February 12, 2020 – We All Pretended It Was Spring – Northampton County Limestoner

A lot of cropping to salvage a shot or two today.

I caught eleven decent small stream fish today in under four hours of fishing, and most of them were set up and actively feeding in riffles and pocket water.  I caught my first fish in a deep hole under an indicator, and I caught my best fish of the day the same way, but the other nine were nymphed up on a short, tight line.  The water was a click colder than it would be in April, but after the rain earlier this week, flows were up and the creek was off-color.  Like a spring morning in similar conditions, most of the fish were sitting in the riffles and runs where the color was clearing, and they actively met bigger bugs and fought hard.  There were a few less jumps, perhaps, and the trout were a hair deeper and yard further back from the heads of pools, but I rarely felt like I was winter fishing today, and I liked it!  Heck, even the geese are pairing up and getting territorial.  I know the cold is returning soon, but ready or not, I do expect an early spring this year.  It felt like things turned a corner last week, in fact.  Bigger, post-spawn fish were where they should be and eating.  An active streamer moved a lot of fish.  Just a growing collection of small signs are pointing towards winter’s speedy demise.

No foliage, but it still felt springy to the fish, the geese, and me.

I left the house about 9 AM today, after the rush hour traffic died down, and I was probably fishing by 10:15 AM.  The air temps were barely into the 40s when I began, so I planned to sneak into a deep hole and try to find a couple with the indicator.  I had a hot spot frenchie on the point and a much smaller pheasant tail on the dropper, and my first fish of the morning ate the little pt in the deepest spot in the hole, where a big brown (or bigger sucker) should have been, at least in the winter.  Instead, this first fish may have been the smallest of the trip.  It was good to get one so quickly, however. 

A couple on an 18 pt but frenchie won.

I had no more takers before I muddied up the back eddy of this hole too much, so I kept the bobber on and moved upstream to the next deep run.  The flows were still up enough here that I quickly realized the bobber was not needed.  I just inched up a couple steps at a time and thoroughly tightlline nymphed all the potential holding spots until I reached the head.  At least six more fish, including a nice 14 inch hen, cooperated here.  As I stated above, they were hanging in the current, looking to eat, and they were a lot of fun once hooked.  All but one took the size 14 frenchie, too.  They were hungry.  I was secretly hoping for an even better fish, as I have landed a couple in the 16 inch range in this very run, but that is what will bring me back again to this spot in the real spring.  After exhausting this run, I skipped a few long flats that just looked muddy and not too exciting today and headed for the next set of runs and pocket water upstream.  

A couple pretty ones.

I landed another good small stream fish here about 11 inches long and a couple other average fish, all of them in just slightly softer and deeper water than where they would be hanging in the spring, but still actively taking the larger frenchie in bouncy water.  Fishing was good enough that I was trying to keep count, and I knew I was close to 9 or 10 fish within the first 90 minutes on the water.  I had one last hole before I ran into a long stretch of frog water above a dam, and it was a deep hole.  I popped on the indicator again and lobbed a few casts into the deep, and I eventually came tight my best of the day here.

Thumb.  Phone upside down?

The pics leave something to be desired (respect the blur of my thumb on the one here that actually has him nearly square to the lens) but this male was a hot fish and probably even a bit longer than the hen I caught earlier in the day—so maybe 15 to her 14 inches.  I would like to say that I caught 6 more at this hole, but I only caught one more 10 incher before I turned back.  I was hopeful that some pocket water below my parking spot would pay off.  I did not head that way in the morning, opting to target more winter friendly holes, because I was not expecting fish to be in riffles and runs.  The water certainly looked fishy here, but I worked it thoroughly and moved nothing.

A little bigger and angrier than the hen below.

The difference here, no doubt, was a lack of depth.  There are also fewer places to hide out of the current, unless the fish tuck up under brush along the bank.  Spring is on the way, but it is not here yet.  I continued to work upstream, but a bit more quickly through the shallower riffles.  A spot I was counting on holding at least one more fish gave up nothing, but I did pick up another 10 incher hiding on a soft edge behind a gravel bar in a spot where I have not caught fish before, so that was something.  The first two hours were really productive, but the last 90 minutes, not so much.  Clouds were increasing, so perhaps the approaching front ended the party just as it was getting started.  I decided to fish the first hole where I began, which usually gives up more than one small fish, one last time before I left for home.  It was nearly 2 PM, so I was not going to drive to another spot.  My quest for an even dozen fell short, but before it fizzled out today was an enjoyable preview of the coming spring.  I could do without the territorial geese, but I am ready otherwise.

Long skinny female.  Had the blue eye spot but oddly spotted.