April 18, 2021 – Eventually It All Came Together – SEPA Blueline

Took a while but the fish eventually cooperated.

Eric and I took a ride over to our little spot this morning.  I had an appointment for that good Pfizer stuff at 2:45 PM, so we wanted to get out early.  It was a bit chilly, and the water was still frigid with low-average and clear flows, so fishing was slow before 9 AM.  I got four tiny fish in the first 90 minutes while Eric made many bug changes trying to figure things out.  Almost all my fish came on pinky—a size 16 soft hackle jig with a 2mm pink tungsten bead, though a few came on Eric’s walts or caddis larva on the point, too.  Midges up to size 18 were ever-present, but as the morning progressed, we started seeing a variety of bugs.  Caddis were the most prevalent and the ones that got fish to rise, so no surprise pinky on the tag killed today, but we also saw isolated olives, craneflies, even a couple large yellow stoneflies—which I failed to capture for a photograph at least twice. 

An early, chilly start with some dinks and one decent fish in 90 minutes.

The highlight of the first hour was seeing a state record-sized sculpin.  I think 5 inches is an old sculpin, and this thing was close to 7.  Maybe it was not the common mottled kind but some other variety—I thought I had spooked a sea robin for a minute!  After the four dinks tight to an undercut bank and root ball, I finally landed a real-sized fish in the first rooted-up hole where Eric and I confirmed first-hand the presence of wild browns in this creek just over a year ago now.  If you may recall, our one year anniversary on the creek did not go well.  Thankfully, it was all uphill from this fish.  It got warmer and buggier, so when we approached a favorite plunge pool, now with more wood in it, it was game on.  Eric landed a nice fish, then I did too, and we may have even taken a third out of there before moving on.

Eric's first nice fish.

In a great log jam at a bend where we often pull multiples, I landed one nicer fish.  However, upstream in the deep flat, fish were starting to chase adult caddis with splashy and sometimes unsuccessful rises.  Most were dinky, but at least two were nice fish for this small freestoner.  Eric had brought an extra spool, and I was fishing a mono rig on my 9 foot 4 weight loaded with a WF line behind the leader, so I too could have switched to dry fly fishing within 5 minutes, but we decided to give them a shot with our small nymphs instead.  We never did catch one of these spooky fish, but we targeted and landed plenty more risers in better nymphing water where our approach was concealed without resorting to crawling.  I actually tried to get one on an elk hair caddis on the way back, but I put them down.  We decided to carry two rods next time, as the spring caddis fun has only just begun.  

Another of Eric's plumpers.

Another highlight today was that fish were coming from holes that we always try and rarely or never find cooperative fish—like the mouth of a tributary, today more alive with caddis than the main branch.  A couple fish that came from these places that have always looked too good to be true were actually better fish for this creek, where a 10-incher elicits, “Good fish, fella.”  In turn, some reliable spots did not produce or spots that usually produce a couple produced 3 and 4 fish.  Just when you think you know a crick, winter comes around and changes conditions on the field.  At least the fish have only moved a little and have not been washed away.  By June, they will be spread everywhere again, I am willing to bet based on last year's experience.

Pretty parr marks, pretty scenery, plus that walts did get eaten (not ALL pinky today).

Around  11:30 AM, close to my proposed quitting time of noon, we decided to turn back and fish again a couple spots that didn’t produce or meet expectations earlier in the morning instead of forging ahead.  Before that turn back, we had a solid flurry of nicer fish in one of those aforementioned holes that usually only produces one or two.  I even got one at this spot on the way back after resting it for barely 15 minutes to let mud clear, and Eric took one out of a similar spot where I had come up dry earlier.  It was on the way back that I tried a dry fly to no avail—still on the mono rig and just a dry-dropper rig on my nymphing leader.  Fish were still rising here, but with clear water, I easily put them down after one short cast.

Almost didn't get him out of all that mess behind him.

When I re-rigged, I just tied on a single size 16 pheasant tail jig, which ended up being a great choice, at least for one productive spot.  I large tree, maybe a neighboring one or a larger fork of the same as well, lay over the creek here.  I usually can coax one in the scour under and below the tree, but today I swung the pt under the front of the tree and landed a little guy.  This is a big fish spot in theory, and the swing had worked, so I casted again, doing the same thing—casting it upstream to get the bug below the logs and branches and letting it swing underneath.  With Eric as witness, a thick 12 to 13 inch male took the bug and started digging under there.  I was having flashbacks of the recent Valley trip with Tom when a similar fish in a similar spot broke me off.  Not today, and not that he didn’t try.  At one point the fish did get stuck, but like fishing docks or something, I just stayed tight enough and he swam out again long enough for me to net.  Somehow the 5x tippet was not even frayed from all that, and the knot held.  The result was the handsome fish above that also opens this post. 

Some of my b roll beauties

My birthday on 4/20, so along with a new rod on the way, I am taking only my second trip to the Brodhead of the year this week.  The new 10’6” 4-weight won’t be here in time, so my current long 4-weight and I will have one final fling on Tuesday.  She has been good to me, and she is going to a good home with the Silver Fox and his bride not into the retirement tube in the garage or something.  Plenty of good mojo on that stick!  Even though I use hip(ster) techniques, I guess, I am a bit old school and feel way under-gunned with a 3-weight on big rivers.  I even have a 10’ 5-wt. that comes out once in a while.  I am hoping for one more banner day this week before breaking in the new rod later this month, perhaps even next week.  Another busy one at work, like last week, just too many meetings and committee work for an accreditation visit on top of my usual teaching load, but I am going to make the most of my Tuesday, at least.  A day like today helps with the FOMO, for sure.