July 9, 2021 – Thanks to Elsa (Sort of) I Moved Three, Jumped One, Landed Four – Northampton County Limestoner

Handsome plumper on the black leech.

I tossed a streamer from 5:30 to 10:30 this morning.  Well, I tossed a streamer from 5:30 to 7:30, and then I hopped a pair of jigged streamers from 8 to 10:30 AM.  Timing is everything, even more so when trying to end my day before it gets too hot to fish ethically for the trout.  I am sure the flows and clarity were great in the early afternoon, but the water temps probably were not.  I was working under the assumption that Elsa had the most impact south and east, and the gages in Northampton County were bearing that out when I left the house a little after 4 AM.  This creek has no gage, but there are a couple of them nearby, and those looked good.  I had my doubts as I got close, though.  I could see a lot of leaves and short branches in the road, so it was obvious that a heavier band of wind and rain not visible on my radar had moved through not long before me.  I parked and took a look at the creek, and it was not out of its banks, so I decided to suit up to wet wade and maybe fish through what was hopefully a brief flash of water.  I also checked a nearby gage for a plan B, and that had jumped 30 CFS in the hour I had been on the road after being on a downward slide since I’d woken up around 3 AM.  Timing is everything.

Chocolate and the overzealous.

Without the rain, I would not have been fishing, at least not for trout, so I was grateful when I moved three decent fish in that first round and at least had one good bump.  No grabs or hooked fish, but at least some of them could see Eric’s olive sculpin in all the mud.  Sadly, there were tricos swarming too, undeterred by the wet weather, but I don’t think the water clarity and the spinner fall had a chance in hell of synching today.  Timing, you know.  I had a feeling that the water was still rising not falling.  It was definitely not clearing up quickly.  That happens even more in flash floods because that water takes all kind of debris and mud and god knows what else from the road and ditches as it runs off.  I held out hope, but was starting to believe I might be heading home by 8 AM.

Tricos were probably safe this morning.

I stopped by my car and grabbed my nymphing rod and deposited my streamer rod for round two.  I was thinking that I had a better chance getting deep and getting dark.  I rigged one of Eric’s micro-sculpins with a big old tungsten bead, and on the dropper I tied a black bunny leach, also with a tungsten bead.  That would get to the bottom, even in riffles, and allow me to hop hop hop them downstream before allowing a brief swing.  I targeted some favorite pocket water first, and I planned to go back to the places where I moved fish before if time and temperatures allowed.  I was a little surprised by the first fish, my best of the morning, when he ate the black leech on the seam of a bouncy run.  He ate it too, so there was little danger of him getting off even with a subpar hookset.  This was a good-fighting fish, especially when he got below me.  I am used to fishing streamers with at least a 4 weight, but usually a 5 or 6 weight, so my 10 foot 3 weight nymphing rod gave him a little advantage.  I had no clue how big he was until I got him in some shallower water with slightly more visibility.  I would say no more than 13 inches, but a wide, fat, mature fish.  Okay, we had a plan now!  As long as it didn’t rain again upstream somewhere, I was thinking I could do this again and again, maybe.  

Another leech eater.

After jumping another 11 or 12 incher, I managed to do it three more times.  One was an overzealous 8 incher that liked Eric’s anchor sculpin, but the others were decent streamer eaters.  I only saw eight fish this morning, and none of them were the pigs I was looking for, but after two hours without a win, it was good to have a somewhat productive window before the sun came out and shut it down.  I did catch the dink and one decent one where I began my morning, but I was not able to interest a couple of the larger residents today.  I know they are there too, sadly, but timing is everything, as I may have mentioned a few times.  If I am up again on Saturday or Sunday morning I may try and take advantage of the shot of water.  My July was dreadful last year, but I noticed I fished 9 or 10 times in August, when it was wetter.  That early morning grind becomes a chore, and it puts a limit on how far I am willing to drive in order to fish for at best 4 hours, but I do like those lovely wild browns a lot more than fluke or dink smallies in the local creeks.  That said, I am due for a Delaware trip once this rain makes its way through the system, and I am hoping the boat sails with Ward next Tuesday.  I think we have had to cancel due to wind or swells for the last two or three years!  Daddy needs a doormat.

Another beauty brown.