January 3 and 8, 2018 – Miscalculations, Missteps, and Mistakes – SEPA Winter Fishing Continues

No tells.

After a fun day on Valley on January 2, the last few fishing days have been less than spectacular.  Last Thursday, I took a longer drive to fish a couple smaller Lehigh Valley creeks, but neither stop was what I was looking for in a winter fishing destination.  Monocacy was still pumping a lot of water, dirty water, and every step near the water’s edge released more mud to swirl up and eddy in the holes I wanted to target.  I spent about 30 minutes roll casting a streamer from the bank with nary a follow before heading to the much smaller (and tougher) Cedar Creek in Allentown.  I have limited experience with the creek, and the last time I fished it was in very high water, so it presented a very different challenge today.  The Class A section of the creek runs through an open field and city park, so when the streamside grasses are dead and the willows are bare, it requires a lot of sneaking, perhaps crawling, to scare up a fish who is likely hiding in an undercut bank.  Although clear and low, clearer and lower than I had calculated in my mind on the ride over, the banks surrounding Cedar were also saturated with mud.  A step within two feet of the bank released muddy water from the sponge and dirtied the otherwise clear flow.  Odd, perhaps cool to witness, but not great for fishing if any of the near-bank flow starting heading upstream, as with an eddy or other soft edge.  I managed to sneak up on a monster, probably 18 inches or more, and not scare him, but he ignored my offerings before I finally spooked him.  Again, it was cool to witness, but it was not great for fishing.

"Sluggish like a wet sponge."

I had been texting with Sam since late last week about a trip to Centre County Monday or Tuesday, but creeks were blown out, another round of rain was set to arrive early this week, and it was going to get very cold, so we postponed.  I was feeling a little tired and nauseas in the morning today, but I figured some fresh air would be good for both of those conditions.  I appreciate it and am fond of the place, but I could not go to Valley again, but I did not want to drive too far, either.  Instead of chasing fall stocked fish at the usual places, I suited up to confirm a hunch.  With all the rain this year, I had a feeling that this would be a year when spring stocked fish would hold over in the Wissahickon.  I know I already wrote about all the holdovers in the Pickering DHALO, mostly browns who made it through the warm months and were willing to eat in October, but I had yet to try for them in the Wissy.   It was cloudy and supposed to get warm, although it never broke 50 degrees, but it felt good to walk in the woods and try a couple of my favorite holes, places I hadn’t been since June.  In an all-time favorite hole, one that is always cool and oxygenated, and very difficult to fish well with a wad of Powerbait or a spinner, I dredged up a rainbow, not a brown.  

Provided enough O2 and shade for a few to make it through the summer.

Hunch confirmed.  I dropped him before a picture, just another mistake for this week, so you will have to believe me.  I hooked one other fish in this same spot, but I grew tired of the many snags in the sweet spot within the hole, so I tried two other high percentage holes downstream.  Midges were coming off, but if there were shoals of holdovers feasting on them, they gave me no tells.  I am convinced that a fish or two made it through the summer in the last hole I targeted, but there was just too much water to dissect for my patience level at the time.  The hole was also mighty deep, perhaps scoured even more than usual with all the rain this year, so standing waist deep in 40 degree water to confirm a hunch or not was also beyond my patience level today.  Perhaps on a warmer day later this winter, I will try to move something in here with a streamer.  I have a couple more days off before classes begin, but cold weather has arrived again.  Hate to even think it, but Valley is not off the table for Friday!