October 31, 2022 – Despite Low Water, Trout Were Not That Spooky Today – Berks County

Glassy and leafy and fishy.

For my last trip of October, I intended to stake out a marginal creek that I enjoy fishing after the stockies are all gone and into the winter post-spawn because it is secluded and mostly sheltered from wind and cold.  It is in pretty farm country and easy to wade too, so just a pleasant experience.  The wild population rises and falls, but the tributaries are cooler and limestone-influenced, so there are some transient surprises at times.  Of course, those transients are more likely deep in the tribs getting ready to make babies this time of year, not wandering downstream to eat chubs and crayfish.  It has not been good this year, this creek, just messed up by Ida and probably Ian too, so I guess I talked myself out of it on the drive west.  That, or I decided that another creek on the way out was worth a visit, and then I could go back to plan A.  I have seen some big old wanderers in this plan B creek this time of year too—probably looking for love and fresh gravel—so that was likely on my mind as well.  I jumped one this time last year that was close to 20 inches and colored up.  I spotted no 20 today, but as it turns out, I had no reason to make a second stop since the first stop fished really well despite being the typical October glassy trickle full of dead leaves. 

A bunch of pretty and cooperative fish.

One stretch of this second creek that I (and many others) fish is in a SGL, and another truck was there when I arrived around 9:45 AM.  I have been getting a later start with the chilly mornings, partly because I am driving the boy to school a few days, carpooling with another friend in the neighborhood.  His bus arrives a full hour before the first bell, which is just silly, especially when it is dark at 6:29 AM when it rolls by!  The other reason for the later starts is that late morning bugs can make things fun, and the warm up can prompt the fish to move into feeding lanes in the riffles instead of hiding in the depths with the suckers or under rocks—I spooked at least four fish today that were over 10 inches and hiding from birds of prey and guys like me in rip rap and single boulders, perhaps because the undercuts are getting crowded or not too undercut with low fall conditions.  As I turned around to backtrack to another spot, I wondered if dude in the parking spot was a hunter late to leave the tree stand and made a note to roll by after I fished this other short stretch.

Outsized for this trickle but not the huge love wanderers I've hooked in the recent past.

The water was clear and pretty low, so I could see some action in the first hole once I started fishing.  I took the time to downsize tippet and bugs and considered dry dropper or at least greasing the sighter.  I only brought the one nymphing rod with me, so dry dropper would have been awkward with overhanging branches.  For my first couple of fish, I just stayed way back and landed the bugs softly with a bit of reach cast to keep the sighter off to the side and not throwing shadows.  That seemed to work well enough, so I never did grab the elk hair caddis or the Payette.  Don’t tinker if what you are doing is working, I guess.  I started out catching a handful of small stream averages and a couple YOY and the requisite chubs, so I was content with my choice of creek but secretly hoping to run into some surprises like last year at this time.

A couple more shots of the same fish.

I creeped along and hung back and continued to get fish to grab a single size 16 frenchie or a CDC tag fly.  There were midges around and small caddis in the vegetation.  I know I could have gotten some surface eats if I were wired that way or had brought along another better suited combo, but this was also fun.  I missed a couple and even broke one off with an overzealous hookset.  It is a different challenge to fish with a more slack in the line and from downstream—I feel like I just set on instinct or give a gentle lift most of the time.  This fish showed white mouth and turned before I even sensed him, so I guess I was jerky as a result.  It was a good reminder to be gentle and it paid off with a really beautiful fish not long after that.  It was not a monster but it was a gorgeous mature fish colored up for what is soon to come.  When he jumped twice, he definitely looked outsized for the surroundings!   My honey hole on this stretch did not hold the big pre-spawn fish I encountered last year and the year before, but it did not disappoint either.  Now with one single frenchie slowly falling on 5X, I managed a handful more in this last hole before a long posted stretch.  With the water so low, I did not entertain walking back downstream.  I sometimes do that here in order to catch a couple more and prolong what is typically an hour or two of fishing max.  Today, I just saved some time and bushwhacked to the road so that I could investigate the first stop I intended to fish this morning. 

Oh, the places stockies go!  More fall glass.

The truck was gone, so I parked and fished this other section, only finding YOY and one average fish.  I did coax a big fish out of hiding with a jigged bugger in a particularly deep hole.  He just took a look and shot back into cover, however.  It looked like a brown at least 15 inches, but I did see dead stocker bow and heard rumors of some stocked brookies in parts of this Class A creek earlier this year, so who knows.  I am betting dude was fishing not hunting because it felt like I was in the back of the boat fishing “used water.”  After the surprisingly willing fish I had encountered all morning, these fish here were not so nice.  I actually started driving to my plan A creek before pulling a U-turn and deciding Plan B was certainly good enough.  I was convinced that I would not top this at this hour in these conditions at a far lesser creek.

It won't be long before I start seeing redds.