August 27, 2020 – Tried to Mix it Up a Little as the Beat (and the Heat) Goes On – Northampton County Limestoner

Trying to mix it up.  If only the early shift weren't so productive....

Without much rain of late, another favorite nearby limestone creek fished about as well as I expected today.  No size to the fish, but really not too bad for late August.  The flows were low to normal for this time of year, close to clear, maybe a little limestone green in the early morning, and the water temps were good in the mid-60s.  Because I have broken in my new boots enough now, I was able to wet wade in them, and that made the last hour of the trip when air temps were closing in on 80 humid degrees much more comfortable.  Most days in August, that comfort is a worthwhile tradeoff for the first thigh-high wade before sunrise.  It is still a bit of shock, like the first plunge in the pool for morning swim lessons as a kid, but by 7 AM things are feeling just right. 

Only so many productive spots in these flows...

As the title states, I tried to mix it up.  No, I did not travel beyond my usual three or four summer spots (next week maybe since I have a week off before fall classes), but I did start the morning with the intention of throwing some drowned terrestrials under a yarn or foam button indicator with my 8’3” 3-weight rod.  I wanted to target any crepuscular or nocturnal piggies still out in the flat, slick holes.  I mostly stuck with the plan, throwing a weenie with a midge on the dropper under some yarn the first 90 minutes or so.  No piggies still exposed from the previous night’s activities, but I did catch one nice 11-incher and a couple others over 9 inches during round one, so no bad for a small creek in low water.  I ran through productive water, some not very productive today, rather quickly on my way to a summer-reliable spot, a deep plunge pool, one of only a couple in this stretch.  Fish were not stacked here like last time I visited, but I landed at least 4 more fish before deciding that this short stick and indicator watching felt a little weird….  Actually, I saw a couple caddis and a few dinks chasing emergers in a side channel, and I got one to take a size 16 sexy walts, so I was itching to throw some small bugs at them on light tippet with my 10-foot rod, which I did bring with me just in case.  I was hoping too that this spurt of bug activity would wake up the fish I had already worked though who did not eat.

Back to the grind, but Eric's duracel jig worked really well.

During my brief stop at the ‘Ru to grab the other rod, I was fortunate enough to speak with a friendly homeowner that I had never seen in all my visits here, and I thanked him for allowing folks like me to park here to gain access to the creek.  He appreciated it, I think, and we chatted for a bit.  I also learned that if I respect a couple conditions I might even be able to sneak another car into the pull-off, which would be convenient during Covid or even just meeting a buddy here in normal times. I have never shared this spot with anyone, but I am not just being selfish (not completely, anyway). Besides the parking issue, there is not much productive water unless the fish are spread out in May and June, so two guys can work through it pretty quickly.  I fished for maybe 5 hours this morning, and I worked the same stretch twice.  However, I have sent too many pics of good fish to Eric and the Silver Fox, who have shared spots with me, so I have been pondering where to park another car or truck if I were to share.

Plenty of average fish in round two

After the social distancing visit with the nice older gentleman, I targeted a couple favorite holes with Eric’s version of a Duracel jig (just a purplish-brown ice dubbing and CDC creation) on the anchor and a small frenchie on the dropper. Before that, I twice flushed a big bald eagle from the tree tops, which was cool.  Eric and I saw one earlier in the month on a nearby creek too, so they are using the rivers and creeks to spread through the region, it seems.  I had some brief drama when I stuck an old white sucker friend (at least I hope it was a sucker) somewhere in the side or fin and broke off my anchor fly.  Besides that, I only landed two more average browns from the hole.  They ate the small bugs well, however, so I decided to keep going.  The next hole, another favorite but tricky, was a bust twice today, but it was a bit altered by the storms, so I might need to figure it out again.  Water temps were still good, and I was still comfortable, so I decided, what the heck, fish the entire beat again.  It actually worked out pretty well for 9:30 or 10 AM in August.  I landed a half a dozen more fish on the little CDC bug.  A few were in pocket water and had ignored me on the first pass through, and I even landed a couple more at the deep plunge after popping an indicator on again. 

They are pretty cute

I should be grateful for the all the fishing, double digit days in August, and I am, but this early rising for a short window at the limestoners within an easy drive is beginning to feel like a grind.  At this time of year, I usually wait for the water temps to come back after a rain event or something else that mixes up the ho hum, so at least I am getting out and having success in ho hum conditions without the help from Ma Nature.  Both Eric and Tom want to get out this weekend, and I could be persuaded because I have a sickness, a fly fishing FOMO (FFFOMO), I guess, but I am ready for the changes about to come.  My lawn is covered with dry leaves each morning and the ferns are dead, so Ma Nature knows what’s coming!