November 30, 2017 – A Mid-day Reconnaissance Walk – Lehigh Valley Limestoner

Big redd had a big fish in it too.

I took a walk today in southern Northampton County with my streamer rod.  I wanted to cover a lot of ground on a creek that I have fished quite a bit but only in certain areas and usually slowly with nymphs—which means I tend to stay within 100 yards of wherever I access the creek and rarely take a walk.  With low water, high sun, and a late start, it was a better day for a walk than fishing, anyway.  I wanted to expand my knowledge of the creek and maybe find some new holes and runs, and I would say it was a successful day for that.  The fact that it was sunny and mild, a great day for a walk in the woods, only made things that much better.

Kind enough to pose with the Roberdeau in its mouth.

I covered probably a mile of creek, stuck two wild browns, landed one of them, moved a handful of others (a couple of them large, which was nice to see) and even watched fish on a few redds (a couple of them quite big too—the redds and the fish on them).  I also found a popular wintering hole, which had three guys in it on a Thursday, but for good reason.  It was slow, deep, and full of bugs, and probably scuds based on the weed beds on the fringes.  I even saw a few wild browns chasing emergers in this hole; one fish of 15 or 16 inches came clear out of the water at least two feet.  The other fly guys had the place pretty covered, so I didn’t stay, and I didn’t see them land anything, but I will sneak back on a nastier weather day in December or January when I will have a better chance of having the place to myself.

I moved a few fish that I would have liked to have seen up close, mostly on timber and tight to cover.

I steered clear of the tailouts where a few fish were still spawning and/or eating eggs, but I moved fish along down timber and deeper bankside runs.  With a little stain, I am sure the mighty Roberdeau streamer would do a lot more damage than it did today.  Hunkering down with midges and small olives may have similar results.  I will certainly be back to some of these holes, and I am glad that I took the time and resisted the urge to camp out in fishy looking spots.  Up at 3:30 AM tomorrow to take the long ride to the beach with my dad, so it was probably good that I went at a leisurely pace today but also walked enough to tire myself out tonight.