May 18, 2017 – Taking Myself to Indicator Tippet School – Bushkill Creek

The trifecta today, a couple of each species and an education too.

I am not a stranger to high-stick nymphing; it was my bread and butter as recently as Tuesday this week.  I find it very effective in pocket water and shallower runs, where an indicator can spook fish, get in the way, or just be ineffective because of drag and constant mending.  But I have never used a Euro-nymphing leader or even sighter tippet while tight-line nymphing before today.  Since I have been using a 10 footer as my primary rod recently, I have been more interested in giving indicator tippet or even one of those long, 18 foot leaders a try.  Instead, after picking Sam’s brain again, I decided to put my blood knot tying skills to use and make my own indicator leaders.  I found some high-vis 10 pound test mono, good limp Suffix, on sale the other day, so I started tying on Wednesday.  

Picking pockets with an indicator tippet,

I could have picked an easier creek to go to school on, but besides a few other spots like the Brodhead or Penns Creek, I couldn’t think of a place more appropriate for the method than a certain 500 yards of pocket madness on the Bushkill.  Since I couldn’t leave home until 9 AM, and the creek is only an hour away, and usually flowing quite cold, it was perfect for a 90+ degree day in May, much better than sweating it out on the Wissy (though not more scenic, as we are talking industrial trout fishing near Easton, PA here, after all).  I probably didn’t start fishing until 11 AM due to some work related emails and calls that had to be taken at two different Wawa parking lots on route, but I still got in a good 3.5 to 4 hours of fishing.  Besides at home in the central air, waist deep in a creek was the place to be today, anyway, especially under a canopy of old trees.

This one needs to embrace the local diet and start eating...

The last time I was here, another fisherman had beat me to the most desirable, well… beat, so I hunkered in a hole or two and caught all stocked brookies and rainbows.  Today, I was the only person in sight, so I picked my way upstream through each little pocket and run.  There were close to zero bugs on the water, and no signs of feeding fish, except a pair of little guys rising in a pollen-choked eddy, so it was not a light’s out kind of day, but I caught at least two of each, rainbow, brook, and wild brown.  I tangled with maybe 3 other fish that got off before I could land them—including, of course, the largest fish of the day.  One rainbow was pushing 16 inches and had moved a long way from the stocked stretch of the creek.  Both bows had great fins and colors and fought like possessed wild fish. 

A good looking rainbow.

The browns were both about 12 or 13 inches (one the victim of the dreaded swamp photo op due to my steamy body by 2 PM) and put on a great air show, but I wish I had gotten a better look earlier in the day at the flash of yellow that I turned and lost on the first downstream run.  There is a certain, perfect hole, where I rarely catch a fish.  I believe that is because the apex predator lives there, not because there are no fish living there.  I am not saying that was him today, but I did hook a fish in this hole today, and he was potentially big.  I just wish I had seen more of him!  Perhaps when I getter better with the indicator tippet, he will grace me with his presence again.  Overall, it was not a great day, but it was a satisfying day, and I learned a few things along the way.  I can be deadly with an indicator and a 10 foot rod when I am in the zone and the water is appropriate, but I want to be able to say that about the tight-line, especially since many of my favorite creeks are so well-suited to the technique.  I am working all day tomorrow in the city, but class will resume soon, maybe even out State College way…  I also have tentative plans to fish the Lehigh River with Tom C next week.  I am sure the Wissy will make an appearance before Joe and I head to Canada too…

The slightly smaller cousin of the first bow, also looking good.

The wild one....