April 1, 2020 - All Aboard the Social Distancing Blue-line Caravan, Next Stop: Expectations Exceeded – SEPA

Productive hole, but we assumed that last time we got skunked here.  Where mama/papa lives too, no doubt.....

Eric and I took separate vehicles and returned to the little gem we did recon on earlier this year.  Armed with our previous experience and blessed with good weather and health, we cracked the code today and had a blast.  It started out slow, the first two hours being not unlike our first visit here.  I landed two fish, and miffed the hookset on one good one, and Eric dropped a fish too, but when a hatch of little black caddis came off from about 12 to 3:00 PM, the fishing turned on, revealing fish in places we only speculated to be hotspots last time.  I lost count of the wild browns, and I only took pictures of a few really pretty ones and a couple good ones, but we caught many fish and a handful over 10 inches, one solid 12-inch leaper for Eric too.  

Deer trails and intact riparian buffer.

Because the creek is a freestoner for the most part, it held a stain and better flows longer following the rain earlier this week.  We did not have to dry/dropper them from a distance; instead, we both tightline nymphed a couple small tungsten bugs in the riffles, seams, and the rare braided deep hole or three.  I got most on a Frenchie and a perdigon on the dropper, not because they were the right bugs, perhaps, but because they got down quickly into the strike zone in small pockets and short holes.  Eric had success with a walts and a pheasant tail, which makes sense since there were some craneflies to supplement the caddis.  We first revisited a stretch of water that gave up nothing last time but looked too good.  These deeper runs only gave up one fish this time, but it was criminally beautiful with deep colors and parr marks.  I am still convinced that the area will hold fish later in the spring and early summer.   The brush on the riparian buffer was full of caddis too, so later in the day this area may have been as good as where we ended up.  The two holes where we caught fish before did produce again, which was encouraging, though I missed sticking a good fish that put a substantial, albeit too brief, bend in my 9-foot 4 weight.

I didn't even add a filter to this jewel.  That color is all her.

Since I had messed with a few fish in the morning, and caught the only two trout last visit, Eric led the way from here and took first shot at the holes.  This is his spot, after all!  His first fish of the day was also his best, the best period.  He has decided this season to drop the bobber in order to get just as good without it.  I totally understand, as I did that too a few years ago, but I did it first with early season stockies.  I may have even said, Dude no harm in this stained water to pop an indicator on (I did at least once in an appropriate spot), but he stuck to his guns and ended up getting a lot of reps on tough, skittish wild fish not accustomed to pressure of any kind.  At this fishy looking plunge pool with soft eddies on each side and a slightly slower seam down the middle, it all came together.  Instead of fishing up to the prime spot, I encouraged him to fish the spot in the hole, may have even pointed my rod at it and said, Fish there!  It was the spot, for sure, as I caught a smaller one right after him, plus lost one and landed another in the same seam on our return walk.  I got to watch this beautiful small stream fish jump three times and Eric just going on instinct hoping not to lose him.  He admitted right after that the fish took him by surprise because the sighter barely paused in the drift, but because the man can fish, he set the hook at that slight change.

Eric's first, best, best of the day.

It was on for the next couple of hours, helped by the increasing presence of those caddis and fish rising to them.  I considered tying on a dry, but we were catching solid small stream fish on the regular, even targeting risers with the nymphs.  Many suspended up in the holes took the nymphs on the fall through the drift.  My best was probably 11 inches, and I reached close to that at least three times, and Eric also landed a couple other 10 to 11 inchers.  They fought well and went back just as spry in the cold water.  By this point we were in a rhythm of taking a shot, hooking and landing a fish at the back of the pool, and then hanging back for the other to step in and take a fish.  We pulled 5 and 6 fish out of at least three small spots, so it was lot of fun, and we were cycling in an out of the holes like a somewhat well-oiled machine—as long as I don’t mention the fish I had hanging over my back suspended from my tippet tender that one time….

A pretty average, and my best fish?

We pushed further upstream than last visit, excited at the prospects of finding more prime holes.  It was looking like brookie water for a good stretch, with not much cover for brown trout, but when the stream got snaky again, we found two deep bend pools that looked perfect.  They pretty much were, too!  We took three fish out of the first bend in the reversed-s-curve, and I got bounced at one small root ball before the second bend.  I could see fish rising steady in this second bend pool, though, some right in the braided water, others in the foamy back eddy.  We snuck up there and took a bunch of fish, cycling in and out, landing them quickly and away from the others to minimize disturbing the hole.  One riser looked to be 14 inches or more, and Eric spotted two large shapes suspended up in the deep edge of the tailout to confirm suspicions.  We did not land this one before we muddied up the eddy too much, but we did land several more nice fish here up to 11 inches.

Another little plumper.

Some pretty water, but probably not brown trout water until later in the season.

We could see that we were beginning to encroach on another farm and another home, and we lost the tree cover after this hole, so we turned back here.  We were both shaking our heads in pleasure and disbelief, like wow this place was amazing today!  We stayed out of the water for the most part on the walk back, and Eric tried two of our honey holes again with no takers.  I refrained until that plunge pool where he landed the best of the day.  After Eric gave it a shot, I stepped in and drifted that perfect seam a few times.  I had one great hit but lost the fish after one or two head shakes, but the following drift netted a good 9 or 10 inch fish to end the day with.  We had a feeling this creek had the potential to be too good to be true, and were mildly disappointed last visit, but this one is a keeper, exceeding both our expectations.

One of Eric's other better ones.