March 6, 2017 - The Perils of Blue Lining – A Bucks County Adventure

Pretty, but not much to show for 4 hours of fishing and driving.

I have the entire week off, and I will be fishing a lot, so I didn’t feel the urge for a sure thing this morning.  I am heading to State College on Tuesday to fish with Sam, which will hopefully be a great trip, so I treated today as a bonus day.  I decided last night that I would go hunting for new waters, explore some streams not far from me that are listed as having some natural reproduction of wild brown trout.  Since this was Bucks County, the three creeks I explored all end up in the Delaware eventually, of course, and the area is often heavily posted and covered with farms and former farms turned housing developments. 

I did some research and found what I thought was public, or at least unposted, land with pretty convenient parking.  Creek 1 was only 30 minutes away, but it was not too good to be true, as is often the case.  Looking over a bridge, I could see the creek was silted up pretty good and ankle deep.  I figured I should at least explore upstream to where Creek 2 joins the first, knowing Tom has seen and caught wild trout in Creek 2.  I covered ground quickly, not finding any real holding water and not spooking any fish.  I didn’t even see minnows or other fish.  Granted, it’s March and still pretty cold for warmwater species to be doing anything but hiding, and in low water and bright skies that is where trout in small streams often are too: hiding.  Because of a farm upstream, I learned, the creek was stained, but not too stained that I would not have seen signs of life from a good vantage point on the banks.

Creek 1 was low and silted up, but at least a couple live here and tried to make babies last fall.

I did see some signs of springs, as the picture below tries to show, and a third trickle that joined the first two definitely looked like a spring creek.  The only fishy looking spot was bordering (I thought) on a private farm, but I truly didn’t notice that I had passed under a livestock fence, really just a wire hanging over the stream.  My eyes were on a makeshift plunge pool up ahead, water spilling over a dam made of rocks and telephone poles, as well as some redds from the fall, not many but a few.  I was making a herd of cows nervous, then curious, nervous, then curious, so I decided to make a couple casts and head back.  In the meantime, I could see a tractor working a field and also a car came down a dirt driveway heading towards civilization.  No posted signs, but I probably would need permission to fish any further.  Well, I snuck a cast under an over-hanging limb and into the base of the falls and, BAM, a hard hit!  I set the hook and turned a big, buttery brown trout, but my barbless Rapala CD 1 never had a chance, I guess.  My heart was racing seeing such a huge fish in such an unlikely place.  This has happened to me in Bucks County before with the fly rod and I landed two beasts.  I took a few more casts, but moved nothing else, so I reluctantly headed back downstream towards the 'Ru.

A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing?

As I got closer to my vehicle, I heard a whistle hailing me up to the bridge.  There was the local police parked behind by my car…  I hoofed it up to him all smiles and innocence, but I figured I either wasn’t allowed to park where I did, or the car or the tractor called in a trespasser (me).  The officer was very cool, especially since I had no stringer of fish, was dressed head to toe in LL Bean, Orvis, and Fishpond, and made sure to mention to him that I turned back when I noticed I had reached a private farm pasture.  He was an archer who reminded me that Posted signs blow away, but it’s always best to ask for permission.  As it turns out, the land belongs to the same owner that gave Tom permission to fish last year.  I called Tom and told him where I tangled with the bruiser brown, but I don’t think I will be back, unless I shave and drive Tami's car, of course.  Two workers from the farm rolled up as the officer was letting me leave, and they didn’t seem as understanding as he was.  As temping as it would be to hook that brown on the fly rod, I did not see enough life to warrant a return under the circumstances…  Go get that fish, Tom, and take good pictures!

Creek 3, low and devoid of bug life today.  A couple of last year's brood took midges, though.

Since I had most of the day remaining, I took a 30 minute drive to another stretch of stream that I wanted to check out.  I had fished this creek in the past at a couple spots that were on public or unposted land with no houses around, but some of the best water always seemed to be hiding behind posted signs, and I never found a density of fish.  I caught two huge fish one May, and I caught 8 to10 inchers on a few other trips, but I never found the mother lode.  I located a new parking spot doing some online research, and it looked like a short walk to the creek from a legal spot.  Well, the spot was legal, for sure, but the little tributary that led to Creek 3 was posted like the walls of a rock club or a college quad.  I was not surprised by posted signs in Bucks County, but I was disappointed.  I was 0-2 with my fabulous finds.  Then again, if I had landed that big brown…  Nope, not going back.

After looping around trying to find access, I gave up and headed down towards a stretch of this creek that I knew I could get into.  It was breezy once in a while, but for the most part, I was able to get decent drag-free drifts with a dry dropper.  I ended up catching two very small wild browns, including the pretty little one pictured at the top of the post.  Those little guys came from some large female’s redd last fall, so maybe one day I will find where they all hide.  Hatches help, too, but I only saw the faintest of midge hatches at both spots.  The little browns took a red zebra under a size 18 Ausable Wulff in the same braided pocket.  I had to quit around 3 PM in order to make sure I got the boy at the bus stop and had enough daylight to pack up my stuff for Penn’s or the Little J on Tuesday.  Here’s hoping for some bigger fish and better luck and no speeding tickets.