February 12, 2022 – From Vice to Crick, Eric Masters Jig Streamer Fishing in a Day and a Half?? – SEPA Blueline

Eric's porker pb.

Eric had a rough week homeschooling his daughters because the oldest had to go through Covid protocols.  She is an angel, but the younger daughter T is a character, the total opposite.  Eric’s wife is an essential worker, so he drew the short straw this week.  Everyone tested fine a couple times and cleared the PCR test hurdle late this week too, but he definitely had some standing to ask his wife for a rare Saturday of fishing!  I helped grease the wheels by stopping by after a walk in the woods on Friday and dropping off a copy of a magazine with a George Daniel story about jigged streamers.  I have fished them for about 7 years, ever since Sam shared his patterns, including the might Roberdeau.  I actually teased Sam last month that his mentor George was all over my magazines and YouTube with these “new-fangled buggers,” and Sam of course deadpanned, Yeah, I wish I had gotten into that game sooner….  They are actually friends from back when George managed the TCO shop in State College, so chicken or the egg…. 

Jigged streamers in frog water kind of day, perhaps aided by beaver handiwork.

I have caught some of my biggest trout in recent years using what Sam once taught me, how streamer fishing needn’t be just hitting the banks and letting them swing or big articulated monsters moving water, and my own small stream sneaking has added a few more moves over the years.  Today was Eric’s day, though!  He landed his personal best on our little secret home creek using these non-traditional streamer tricks.  It was probably only 15 inches long, a hair more by hand-measure, but it was by far the thickest and most mature fish we have pulled out of this small creek.  I have been fishing Eric’s jigged streamers for a couple years too, mostly micro guys in the winter, bunny leeches or sculpin that you may have seen on this blog a few times, but we landed 90 percent of our fish today on some bugs he tied last night.  We had a great day for mid-winter, and besides the piggy that ate the bugger, we landed probably 20 more fish, including a few more good ones and good ones that got off before photos.

From vice to crick in one day, Eric masters the jigged streamer???

With the warm overnight temperatures, we decided to begin fishing at sunrise.  I have been talking about needing the motivation to get out earlier now that fish behavior is shifting again ahead of more drastic spring changes on the horizon.  Well, I guess having Eric’s excitement at getting out, and on our home waters with some new ties, did the trick because I was up drinking coffee by 5:15 AM today.  It was about 42 degrees to start, so not a bit of ice to be found, but fish were still a little sluggish until after 9 AM. We caught a few in our usual spots, and I even dropped a decent one before 8, I bet.  The plan, however, was to move more quickly and push further into the snakier and woodier parts of the creek that we often end in after prime time—or sometimes never even get to because the lower sections produce enough.  The best winter water was iced solid last time we fished the creek, so I planted the seed that I wanted to hit some of this frog water today.  We did move quickly, and when the time came we committed to wading waist deep winter waters to sink those heavy buggers next to some undercuts and deep log jams. 

Eric's first of the day.

With Eric up on land as a spotter to start, I waded through the cold, deep water as quietly as possible.  I landed an uber chub or two but also a few trout, so my confidence was high when I urged Eric to get in and fish a particularly good looking hole.  It was a big fish hole in theory, the kind I don’t pass up, and it was a big fish hole in reality too.  I had pulled at least four smaller fish out of this frog water, but Eric still felt guilty for catching this fish!  We are not competitive when we fish, and we take turns or step back when we feel unprepared for a particular spot, but he was up in my mind.  Besides, his success is my success, you know?  I was just happy that the plan worked.  It would have been a lot of work for chubs and average browns.  Anyway, I was standing right there when he came tight to a fat fish.  Based on the shape I saw in the murky water, I thought uber chub for minute, and he actually thought rainbow, at first.  It was just a thick fish, not something we are used to seeing in a mostly freestone creek of this size.  A fertile limestoner this size may have a lot more fat fish, but we have fished this creek for a few years now and have only seen two that were even close to this large.  It has sort of been an idea to search more of the watershed for the parents of all these dinks, and I guess we found one of them today.

Just an awesome fish for a SEPA blueline.

With all the depth and all the wood around, not to mention undercut banks that are cut back at least three feet in places, if the water was 60 degrees today, Eric would have had a fight on his hands.  Luckily, the water was 40 degrees or less, and this fish was pretty easy to handle.  When we knew it was a brown, the urgency to get my big net under him probably helped speed up the fight too!  It was a thick beauty, and we were both stoked to snap a few shots and let him go.  We were not done, however.  It got breezy for a while but also warmer.  We could feel the warm air coming on the wind at times, so hopes remained high.  When we reached the hole where I landed a couple late last month, we had a bit of an adventure.  I pitched the bugger into a pocket off to the side of a plunge, and a fish grabbed it immediately and took off for shelter in a root ball.  It acted like another big fish, but it was just a solid one.  Because the fish acted crazy at first, Eric jumped into action and actually climbed onto the tree stumps to free this one for me.  It’s good to have a young bull along, as my old bull mentality would have let this one shake off in there.  It would not be the last time Eric jumped into action today either.

More fish pics.  Probably 20-25 encounters today.

We pushed past a couple log jams today that we often use as an excuse to turn back, and we found some more fish in some new holes too.  I dropped another 11-incher before the net job at a great plunge pool formed as the creek fell over a down tree buried in stones.  We also found a couple more froggy spots that were pushing 4 feet deep, but they only netted average browns and a couple chubs.  The last nicer fish of the day, however, came at the end of the line.  I arrogantly called this one too.  The spot just looked too good: a solid 80 degree bend with depth and cover, even a rocky shelf with more permanent shelter for a good fish.  The best way to approach it was from a higher bank, so Eric had to slide down the grass and into the creek to net this fish after it chased down the gently hopping bugger.  It was a nice enough fish, probably 12 inches, so I slid in and joined him too.

He let me catch a few decent ones!

We hoofed it up and out of the creek there and hiked the roads with plans to hit some of our honey holes on the way back.  The return trip rarely pans out as well as the first approach, but sometimes we do hit holes too early, so they produce later.  We did land a couple more fish on the walk back downstream, and I also lost a better one where I had jumped a fish nearly first thing in the morning.  No redemption today, I guess.  This fish hit on the swing, so my strip set with a mono rig was not macho enough to stick him well or that hook was finally getting dull.  It would have been another good one to end on, but we could hardly complain after having a great winter morning that felt like spring.  It sounds like winter is making a short reappearance tomorrow, but I hope I can get out next week when it gets milder again.  I am seeing a lot of appointments on my calendar, but maybe today gave me the motivation to get up and sneak a couple in if opportunity arises!

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