October 9, 2017 – Finally, a SEPA Soaker and a Small Creek Reward for the Effort – Northampton County

A good 18 inches and gorgeous colors, but he's all head and shoulders for the time being...

Following an evening of showers and the promise of more on the way, I decided to give a small creek about an hour from home a chance today.  I fished in the rain from 10:30 AM to around 2 PM before I had to head back to the car to get on a phone conference/meeting—good time management, using the drive home as productive work time, yeah???  With wind and rain, this small Northampton County creek was certainly leafy, but the mud held off for the most part, and the stained water helped me connect with at least 5 wild browns and one very lost rainbow in the short time I fished.  

The release.

One hour drive, roughly three hours of fishing, followed by a 90 minute ride home, this may not be the best math, but I love to fish this particular creek during and after a rain because big fish often come out to play.   Today did not disappoint either.  After tagging two 10-inchers and losing another athletic jumper a little bigger, I finally found what I was hoping for about an hour into the late morning, a beautiful, wild brown of 18 inches.  It must have been a rough month or so because he was all head and shoulders, but he had the right idea leading up to the spawn: grab some big easy meals.  He took a size 10 tungsten hare’s ear on a j-hook bouncing on the bottom of a deep run.

Nice, beaver?

The water temp was in the low 60s, and the creek has been low, no doubt. There has also been some water-scaping. The first photograph I took in the morning was of a beaver or two’s impressive workmanship, especially so far south.  I have been reading reports of their range expanding again, but I had not seen evidence until today.  At least they chose to dam a small feeder creek that runs into the main creek, but I don’t know if that little creek provides a shot of cold water in the summer, so while cool to look at, I am not sure it’s good for the creek.  I didn’t take many photos today because the rain was coming down rather steadily at times, but I did get one good shot of the big brown and one of the rainbow during breaks in the weather.  I did try to snap a photo of one particularly pretty little brown that I coaxed out of an overhang with a swinging wet fly, but he was too acrobatic to last long in my wet hand on a barbless hook.

Long way from home.

As is often the case, I ran out of time too quickly, but I was content.  I made this longer drive to fish a particular creek for a particular reason and, although I didn’t break any records, I did land a good fish, especially for a small creek.  For most of the trip, I was tighline nymphing with a soft hackle jigged hare’s ear or stone, but the small fish took a wet fly dropper, at least 3 on the swing, so despite the rain, flies were emerging or caddis were being flushed off the streamside leaves.  At any rate, it felt especially great to set the hook on a big trout and test out my knots and the drag on a new reel.  It’s been a while, but everything seems ready to go once fall arrives for real.

Tough day for photos.