August 9, 2019 – A Walk with a Fishing Rod – Wissahickon Creek

Gutsy moves.

Not that I had any major plans in mind, but fishing this week was made nearly impossible because I am doing drop off and pick up for the boy’s summer camp.  He is only participating for a couple weeks, and then it is back to camp Dad (or Mom if he goes to work with Tami).  Valley is too warm for my liking right now, so I decided to take advantage of a break in the humidity and rain to walk the Wissy near my house.  I have some decent smallmouth bass spots deeper in the City, but today I did some prospecting in an area that I trout fished a lot as a kid and which always looks fishy.  I walked this particular area on Monday this week and watched some little bass set up and sipping midges.  I figured that the little guys came from something bigger, so I made a mental note to give this area a shot if I needed a quickie close to home this summer.  Today was the day.  I was hoping for more clouds than sun, but that did not happen.  I did catch a few small fish in the first hour to ninety minutes, however. 

It was good while the shade lasted.

The water was stained and had good flows for this time of year.  Before the sun got too high, I found some eager sunfish and small bass in the shaded riffles and tight to the banks.  I even got a couple sunfish on a topwater slider/popper.  I fished a popper/dropper for about thirty minutes, too, when the streamer bite all but died.  I did see a few lethargic bass come out to investigate, but it was around high noon, so that was all they did, investigate.  On the walk back to the parking lot, I threw a larger streamer, a hail mary, I guess, and I actually moved a hold-over trout.  I would expect a few would live through this wet summer, but I did not expect one to have enough vitality right now to move towards a streamer.  Not surprisingly, he did not move again.

They are in there, but the larger ones are smarter than these fellas.

I may have to sneak out very early on Sunday morning for a short trip.  I am jonesing a little if you can’t tell.  The cooler temps at night and the rain storms that preceded them may give me a short window with which to play.  I know the lows were in the low 60’s in the Poconos last night and that will likely continue tonight, but I will probably check out a Lehigh Valley limestoner or two instead to minimize the drive and maximize the fishing time.  I say I will fish the tricos, but you and I both know darn well that if the flows are good, I will be nymphing the riffles and runs…

Brave subsurface too.