March 15, 2021 – When that Old NW Wind Begins to Blow - Northampton County Limestoner

A beauty buck pushing 15 inches

It was cold today and windy.  It was sunny and mild on paper on Sunday, but the wind was honking even more then, so the wind-chill took care of the warmth, and the clear night let all the potential heat go bye-bye.  I knew it was only going to get up to the high 30’s in the Lehigh Valley today, but I had the day to fish, and I may only have one other all week, so I was going.  I was hopeful that the sun kept the water pretty warm yesterday, but I knew it had dipped into the 20’s overnight, so I was in no rush to get out.  I left the house about 12:30 PM and was fishing by 1:30 PM.  I was a little surprised to see another car in the lot, so I took a peek upstream and down to make sure it wasn’t just a dog walker.  Sure enough, there was a dude working upstream who appeared to be nymphing.  I almost left for another creek, but I figured I would walk way downstream and work my way up.  Even if this guy had worked the same water, this time of day had the potential to get some olives and midges going, and the sun might wake up some new fish.  It still was windy, yo.  I was having a heck of a time nymphing without going too heavy and hanging up, and bobbers in the wind often spell tangle city.  It was a slow start, and I lost some bugs to new branches that must have blown into the creek yesterday.  It was a challenge, but I decided to stay with it, confident that I could get at least a couple fish today regardless of the conditions, especially with midges and olives hatching.  Though it gusted once in a while, the wind did die down a bit after 2:30 PM—well, most of the time.

Blustery and cold at times, but the presence of bugs won the afternoon.

I eventually started to see some risers, and I actually had one or two take a swipe while swinging small bugs, but I knew I’d have a better chance of connecting in some riffles and pocket water.  The flow was great but it was pretty clear, and the wind did not make it possible to do what I would need to do to work small bugs in the flats even on a mono rig and 6X.  Even if I had the gear with me today, I may have stuck with the plan anyway. I was not willing to commit to the dry fly or swinging bugs with my 10 footer and the competition line, and I only brought the one rod and spool.  I came here to nymph for a few hours and nymph I did.  As I got into more braided water and was able to mind my shadow, I eventually connected with a decent 12 or 13 inch fish that barely hit.  In all fairness, I may have barely felt the hit because I was trying to manage the effects of the wind on the leader.  Either way, this fish came off before I was able to net him, but at least I knew I might go home tonight without a skunk if I continued to work my plan.  When I dropped another one, it was harder to trust the process.  Both fish had taken a size 18 baetis on the dropper tag, a little higher in the water column, so I said eff it and put a heavy bomb walts on, like an 18 but with an outsized tungsten bead. 

Sorry for the bad angle.  A challenging day on many fronts, I guess.

That final adjustment did the trick and allowed me to share two fish pictures with you from this afternoon.  One fish fought like a stud, even though he was probably just 15 inches, but in heavier water it felt good.  I couldn’t see him in the glare and broken water for a while until he finally decided to take a leap, so I had no clue how big for a good 30 seconds or more.  I also brought a skinnier 11- or 12-incher to the net.  I actually lost a third fish before that, however.  The wind got particularly annoying for a while, so I had popped on a bobber to fish a deeper tailout, and I got a crappy hookset on that fish, who shook off after two leaps for freedom.  Did I mention it was a challenging afternoon?  I may have gotten (and/or lost) a couple more in the last hour of good sunlight, but I quit around 5 PM in order to bring some dinner home to the family.  I shouldn’t have offered, but it was probably all for the best.  I had worked through a tough afternoon and finally had some success, so having an excuse to quit on a high note may have been an actual blessing in the end.  A busy week ahead, but I do think I have one more day, maybe Wednesday, which is supposed to inch back towards 50 degrees.  I haven’t dared to look at the wind forecast….

No fingerless gloves either?