September 5, 2016 - Same Plug, Same Fish, Different Creek?? - Another SEPA Wild Beast

The fruits of my Labor Day: Another 20 inches of wild brownie!

With a tropical storm pushing cool air in from the Northeast, I kept hoping that we would get at least a little shot of rain over the weekend.  Even a ¼ inch would have made me jump up early any morning this long, Labor Day weekend.  No rain, so Monday morning was the only day left to sneak in a couple hours of fishing, rain or not.  The air was in the high 50s when I left the house, which had me wishing for fall—along with early winter, one of my favorite times of the year to fish.  With 90s returning again this week, we still have a ways to go until fall is finally here, unfortunately.  

Shallow and glassy on creek #2.

The sun doesn’t come up until 6:30 AM these days, which is nice.  I could actually sleep in until 4:30 AM before taking the hour long drive to Northampton County.  I planned to hit 3 or 4 creeks in quick succession, targeting deep holes at two I knew well, and exploring a couple new ones that I had not visited.  That way, if the water was low (it was) and fishing was slow (it was), at least I would have the chance of adding a new spot to my list.  My first stop, a new creek for me, revealed at least one convenient and legal pull off, but the creek was far too low and overgrown to fish today, even with the spinning rod.  Knowing I can park without being harassed, I will likely try it again after a few days of fall rain or next spring’s runoff.  Today, I decided to push on to a creek I knew pretty well, hoping to catch a couple before switching to explorer mode.

The only shot of my 2nd fish of the morning, a good 18 incher post-release (squint at the bottom right corner!).

When I reached the second spot, I was shocked at how low the creek was.  I have fished here in the middle of winter and have found stronger flows.  I was happy that the water temp was only 60 degrees, but, geared up to wet wade, that first step into the creek was interesting.  I hiked along a trail for a while, dropping in a couple hundred yards below one of the holes I was hoping would hold some fish.  I fished some undercut banks with nary a follow until I got to the hole, which was long and quiet in this low water, but still plenty deep.  I crept up slowly and tossed a Rapala CD 1 against the overhanging rocks of the far bank, and by the time the plug got to midstream, I was hooked up to a huge wild brown.  He jumped once and scared the crap out of me.  I couldn’t believe that I had hooked two beasts in as many trips, but I have learned not to count them until I bring them to hand, especially in tight confines with sticks and ledges and weeds everywhere.  After a couple runs, I was able to gently drag this 20 inch brownie into the shallows and snap a photo.  He moseyed back to deep water in good shape with a single swipe of the tail.  I was pretty excited and felt lucky to see such a beautiful fish, so I didn’t expect that my next cast would also yield another piggie!  This fish was maybe 18 inches and acrobatic.  When I thought he was finished fighting, he decided to take two long drag peeling runs.  This second fish was much hotter than the first, even if he was a bit smaller.  If it wasn’t such a beautiful and unseasonably cool morning, I would have quit right after releasing these two big, gorgeous fish, but it was only 8 AM, so I kept fishing upstream with only one or two trout follows to show for the effort.  I did get a talking to by a mama deer as she and her twins crossed the creek in front of me.  The first time, I looked around for another fisherman with an oddball sneeze, but it was just this doe giving me the business.

A shot of creek # 3.  No water today.

After reaching my parking spot, I explored a little ways upstream, but then quickly hoofed it down the road and took a ride to another spot 15 minutes north of where I was.  It was already sunny and getting warmer, so I didn’t expect fishing to be good by the time I arrived, but I figured I should check this third creek out while I was in the area.  Well, as you can see from the pic above, it is a pretty little creek.  I know it has some limestone influence, so I was not surprised to see weeds and small trout and chubs in the water under the first culvert I crossed.  I took a reading of the water temperature and was happy to see 62 degrees in the sun.  I only caught a chub and spooked a handful of 8 to 10 inch trout in the one or two holes I was able to locate.  Most of the creek was 10 feet wide and less than 12 inches deep, but it did have a steep grade, so it may run well in the spring.  After about 20 minutes of walking and running into a couple nearly impassable downed trees, I decided to call it a morning.  I could see this creek having its moments early in the spring, so I will be back.  I do like my small creeks.  I also enjoyed the leisurely ride home with the windows down and the wind in my hair (what little there is left).  Not a numbers day, but a good day in the great outdoors after spending way too much time in the central air over the last 2 weeks!