May 19, 2021 – I Guess the Streak Is Not Over Yet – Northampton County Limestoner

Like it was July or something, I fished today from about 6 AM to 10 AM before it felt too hot for me and maybe even the fish.  This creek is low, but like the other limestoners in the area, there is still a bit of a charge of water from the springs keeping it a little colored up.  And like at least one other nearby creek, the algae on the rocks is pretty frustrating already too.  I was up and out early.  The low sun and early morning shade helps fishing on days like this if I am aware of my long-ass shadows at all times.  I knew I would have a small window, and I actually had maybe two instead.  I landed a decent wild brown and maybe three other smaller fish in the first hour, and then I had a lull before that 9 AM hour, which has been a low-key magic hour for me this month.  I was throwing one of Eric’s natural walts worms and a perdigon on the dropper to start, but I ended up fishing a bomb size 18 walts and a pink bead pheasant tail, also 18, on the dropper to end the morning. 

May have tangled with the one on the right before early this spring.

I got the first nicer brown on Eric’s fly on the point, and a couple smaller wild browns on the perdigon too.  Pinky did the most damage in terms of numbers for the day, including a few rainbows.  I don’t catch many rainbows here, but they are sometimes memorable.  One was the smallest stocker I have seen in a while; it almost looked like a fingerling.  That is not the kind of memorable I was looking for.  But two of them were hot bows that fought like crazy, taking major multiple leaps and long runs.  The largest was over 14 inches and looked almost wild.  I caught a similar sized fish in the same general vicinity one snowy early spring afternoon, so maybe it is my friend, and (s)he is doing well for himself/herself. 

Would have been content with these guys.

I thought that flurry of early morning fun was going to be enough, especially since a couple favorite holes gave up nothing, but around 9 AM a few caddis showed again.  I had a second run of at least 6 more wild browns in one deeper riffle and another acrobatic bow too.  After that success, I decided that I had to try two of my honey holes again with the bomb waltz, now even more fuzzed up from all the love it had received, and pinky on the dropper—that small buggy thing accounted for 5 of the 6 wild browns in the last run of fish.  I stayed out of the water as much as possible to avoid sending stain down that way.  With the sun up now, it was clear that the creek was, well, clear.  When I hooked what would be my final fish of the morning, I was excited because I knew it was a pig but a little disappointed thinking it was another rainbow.  This fish did not dig and bulldog at first; instead, it took a long run upstream, nearly into the next hole.  It acted nutty like a rainbow.  Until I saw the dropper and knew he had the walts on the anchor, I almost thought I had tail-hooked the little freight train.  Just before I got him to turn back downstream, he took a leap, and now I could clearly see it was a big wild brown trout.  I did not panic, just did my thing, excited that I had the chance to land another big brown.  Man, I guess my current hot streak is not over this month. 

Pretty fish and acted nuts.

I just wrote about how many fish have been wounded this year, and this one was no different.  Because of the crazy battle and the bird wound, I didn’t give him the full photoshoot on a warm day, opting instead for the classic net pics and a single lift before letting him go.  I would say over 18 inches, pushing 19, probably, and just a wide strong, mature fish.  I guess this hole, which sometimes gives up 3 and 4 fish, was quiet the first time through because this brute was out of hiding this morning.  Typically, I am not one to be a glutton, and I took this bonus round beauty as my cue to start walking back to the lot.  I had low expectations again when I began my day, and was happy with the first two hours on the water, but the last hour was pretty awesome and made me doubly grateful that I rolled out of bed this morning and took a drive.  Obviously, good fish can be had in these conditions, and I do this routine in July and sometimes August—at that time of the season the 5 AM to 9 AM shift—but May is supposed to be a little easier!  I will be exhausted with creeping around with small bugs on long, light tippets by July this year.  Come on rain!

Some creek pics and one more shot.