opens up the morning hours for me one more time before the weekend.  And I am also hoping that the next round of rain does not ice the weekend’s potential.  Olives are a midday thing, but there are still fish who haunt that early bite time, sometimes the better ones, so who knows, you know?  Speaking of early: Jeff already wants to fish for striped bass, but I am not ready to soak bloodworms, so I keep putting him off, gently.  He will eventually win when I can slow roll some soft plastics with a level of confidence that warrants the long drive.  I also have a 9 weight and some intermediate line if I am feeling really confident!

A couple perdigon eaters early.

March 9, 2024 – I Just Like to Know They’re in There – SEPA Freestoner

Wild fish in what some would call Philly (it's not).

I was out with friends in Philly last night, so getting up to fish before the rain arrived was a bit ambitious for me, I guess.  The boy also had SATs in the morning and was not finished until 11 AM, so it did not look like a fishing weekend, especially with high winds to follow on Sunday.  When I actually watched the forecast for today, however, I was pleased to see that they were calling for the main event to hold off until between 4 to 6 PM, moving (south)west to (north)east.  I have no problem fishing in the rain if it’s just showers, and that is what it looked like.  They do get it right sometimes because I did not hit heavy rain until close to 6 PM when I was back at the ‘Ru ready to make the short drive home.  After a quick look at the Valley gage and driving over the mighty Wissy a couple times, I decided against Valley on a weekend.  It was just mild enough, with nice flows and visibility, that there might be olive chasers.  I would try to fish the falling water next week instead.  There were stockers to catch in some local creeks, of course, and based on the Wissy flows, they would be in good shape.  But I had another SEPA freestoner in mind that is much more of a novelty.

I caught a couple even smaller than the one above too, but they get a quicker release.

So this crick: I visit once a year typically just to see what’s happening.  It is a formerly stocked creek way close to urban and suburban sprawl that somehow has wild reproduction due to clean water and solid tree cover to keep it cool.  It is very small, but it has some good gradient as it flows to the river, and therefore some pocket water to fish.  Those riffles and pockets help the fish survive the warm summer months too, I am willing to bet.  Someone besides the PFBC stocks it in spots, of course, but the stockers don’t last long, not like the wild browns that have learned to survive in here.  Heck, a couple of those wild fish might even be thriving, as I caught probably half a dozen yearlings this afternoon, maybe two young year classes.  It only takes two consenting adults to keep this thing going!  In addition to the smalls, I did catch two adults, and I had one slightly bigger adult chase a jigged bugger clear out of the water as I lifted to recast.  I could not get him to come back, even when I returned with bugs after dialing in what the little fellas wanted to eat, a basic caddis larva.  Still, like the number of hungry babes I caught, it was a pleasant surprise, and helped make a potentially lost fishing day, nay, a potentially lost fishing weekend, a damn good time.