December 31, 2021 – Some Kind of Winter Bookends – Brodhead Creek

Still 25+ CFS down from normal.

Not my intention, but I realized as I was suiting up in the morning that I was closing out 2021 much in the same way I opened it.  Technically, the Silver Fox and I fished for brookies (with a 2020 license) first, and Eric and I got out on our SEPA spot, but by the 14^th (the 6^th at Penns with Sam but that has some limestone influence) I was fishing bigger water hoping to find a big hungry trout on big bugs.  While a bit treacherous, slow, and monochrome, there is something about winter fishing on the Brodhead and bigger creeks that I love.  I used to think the same thing about small game hunting, for example.  For what other reason besides hunting or fishing would a sane person be lumbering through the gray woods in late December?  I have seen that change over the years, as I do encounter more fisherman in the winter than I did even 10 years ago (Magazines? YouTube? Blogs like this? More young guys fishing again?)  but mostly on smaller limestoners and stocked waters.  Much in the way I would rather walk and toss a plug on the beach for a skunk than watch a spiked rod with a bunker head soaking, I feel the same way about nymphing big bugs on a tight line as opposed to watching midges under a bobber.  I get to the point where I embrace the indicator each winter, but usually not as early as December, I guess, or at least not this mild year. 

Fish were caught, even the intended quarry on a bugger.

With midges hatching, living and dying by the big stonefly, or in the case of today a sexy walts or caddis larva, is an acquired taste.  I would not say the choice paid off completely today, but I did land four fat fish, including the target species, a wild brown close to 15 inches.  The water was frigid, like under 38 degrees, but late in the day, I got a brown to strike a streamer too—well, a micro-streamer, a size 8 black bunny leach (with an extra tungsten bead) just hopping down the stream.  Worth it?  That is always the question.  But with what feels like the twelfth spike in Covid cases what else was I doing today!  It was close to 50 degrees and misty all day, so rather comfortable winter fishing but not so nice that everyone got the urge.  I saw no other soul in about 5 hours of walking.  And fish were caught.  Thank goodness for the holdover rainbows, however.  I had one other wild brown make a move for the bugger earlier in the day, but those spring survivor bows, one that looked like it had eaten a mouse it was so fat, filled a void for me today.

Pristine holdovers

They like to move, rainbows, and a select few always end up in the unstocked sections of this big watershed.  Somedays I say dammit when I see the silvery flash after setting the hook, but in the winter I take what I can get!  They may have even been around multiple years, as two of them were nearly perfect in color and intact fins.  Nevertheless, I was overjoyed to come tight to a wild brown during the warmest part of the day.  I had thrown the olive jigged bugger to start, but the water was very clear, and besides one fish that moved to the bug, I saw one other spook.  With water so low and clear despite another night of potential rain, I actually spotted a few fish throughout the day that I could not entice off the bottom.  It was brighter to start the day, but the drizzle and clouds came again after 2 PM, so I tied a black leech on later.  Fishing some pocket water for an active fish or two, I was lucky enough to find what I was looking for.  Granted, I would have liked a few more inches on him, but it was a dark, big-jawed, and photogenic male.  I was throwing my 10’6” 4-weight at cold fish, so I had no major battles on my hands today, but all the fish fought okay for the conditions.  I was certainly ready if big mama or papa decided to eat today.  I had the big net, a wading staff, food and drink—all for a few holdovers and one decent brown.  Go big, I guess.  I went small earlier in the week, and the results were worse!

Photogenic.

I covered some water, so I had a longer walk back to where I parked.  With the clouds, I knew it was going to be dark in the woods by 4:45 instead of 5 PM, so I started hiking back by 4:15 or so.  On the walk back, I remembered why I do this.  Ending on the target species close to the target size helps, but it was really this excuse for a midwinter walk in the woods on a favorite creek.  I spent years avoiding freestoners in the winter except on freakishly warm days in February or something, so I find it oddly satisfying to stick a few under the unique challenges they present at this time of year.  I saw midges for an hour, so it’s not like the river was devoid of life either.  I will return next month with those big golden stones that I left at home today too!  Not a record year, although many big browns landed, but I hit an even 90 fishing days this year, a year of weather extremes, so I am pretty satisfied with the effort.  Happy New Year, mitches!

Monochrome but still a beautiful excuse for a walk.