Good company (and lunch) but bad fishing so far this week. |
I know, it has been mild this week, and there was even a good
shot of rain, but the flooding didn’t really help things out the way it would,
say, in May, and the fish, the bugs, and even this particular fisherman are
still in that in-between stage. Winter is coming to a close, but it’s not
spring, and that is why this time of year can be cruel. Today, for example, I saw early stoneflies,
midges, BWOs, crocuses blooming, and the buds on my forsythias starting to pop,
but no fishes. I got to fish with a new
toy, a 10 foot 5 weight that I picked up for a great price earlier in the
winter, but I also had to fish in my backup bootfoot waders because my primary
waders are in Bozeman, MT getting fixed or replaced (for free) and will be out
west for 4 to 6 weeks. I have fished
twice this week so far, with two skunks to show for it. Monday was understandable: an hour at Stony
Creek in hipboots (backups to the backups) and with junk flies, just hoping
to catch one during a stolen moment, a break from grading papers.
Not quite ready, but soon, very soon... |
Today, however, Tom C and I actually gave it
a good 4 hours of bouncing around a few spots on a creek in Northampton County,
but it ended up being more of a tour.
Tom has not fished this creek before, and he was looking to expand his
NEPA options this year, so I drove him around to a few holes, a couple that
looked very fishy today, despite higher than optimum water, and allowed him to
imagine the same spots in late May or June.
The morning started later because of bad traffic in SEPA; the boy’s bus
was 15 minutes late, and it took me 30 minutes to get to my meeting spot with Tom,
when it would usually take 10 minutes.
He did cook me lunch, however, and we talked of many things, including
fishing, so it was still a good day to get out, better with company. It is always easier to take a beating when
the guy fishing with you is also experiencing the same conditions. The high expectations of warm, spring-like
air coupled with the low probability of late-winter fishing, especially on a
wild trout stream: it always seems to bite me a couple times in February and
March. Time to chase stockies for a week
or so closer to home? Perhaps…
Flooding has been terrible here too and another huge rain event is on the way. Despite mild weather conditions I have 4 exams this week so I could only fish 2 hours on tuesday. Everything was blown out except the high elevation brookie streams which were cold and high but somewhat fishable. Ended up with a couple natives and a brown while drifting nymphs. Probably will not touch another fish for 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteBtw lots of midges and stuff coming off but with the water so high nothing is eating on the surface.
That's where I would have been, Pete. Nice work. Last year at this time, I was on a brookie stream. Maybe next week...
DeleteThe pics of the water look real good. Maybe February or March is actually the "cruelest month?"
ReplyDeleteRR
With climate change, April is beach weather?? I think the striped ones will be active after this Nor'easter, Ron.
ReplyDelete