January 2, 2022 – On the Board for 2022 Just Before Winter Returns – Northampton County Limestoner

A couple "early" on a black micro-streamer and one on an olive before I left for home.

I thought the rain on Saturday night might get me excited enough to rise early and give the streamer bite a shot this morning, but I guess I had my fill on Friday or just needed the rest.  Knowing the flows were muddy but also the best they had been in months, I eventually decided at least to stretch the legs and get on the board for the New Year.  Monday and Tuesday this week promise to be cold, too, so after a couple cups of coffee I convinced myself with Tami’s help to take a low-stakes ride and toss a small streamer or, if the flows were clearing, something buggy and dark like a duracell.  It was probably 11 AM before I left the house, maybe later, and not surprisingly I saw a dude suiting up and another in the water at the first spot when I arrived, so I took another shorter drive to look for some elbow room on this small creek.  My fishing agoraphobia does not jibe well with these relaxed start times, but that’s why I have to convince myself that some trips are just a walk with a fishing rod not “serious business”!

A couple on a small duracell, muddy normal flows, and Eric's jigged streamer.

At the first hole, I jumped one and landed two on a black jigged bugger just hopped downstream on the mono rig.  I thought I was going to keep this pattern going for a while.  It fizzled pretty quickly, though.  The fish were actively hanging in the softer tailouts of holes, at least to start, so despite my best intentions I had to fight off some mild disappointment in myself for not getting out earlier.  I landed one other decent brown before I left, this one on Eric’s olive jigged streamer, but visibility was good enough and the skies were bright enough after the first hour to nymph up a couple fish on a size 16 duracell too.  I think I landed 5 fish in over 3 hours of fishing, so despite it being 55 degrees out, the creek fished liked it was a typical winter afternoon.  Still, that was one more fish than I landed on Friday, and the purpose of today was just to get out there and get on the board for 2022.  Mission accomplished, and with an actual 2022 license this time….

On the board for 2022.