January 2, 2020 – Didn’t Roll the Odometer Last Year, but I Did Reset the Trip Meter Early this Year – Northampton County Limestoner

Not a post-spawn piggie.

I managed to log 84 fishing days in 2019, which is not too shabby.  In June, I would have told you I was going to hit 100 this year, but things change.  There was a lot of rain this year, and we never fished the shore this summer because my dad was sick and cancelled his month on LBI.  There was, of course, the time spent not fishing after he passed this November.  I guess starting an MFA program in the summer and continuing this fall also cut into my time, and I have a long way to go on that still.  All things considered, however, I know I am lucky.  Not many people with a wife, a kid, and a full time job while in graduate school (again) have the ability to fish as often as I do.  Even ten years ago, those who only knew my social media presence often assumed I was an underemployed twenty-something.  High praise in the fishing world?

Spot the beach ball.

With the bathroom renovation finally completed, and the boy and Tami back to school and work, I began my 2020 fishing on a Northampton County limestoner today.  I usually begin by chasing stockies or stalking Valley, but I figured there was a lot of winter left to do that.  I had the time today to take a little longer ride, so I let the morning warm up a bit and then headed north.  With higher, stained water, I was hoping to move a post-spawn piggie, but I gave it a good 90 minutes with the streamer without moving a thing.  The water was cold after a cold night, I suppose.  Even when I turned to nymphing, it was slow until about 1:30 PM.  I guess I had about an hour of productive fishing, landing four trout and a big old sucker, mostly by tightlining a juicy-looking attractor pattern.

One pale one just over 12 inches long (and that grubby caddis larva).

Instead of busting out the sj worm, I used a grubby caddis pattern that often does damage in the fall.  The time I spent drop-shotting midges yielded the 20 inch sucker in a deep slow pocket and not much else, so I just went the opposite direction and offered a nice big meal—one that didn’t need to be chased down in 43 degree water.  I have a decent track record in this department.  I am not sure there are even golden stoneflies in the Bushkill, for example, but I have caught some fish with them in the winter.  I was happy not to watch the bobber on my first fishing day of the year, and the fish that did cooperate hit pretty well.  Besides the monster sucker, which had me excited for the 20 odd seconds that it acted like a big brown, the biggest fish was just a hair over 12 inches and rather skinny.    A couple others were 10 inchers, and one was barely 8.

Wild 19 incher....

By the time I quit, just before 3 PM so that I could make it home for the boy’s bus, it was close to 50 degrees, and there were some midges hatching in one favorite stretch.  I may have landed a couple more had I stuck it out for another 30 minutes, but I showed a little discipline and quit on time.  I have off until January 13, and I even have a date penciled in for next week with Sam in Centre County, so there will be more fishing this month.  On the walk out, I also found a fly box with about 6 basic flies in it, so at least one other had stalked this stretch in recent days.  I may post a lost and found message on the fly fishing forum, but it is probably 10 dollars in flies and a 10 dollar box.  Still, good karma, I suppose, and who doesn't need that in the new year.