January 26, 2016 – Post-Blizzard of 2016 Wild Browns

For the first time in a long time, the forecasters were right on, and we got at least 28 inches of snow in my area on Friday night and Saturday morning.  I spent Saturday watching Netflix, Sunday digging out, and Monday sledding with the boy, but I wanted to go fishing.  The thing about snow storms is that the weather can at times be warmer than during those frigid high pressure days before and after.  That was true of this storm.  I suppose the low pressure system stays around for a while before the dry air and winds return.  A lot of times, the only thing that discourages me from fishing after a snow storm is the question of parking…  At any rate, it was forecasted to reach 42 today, and it actually reached closer to 46 by noon, so I took a ride to a limestone creek I knew, for the most part, would not be iced up, and where there was a fair chance I could park somewhere nearby. 

The Blizzard of 2016.  They called him Jonas.

When I arrived at the creek, I was happy to see that the local township had at least plowed the entrance of the parking area before quitting or moving on to more important things like major roads and heavily traveled side streets.  There was parking for two cars, one for me and one for a young snowboarder willing to hike a ½ mile in 2 feet of snow to take a couple runs.  We both thought the other was nuts, no doubt.

Just me and the deer (trails).

It was definitely scenic and quiet.  The only signs of life present were from deer trails and fresh droppings, one blue heron who, like me, didn’t let a little snow stop him from fishing.  The water was stained from the snow melt and colder than usual, colder than I expected.  I feared that fish would not be active.  I was relieved when I did move a couple trout with a CD 1 and a CD 3 before I finally hooked my first, a pretty wild brown.

A pretty one who hit a CD 3.

I targeted deep holes with jigs, plugs, even a trout magnet under a float, but fish were hunkered down, perhaps due to the high sun and the shock of snow melt. I went back to the CD 3 and covered some water instead.  I missed a nice fish in a long sandy flat.  He chased the plug to within 5 feet of me, and I set the hook early because I could see him, not feel him.  I love when that excitement happens on a productive day, but I hate when that happens on a slow day!  After about 45 minutes more of unproductive fishing, I finally hooked another fish and brought him to hand. 

And a second one.

 I figured two fish and a couple misses were respectable for a snowy late January afternoon and started hiking back to the Subaru, hoping I wasn’t towed.  I got a workout when I tried to go overland, so I stayed in the streambed.  I bought a new sling pack this winter, so I could carry more stuff with me, but unfortunately, I don’t think it has a place to store snow shoes.  They would have come in handy today.