March 3 and 4, 2021 – March Begins with More Melt-Off – SEPA Limestoners

Taking its time melting away.

Well, I am on the board for March, but I think I landed maybe 5 or 6 fish over two days.  I did not put a lot of time in like Eric and I did on Sunday, but I did put at least three hours in both days with middling success to show for it.  Honestly, I went out just to get out and had low expectations both days, so I was happy for a few fish.  Wednesday, I drove to a favorite limestoner in Northampton County that was at least pretty good to me on February 17^th.  Today, it was ripping and gray.  By the time I checked back at the car before driving home, the USGS gage had it at double the normal flow.  I was going to go elsewhere when I saw the color upon arriving, but I did okay with that color last time, so I kept working and the snow kept melting.  In order to get a couple fish, I had to target a big flat and dropshot a san juan worm with a hot bead.  I landed a whopping two 9- to 10-inch fish.  This creek holds the shot of water longer after a rain (or melt like today), I know, and because of that it is good in the summer especially.  I can’t say I have had the same success in winter.  It is just one of those creeks that does not fish all that well for me when it is high.  I think this is so in part because the riparian buffer is in great shape, so when fish push to the sides in high water, you have to wade the raging middle and target the sides to do much.  Not easy in a creek that is sometimes only 12 feet wide.  I was not mad at it, though. My fault for not preparing for the possible conditions.

By any mean necessary.  Even dropshotting junk flies!

Today, I stuck close to home and went to Valley, thinking there might be a stain left since the flows were still high from the melt.  Flows were great, but the stain was minimal.   I was not planning on a streamer day, but I was hoping for some dirtier water to cover my approach with the nymphing set up.  I should have brought the dry fly rod!  Olives were popping and fish were eating them.  Before it got too windy to do so effectively with very small bugs, I got a couple tightline nymphing.  The best of the afternoon was a 10-incher under a bobber in a deep dark hole, but most of the fish were in the flats not up in the riffles, so they did not make it easy for me.  Using the competition nymphing line, I did my best later in the day to cast and let some small soft hackles swing in the flats.  I landed none doing this, but I did hook and fight at least three small fish.  It almost pays to have barbs on flies this small, but I also didn’t need to handle 6- and 7-inch Valley fish.  In total, I think I messed with 6 fish and landed 3.5.  Not awesome, but some action.   Again, me just in a lazy mood and not doing much preparation for conditions I would likely find.

The olives, the cold, windy and clearing.

I was not alone, even on a windy and cool weekday.  There were a couple young boys, like 11 or 12 years old, set up in a favorite spot. They were excited seeing a rise or two once in a while, but were not catching anything.  One had a bugger on a fly rod, so I gave him a size 20 soft hackle pheasant tail and told him to swing it.  Maybe he did better than me.  It was my advice to him that actually prompted me to retie and swing the bugs on the way back to my parking spot.  There was another new-looking fisherman in another good winter hole above the kids, so I turned back when I saw him.  In a rare break from the wind, I did target two risers with small nymphs and catch both of them in the hole well below him before I did, however. 

Pretty fish.

The theme, I guess, is that I had low expectations and did no research before heading out.  Had I checked the gage on Wednesday, I may have gone elsewhere.  Instead, I went on a gut feeling it might produce.  Valley has a turbidity gage, too.  Had I checked, I would have seen that it was not a day to nymph.  Still, it is good sometimes just to grab a rod and go.  The cold returns for real on Friday, but I expect more warm days next week.  I have some work to do preparing for my next set of classes and turning in a paper for my own class, but technically next week is my spring break.  Fishing will happen, and I will actually prepare and make wiser choices, I promise (I think). I am hoping to make the trip to central PA at least one day, and the number of olives around here has me excited at the prospects if the weather and water conditions cooperate.  Time to get Sam on the phone.

Can see how clear the water is here.  So much for high AND turbid....