February 27, 2019 – Penultimate Day to Target Trout on Commonwealth Inland Waters – Pennypack Creek

Pretty bow left from the fall stocking.

It has become sort of a tradition for me to target a stocked trout stream late in February before most of them become off limits until Opening Day. I fished a leap day in the recent past too, and I landed some wild brookies, but leap year fishing would be a longer tradition to string together… I am tied up on Thursday during most of the day, teach class at night, and have plans to go out with Tami and some friends after, so I didn’t think I would try to wedge in one more thing.  Today was the day, therefore, to catch some fall stockies before they were deemed hands-off for a while. I put in just under three hours of fishing and walking, from 11:30 AM until a little after 2 PM, and catch I did on this penultimate day of February, 2019.

Began with a pair of short plumpers.

I have been meaning to fish this particular stretch of creek all winter since it is close to home and does get a good fall stocking, but I just never got around to it.  Young Pete sent me some pics of fish just last month, I believe, so I was certain that many of the fish from the fall remained.  Still, it took me until today to drive over there.  I even invited my dad this morning to make it a party, but he had other plans.  He did ask me to check out a particular hole, and I can confirm it is still full of fish—I think this particular hole, a very deep one, yielded 4 of the 7 fish I landed, and I hooked and lost two others after short, cold water bites.  I told him to go tomorrow, of course!  I caught fish on the way up to this hole too, including a couple in very accessible, pressured areas, so I gather that the early snow and cold in November put the majority of guys off the stockies shortly after the October dumping—par for the course anyway, really. 

Chilly, breezy, but sort of nice, you know?

It was a cold morning, and a breeze remained following two days of very high winds this week, so I only managed to catch one fish in a small pocket near wood with the high stick and no bobber.  Once I added an Air-lock indicator and enough weight to drag a couple flies along the bottom, I got hits and hook ups rather quickly.  Most of the fish took either a tungsten prince or pheasant tail, nothing fancy or too small needed.  I saw some midges flying around, but fish were deep.  I am sure drop-shotting a couple zebra midges would have worked too, but either way it was an indicator day for sure.  The first couple of fish I landed were small, well-fed fellas, probably put back by anyone who wanted to eat a trout this winter, but I did land at least two that were 11 or 12 inches, and I dropped one a bit bigger digging for my camera in my jacket.  I was not surprised that so many fish remained, but I was pleased that so many were willing to eat on a day that barely hit 35 degrees.  The water must have been around that cold too.  Weather permitting, I will try my hand at some wild fish again on Friday, and I have tentative plans with Sam next week, now that olives are starting wake in Central PA, but I appreciated a few fall stockies today, the second to last day of the month, the last full month of winter.

Rather nice shape, albeit short.