March 20, 2019 – First Day of Spring and I Didn’t Forget How to Cast – Valley Creek

The measure net made a return today.

Olives, and just talk of olives, in the spring can pack Valley Creek, even on a weekday, and today was one of those weekdays.  In the small section I visited today, I saw four or five guys on the water and just as many suiting up in the lot when I was coming and going.  Because the crowds on a small creek make it feel even smaller, it is about this time of year that I stop fishing Valley, actually, but I didn’t intend to fish today at all, and I only had a short window of about two to three hours, so I reluctantly joined the party.  Winter fishing on Valley spoils me, I know, but I still don’t expect company on a Wednesday.  It was fine though, actually, and I spoke to a few nice guys, so it was a pleasant diversion before teaching class tonight.  Everyone out there seemed to be having success in recent days, and fish are no longer concentrated in wintering spots, so there was plenty of room to move around.  

A few of last year's YOY made it.

I only saw a few isolated olives, but one 30 minute spurt of activity in a flat hole prompted me to tie on a dry and then a dry dropper.  Midges were a constant, too.  I nymphed up a few fish in some pocket water, maybe three, but I ended the short trip laying out some line with a hi-vis BWO dry and a zebra midge dropper underneath.  I probably caught six or seven more this way and missed or dropped at least three others.  Only one took the dry fly, and that was one of the fish I lost after a short battle.  Still, it was fun to fish clearer water and make longer casts under and close to cover and fool some fish in places where other methods of fishing would have been difficult or impossible today.

Still great flows and the clarity has returned.

I fished the stretch affected by the spill last year, and I still believe that the biggest effect was on that year’s young.  I did catch one fish about 4 inches long, however, and the only the upside of the absence of the uber-dinks is that the average fish that I have been catching is about 9 inches, with a lot exceeding that length.  I landed two today that were 10 inches, one maybe a hair more, and one 9 incher seemed bigger, but he was just a shorter and wider male.  You may notice the measure net in the photos.  It has been a while since I have brought that out, but I wanted to get a more accurate idea of the size of the fish—not only today's, but the better ones I caught this winter.  I am confident that a few from this winter were certainly 12 inchers.  They eluded me today, of course, but it was good to have the mesh yardstick for reference.

Wider but 9 inches, ate a walt's worm.

Granted, not my favorite experience, fishing with the in crowd, but it was an enjoyable and successful three hours on the water on a day I thought would be a rest, grade, and prep for class kind of day.  With all the nymphing I have been doing, it was a nice change of pace to fish the dry dropper too and to know I can still accurately cast something besides a streamer when needed.  I am hoping Thursday, more specifically Thursday’s weather, allows me to venture a little farther from home for some slightly larger quarry.   I have meetings on Friday, so that is off the table, but Eric and I may mentor our youths Saturday on the mighty Wissahickon if the rain doesn’t blow it out.