February 23, 2017 – Early Summer in February – A Stolen Moment on Valley Creek

A couple were fooled by the plug, including this pretty little one.

The forecast for the next few days has the high in the seventies with sun, so I was encouraged to wake up to a chilly fog and drizzle, believe it or not.  I worked late on Wednesday night, and didn’t go to bed until late, and didn’t sleep well when I did, so I had a slow start to my work day to begin with.  It would not take (did not take) much for me to embrace a relaxed attitude toward life today.  After doing a little work at home, and finding out my 11 AM meeting was postponed (the tipping point), I decided to grab the spinning rod and a couple plugs and walk Valley for a while.  Call my crazy, but I am not a fan of summer weather this time of year!  The morning was pleasant, however, and mildly productive for the conditions.

Stayed cloudy for a little while, even drizzled, but the hot sun returned quickly.

I parked lower on the creek than I usually do, and I took an even longer walk downstream, just to try and observe fish and perhaps find another winter holding spot. I was too tired to be in gung ho, combat fishing mode, and that is probably needed right now, as the creek is gin clear and low.  I didn’t find any new honey holes, but I saw a lot of suckers and a couple carp.  I also didn’t move any fish until I got closer to some of my familiar spots.  Part of the reason for the spinning rod and the plug is because I saw two different pig browns the last time I was out on this stretch.  With the low light, I was hoping I could get a long cast at one or both of them without spooking.  Well, I missed a hit at the one spot, so who knows?  Maybe it was the 15 incher I saw, or maybe it was more like the fish at the top of the post, a Valley tween.  I had many, many tentative follows, which will happen in clear, low water and high sun.  I should have used the low light in prime water while I had the chance.  You see, the clouds and coolness did not last very long, and I only caught two fish and missed another, but I did energize myself enough to face the office for a few hours.