August 6, 2021 – Something a Little Special to Mark the End of the Cool Week – SEPA Blueline

Mostly healthy smalls, like Eric's here, but good to be back.

Eric had the rare Friday off to attend to some family business in the afternoon.  Since he was heading to the old homestead, he texted me on Thursday afternoon to see if I thought our little spot might be fishable in the early morning.  I assumed it would be pretty low, but with a good canopy and a week of cooler evening temps, I said I would be willing to try.  If nothing else, we would see how this creek looks in the summer after no rain.  Since he was staying out there after we finished (how early our quitting time remained to be seen) I followed him up in the wee hours.  We arrived long before official sunrise to a crisp and beautiful morning.  The creek was low, but I took a temp after we waded and bushwhacked into our first set of spots.  I was wet wading, and that first step in the creek was a little cold before 6 AM.  The stream thermometer read 64 after a good long soak in rather shallow water, and Eric took a temp before we quit in one of our favorite spots where we think a couple small springs help out, and it was still 64 degrees at 11 AM when we turned back to end the morning.  I was happy to see that the creek does not dry up like a many freestoners.  It was recognizable and ethically cool enough to sneak around for a few hours.

Small stream sneaking with the dry dropper for a change of pace.

One sign that it warms up this time of year, however, was the number of chubs, large and small, and even very large black-nose dace, which are more a sign of clean water than a warmwater fishery.  We only saw one smallmouth and landed no warmwater species beside the ever present chub life.  For some added stealth, we both left the long rods behind and threw dry dropper most of the morning.  I have not thrown my 8’3” 3 weight rod in more than I year, I bet, so that was fun in itself.  I just had a stimulator with one of Eric’s black stonefly (really a perdigon with some rubber legs, two of which I clip off usually) hoping for a decent drowned ant imitation.  Later, I also used a quill perdigon and a frenchie with a blue hot spot, all droppers in size 20.  Eric was tossing a big Adams or Coachman with different perdions and thread-bodied flies underneath.  Many chubs and trout ate the dropper, but a handful blew up on the big dry.  Eric and I both missed decent fish on the dry, but even with the droppers, the takes were tentative.  They were spooky, and rightfully so.  Most were tucked up under ledges and plunges and undercuts, so we actually moved a bunch of fish with jigged buggers before we decided it was time to go.  While the dries would not coax them out of hiding, the presence of all those chubs and, more importantly, their fry were able to get some aggressive fish to shoot out for a swipe even if they didn't commit or just nipped. 

A handful of handfuls each and many, many chubs.

We landed a few on the buggers, and I even lost an 8- or 9-incher at the lip of a deep riffle.  The take was subtle, the hookset marginal, and after one jump, he was gone.  That was about it today: More encounters with decent fish that got away than not, but a good number of wild browns and plenty of action from the minnow family.  We also saw a deer cross the creek behind us, and a few snapping turtles, one of which was massive.  He tried to hide from me, but his tail and most of his ass was still visible, like playing hide and seek with a three year old.  A younger me may have tried to grab that tail and pull him out to show Eric, but with my luck today (and wet wading) I’d have had an ER visit. 

An especially pretty one.

All in all, it was a nice walk in the woods with some action.  Eric fished the creek once or twice in May without me, landing a good 14 inch fish while hunting mushrooms with his mom!  I had not been there since late April this year, so I would have been happy to wet wade and check out the holes, as I did, taking mental notes along the way.  It is a good way to learn a creek, just seeing it in different seasons and low water, much in the way lowtide intel on a stretch of beach assists.  Winter is not great here, but on the right July and August, probably September days, fish can be had.  Maybe the dormant season here is not as long (and in turn the growing season as short) as I think, and we might find a pig somewhere, someday.