September 30, 2020 – The Silver Fox Takes Streamer 101 Class as an Independent Study - Valley Creek

Muddy to start but dropping quickly

I met Tom around 7:30 AM at the local limestoner, which was still pushing about 100 CFS when I woke up after 6 AM.  It was falling quickly, but it was especially dirty this morning even at 60 CFS around 8:30 AM.  I had commitments at home and work, so I could only do about two hours.  I left Tom around 9:40 AM to go at it by himself after I gave him my promised crash course in throwing a bugger in high water.  I caught a decent one around 11 inches on my second or third cast while I was basically demonstrating what I do, so that was a good sign.  It did not take long for Tom to start getting swipes and follows and eventually landing a decent fish around 10 inches.  We had an active first hour with a handful more fish and many bumps and swipes, but as we worked upstream to some of my spots where I look for pigs, it was clear that the water was still pretty dirty in the deeper lairs. No confirmed pig sightings, and it got really slow for a while just before I had to head home.

Both on the board early, though I was supposed to be demonstrating!

I ran out of time too quickly, but Tom is off this week, so he had the day.  I wanted to get home around 10:15 because Tami had somewhere to be by 11, and the boy was home on Zoom, and I had a lot of grading to tackle.  I am glad I could sneak out of get him going, though.  When I left him for my hike back to the parking spot, I predicted that it might get better, and I actually believed it.  The flow was not high, but the turbidly for the existing flow was high, so I was hoping he would fish through the sweet spot as it cleared.  When I texted him around 11, he was still at it and having a ball with a bunch of swipes, bumps, misses, and many small to average fish.  As I write this, no pictures of pigs sent my way, but I think he is having fun!  We’ll give him a B for Streamer 101 unless he sends me a photo of one over 14.  Then he gets an A+.  This just in: He sent me a pic of his Valley personal best, probably a 12+ from what I can tell from his pic at the bottom (and that clean and clear water already!).  I guess I have to give him a high B+ now?

Another for me and Tom's best of the day (after I went home!!).