February 5, 2019 – Where Kenny and I Play Hooky with Seemingly Everyone Else in SEPA – Tulpehocken Creek

Got a couple, even with a broken rod tip...

A DHALO is a good place for young Kenny and me to fish since he can switch to the spinning gear if the fly rod proves a challenge, like today.  It was a decent call, but the cold water, stain from snow melt, and the crowds, man, the crowds had me second guessing pretty early in the morning.  I was hoping the Tully would stay low this week, as it dipped a little earlier in the week and was staying consistently in the 300 to 400 range instead of 700.  Normal is 200 or less this time of year, so while fishable it was still not optimal.  Every one of my usual spots had a few cars parked in them, so we ended up spending the bulk of the day in the general regulations section, where I finally dredged up a bow and a brown on a big golden stone after a very quiet morning.  Kenny, on the other hand, quickly caught two likely wild fish in a much clearer tributary and dropped a bow shortly thereafter, but then had troubles the rest of the day, including a broken rod tip.  I was happy that I sent him up the tributary first thing in the morning, at least for the first 2 hours of the morning, until I started wishing I had been the one who caught something instead!  It was good to catch up with him, as we have not fished together since a challenging August trip on the North Branch of the Susky.  We booked a trip on the main branch of the river for May, so if we don’t fish before then, we will hopefully not go another 6 months without fishing together again.

A couple wild fish liked the Fitt Premium Lures.

Because it was so mild, Ken picked me up around 8:10 AM this morning, so even with a quick breakfast stop we were suited up to fish before 9:45 AM.  Even at that early winter fishing hour, there were dudes driving around scouting already.  I started out dropshotting midges on the same rig I had tied up from yesterday, while I sent Kenny up a certain limestone trib that usual holds some wild fish and often a smart holdover or two who move up in the heat of summer or in high water.  I thought I heard him whistle about 15 minutes into fishing, but I missed the pics he texted to my phone until we caught up another 30 minutes later.  Both fish took soft plastic baits, one his own Fitt Premium Lures creation, on a ball headed jig.  He said he also hooked a rainbow that got off at his feet.  Me, I spent time trying to find the right weight and then totally re-rigged with a heavy stonefly as the anchor fly before suggesting that we give up on this spot, which was a bit too sporty to do what I thought needed to be done in order to catch something.

Finally landed one on a big stonefly after wading deep to get to a soft seam.  A lot of work for this one...

As we drove along the creek mid-morning, there were half a dozen cars at every pull-off, so I was willing to accept that the Tully was definitely not the call today. I directed Ken down to the last parking lot for the DHALO, and we hoofed it downstream a ways more to get away from the crowds.  Besides the two fish I finally landed, Kenny had at least two others show themselves chasing his jig, so there was some action at least.  I had to work way too hard wading into position to reach a couple prime spots, but at least they both paid off, I suppose.  After I caught the first fish, I yelled down to Kenny that we could leave now.  He was probably close to ready since he did make his way up.  We fished together for the last 20 minutes, and I managed to land the stocked brown before we quit around 2 PM. 

One of each, so I could call it day and go home.

The last time Kenny and I fished together during this season of the year, on a very similar day weather-wise a few years ago, the title of the blog post was something about how fish live in water.  This was apropos again today.  While it was sunny and warm, a pleasant day for anglers, many, many anglers, it was just a decent day for fish.  The water was still in the high 30’s, and bug life was minimal, some midges but not enough to get the fish really going.  Perhaps the crowds at the hot spots tore them up today?  Ken and I settled for a good day outdoors with a few fish, just enough to keep it from being merely a hike in waders.  Maybe I can make it out three days in a row tomorrow before the cold briefly returns (and more rain, of course)?

Fish live in water.