December 31, 2022 – We Finally Found Big Papa Moving Through Our Little Oasis – SEPA Blueline

I will call him Uncle Grandpa, the fish not the guy holding him.

Since we first started fishing this little creek in February of 2020, Eric and I have slowly built on our successes.  It takes time to learn a creek, of course, so I did not expect to have “Northampton County Limestoner” success with this one without logging the hours.  Just one example: It took at least five years of concerted effort to crack Valley, which I had fished for a long time before that with expectations of small, pretty fish.  Nothing beats time on the water, and as you may have noticed my job over the last five years has afforded me plenty of time to fish and crack the code on several creeks, many of them creeks I had fished for a long time on an average, normal fisherman’s timeline.  Last year, Eric and I finally found a grown-ass fish, one big enough to account for all the 6 to 12 inchers we had previously caught, sometimes in huge numbers. 

A couple more shots.

Today, we found the alpha, a fish old enough to be the Pop Pop to most of these fish, and he may well be.  I picture Maury Povich opening the DNA test: Uncle Grandpa, you ARE the father….  The water temperature was between 36 and 38 degrees, and I only fought him a short while, so I am confident that he went back no worse for the encounter.  I had to stay calm, even telling Eric that I did not need his help, that I had been here before and knew full well what to do, but that was as much positive self-talk for my own sake as arrogance and experience with large fish.  Eric, well, he was going nuts on the bank asking, “What can I do, what can I do!” This was after tossing his own rod into the woods and scrambling for his own net!  Despite the fish’s proximity to an ugly root ball that had just recently claimed one of Eric’s own jigged buggers, I stayed calm and landed a beauty of a male that had some character from a long life, as well.

A foggy one.  The colors of fall remain on the fish, at least.

The morning started out good enough.  We were hole hopping because it is winter, and the water is cold regardless of mild air temperatures (fish live in water, you know).  At only our second honey hole, I stuck a nice fish likely 12 inches on the jigged streamer, a bug that I only clipped off once all day, and that was only to retie in an abundance of caution (and subconscious hope of finding a winter piggy?).  I caught 7 more trouts on the same bug, and a dozen rough species too, so something about it was working, perhaps many things: sink rate, size, good movement on a dead drift, and so on.  Eric messed with a few and landed at least two fish—not bad for winter fishing, a relatively new technique in jigged streamer fishing, and simply not fishing since July!  He has been immersed in a home improvement project since the summer.  I missed the guy, so I was glad he was here for this one, as much as I enjoyed him sticking a good 15-inch fish on this same crick last winter.

More fishes on the dead-drifted buggers.

We tried at different points to hop the buggers or swing them, but I think all but one took them on a dead drift in soft water or soft seams along deeper pockets.  Eric nymphed a couple holes we knew held fish when nothing moved on the bugger, but he switched back right after each more nymph-friendly spot.  I chose not to fix what was not broken, but my cold hands were also content not to tie knots for the first two hours, too.  No risers, and no need to mine any flat, deep holes with midges and a bobber.  Chubs were in the chub water, not the trouts, and even they were close to cover and would not move far to eat.  Despite evidence of some springs, and spring creeks in the region, this creek is basically a freestoner for much of its length, so there was even some ice in the spots that don’t get much sun.  We did not get midday sun to warm things up and turn on the fish and the bugs, but the streamer bite certainly benefitted from rather dense fog and solid flows—all the creeks are still slowly flushing the last storm, I gather, because the side rivulets were still trickling clean, cold water.  It was so foggy that we could barely make out geese flying just above the treetops.  Since it was a Saturday, it was either a good thing or a very dangerous thing that visibility for deer hunters was poor.  This spot is littered with (empty today) treestands and even evidence of some trapping.  Eric was rocking the blaze orange, and I stayed close.  Safety first, safety first....

Safety first, yo, safety first....

We landed Uncle Grandpa nearer to the end of the beat we typically fish, and we knew there was nowhere to go success-wise from there, so we turned back shortly after.  As a result, we essentially beat all but a steady drizzle marking the start of the next rainstorm.  We picked a good day to get out.  Yesterday was a lovely day for humans, but today was a prime day to find a good fish, and we did.  It only took, what, nearly four years?!  We don’t abuse the privilege of fishing here, so that probably only amounts to 15 trips. I guess I could count, but that is not the point.  We put in the time, used our combined brains, fished every season and condition, and finally found the resident piggy or two—or at least have learned that big browns, who are documented to have the wanderlust, use the upper reaches of this crick for fall, redd-making getaways.  Now I am singing, “Feel Like Makin' Redds” by Bad Company, which is only slightly better than a Maury Povich reference, so it is time to end this one.  Happy New Year, mitches!  Thanks for all the comments, questions, and reading(s).  A new career for me likely early in the new year, so a change of pace and perhaps changes to my schedule and the blog.  At my age, change is good, anyway.  

Some bonus footage until 2023?

December 30, 2022 – A Handful of Stockies on My Penultimate Outing of the Year – SEPA Freestoner

A warm day in late December.

With my family’s winter break winding down, I decided to spend a little time alone outdoors today.  The togetherness is fun, and we even built a Lego pyramid of some 1400+ pieces and had some other moments of throwback fun with our growing teen, but I needed to fish with those temperatures inching up for the last few days.  I only had a few hours midday, so I checked off a second winter stockie experience that had been on my list.  I guess the last one will be the Tully at some point, maybe next week.  Before that, Eric and I are going to poke around our little spot on Saturday morning before the rain arrives.  Despite air temperatures close to 60 degrees today, fishing was not on fire, and I had little patience to sit in a hole and midge once I landed a couple fish under a bobber on an SJ worm.  I took a walk and got a couple more floating the sighter with a single frenchie.  A few other bait fishermen were out, but no fish on stringers, and I saw a lot more fish than I landed, so there are plenty left.  Sadly, they were bunched up in a couple places, just like the fishermen.  For the last hour or more, I walked deeper into the park to some old favorite holes where I had taken my dad in the past.  I even took Eric and Chris H. up here on separate occasions.  I am pretty good at spotting fish, and it’s not that challenging in clear, winter freestone water, but I did not see a single trout in these old favorite holes.  There was plenty of water in them, but I had a feeling by the amount of bushwhacking I had to do to get into them (and out again) that no one carried buckets back here this fall.  While looking for some barn cats that I used to track with the boy when he was little, I pushed two good-sized bucks out into the field for a long-distance photoshoot.  I figured that was a good way to end the afternoon, so I took a walk in the woods back to my parking spot instead of backtracking for another fish.  Compared to the club stocked fish earlier this month, the four mutant bows I landed earlier were looking pretty rough, anyway.  Hopefully, we find some pretty wild browns tomorrow.

Rough looking stockies and tough looking bucks.

December 16, 2022 – The Condition Windows Did Not Quite Line Up – Valley Creek

They are pretty in Valley.

I ran out of prime fishing time before an area closer to the headwaters of Valley cleared up enough this afternoon.  The TP bridge gage was still showing over 100 CFS, and it was still raining when I left, so I focused on the skinny water farther upstream.  I hiked and fished from about 12:30 to 4 PM, with one stop back at the car because I forgot gloves, but the only dependable action was in two slow wintering holes with small bugs under an indicator.  I was hoping that the fish would be feeding in falling and clearing water, but the water temperature was probably too cold to get them to commit to a bugger like I had hoped.  I had two average fish follow a small hot bead black bugger, but only one even tried to nip at the back.  After retooling to nymph (on an 8-foot 6 weight, but you gotta do what you gotta do) I believe I landed four Valley average fish and at least two YOY.  One fish took a black beaded peeking caddis in a deep run right towards the end of the prime winter fishing hours.  That was on a tightline.  The others simply ate a small caddis larva in size 18 or a 16 duracell.  I knew the weather was fronty and odd, so I half-expected the tight-lipped fishes, and for an hour and change throwing the bugger, I was wondering if I would be registering a solid skunk today.  In the end, fish were caught and a walk in the woods was had, and I did not even get rained on.  I suppose I will take it over sitting home!

Fishable flows towards the end, but past prime time and with air temps dropping.

December 13, 2022 – Late Fall Sure Felt Like Winter, but the Fish Did Not Seem to Mind – Berks County

Back to pretty small stream wild trout.

It was cold today, but I had the time to fish. I also wanted to make a stop in the area for a Christmas gift idea for my wife, so even if fishing was challenging, the trip would have purpose.  After stopping on the way north and west, I arrived a few minutes before noon to this small Berks County Class A creek.  With the temperatures hovering in the low 40’s, I did not expect company—honestly, I did not expect much of anything, maybe a couple post-spawn wild browns.  With the creek to myself and the sun warming up the water, I ended up having three good hours of fishing.  As soon as the sun tucked behind the hills once again, it was over, but during the prime time I landed 8 trouts and missed at least two more short hitters.  Most were smalls in the 6 to 8-inch range, but I did land two memorable fish in the that 11-inch range, maybe even a solid 12 inches with one long hen. 

Chilly but beautiful and productive afternoon.

I say memorable because, the smalls came from the usual wintering spots, a deep hole, and they took a size 18 CDC jig or the perdigon under a bobber.  However, the two better fish took a perdigon on a tightline in little plunge pools in isolated cover, like under boulders or tucked beside the white water.  I did not take a water temp, but there was some ice in the puddles, so I am not surprised that the fish hit sluggishly.  They fought well enough, though.  This creek is a two-leaper, and a long jumper could probably clear it in one, so these were fun December fish in tight quarters.  With the water so cold they went back with a good kick, no worse for the encounter with the bundled-up dude in drab colors who needed to get outdoors and restart his wild trout pursuits at any cost after a long pause—well, long for this guy.

A half a dozen average fish, but a couple decent small stream fish too.

It appears that we may have a West wind and lighter surf over the weekend, so I have penciled in one last trip to the surf on Sunday.  I am still hoping to get into a mess of schoolies or even rats on light tackle with the boy.  Tony and Jeff may even bring their sons along, so there may be a theme working.  I would go again to the beach next week if the fishing proves to be decent this weekend, but it was nice to be in the woods this week, and especially nice to land a good bunch of wild fish on a beautiful little gem of a creek.  I like people, I really do, but I don’t fish for camaraderie, really!  Maybe sometimes, maybe 70/30?  The only other living thing out there with me this afternoon was a skittish mink.  She was probably pissed I was in her honey hole.  I understood.

One more, why not?

December 9, 2022 – Paying the Local Stockies a Visit While Surf Fishing is on Pause? – SEPA Freestoner

It was nice to be in the woods.

Well, the conditions at the beach took a turn this week, and they look to continue in a snotty vein for the foreseeable future.  I am hoping it is not over because, even though I grow tired of a blitz bite and the crowds, I was not quite done with the striped bass this fall.  I am hoping that mother nature has not made that decision for me.  I typically catch some short bass, sometimes many short bass, into the second week of December, and in really mild years, even into Christmas.  I would not mind a mess of shorts on light tackle, but I also have a feeling that things will be very different once this swell settles out.  I also wanted to get the boy on a bass.  I guess we will find out if the wading boots we bought still fit him this time next year….  So what’s a guy who can’t fish the surf and who doesn’t want to disturb the wild browns just yet supposed to do with the time? Stockies, of course!  If we get a few warmer days again, I am ready to chase some winter wild browns, but I was not driving too far today, and I was definitely not going to fish the kind of bigger creeks I like to target post-spawn.  A couple very local spots get a fall stocking, so I only had to decide between two nearby cricks late this morning.

Some fat stockies on small bugs.

I chose this creek because the Trout Unlimited chapter to which I pay dues actually stocks this one, so I know the fish have been in for a while and that there was the possibility of some quality fish.  I will visit the other creek on my list next week, another club stocking situation, I am sure.  I guess I wanted company because I texted the Silver Fox and young Eric, but neither could sneak away on a work-from-home Friday.  I ended up having the creek to myself, which ended up being what I really needed after a few weeks of social fishing.  I thought I would have a couple hours outdoors and land a couple trout, but since Tami left work early, I actually stayed out there for a good four hours and landed at least ten trout and messed with a handful more.  When it was still cold, I focused on a deep hole with midges and a bobber, but from about 1:30 to 3:30 PM I had some fun tightline nymphing small bugs in pocket water, which I did not expect.  I just don’t love to sit in a hole and fish, so I eventually went exploring.  Before taking a walk, I probably did land or at least turn every fish in one deep honey hole!  Fish get off barbless midges, especially when they are hot and beefy bows like these, but I did not care.  Close to a dozen stockies on a chilly, breezy Friday?  It’s not slot bass one after the other in the surf, but it’s not an altogether bad way to spend the afternoon either!

The first fish and the smallest one of the afternoon.  Not too shabby.

December 5, 2022 – A Least Until Sunset, There Was a Lot of Standing Around Watching Birds in the Distance – Ocean County Beaches

Tony's slot, bait and birds, no surf blitz.

Thank goodness Tony was there for some content tonight!  I met Jeff after 12 PM today, and we did a lot of sitting around and chatting with strangers while we waited for a bite that never did develop to develop.  We had a nice big and undisturbed bait ball just over the bar in front of us for a while, then we took a ride towards some life to the south, only to arrive to 50 dudes on the beach and several boats just watching birds hover over undisturbed bait schools.  There looked to be blitzes, possibly with fish under them, offshore quite a distance—the wind was blowing mostly South, so that may be why the bass stayed offshore.   We let the young bulls toss pencils over the bar while we spectated and shot the breeze, but nothing happened and the crowds dispersed, including Jeff eventually.  Tony was on his way down, as well, and when Jeff left, he was kind enough to send Tony a pin so he could find me.  Parking was not easy, so Tony was a couple blocks down from my “hotspot.”  As I was starting the ‘Ru to take one last ride before sunset, we found each other, so we took a ride together—first south for a bit before realizing we were both going to have to go north to head home.  We eventually landed at the spot where Jeff and I encountered the bait ball earlier in the afternoon, and we got some fish to cooperate.  Some more for Tony, technically, as he had a couple fat shorts before he found me.  He definitely had a slot keeper as our final fish of the night.  Some blog content!  I dropped my first fish, and did not photograph my second, which was likely 26 inches, maybe a couple inches bigger than the first one I lost.  At the time, I thought even shorter, but it was dark.  Seeing my pic of Tony’s fish, which I thought was 26 at the time of release and was much closer to 29, my fish just grew, I guess.  That was it, and maybe until Friday or the weekend.  I still want to get my son on a bass this exceptional fall.  I am nearly done with crowds, and miss the trouts, but I would brave the blitz-chasers one more time for him to land a couple, I think??

December 1 and 2, 2022 – A Day of Fun Catching Followed by a Day of Fun Fishing – Ocean County Beaches

Def not just me and my shad shadow this week.

I played googan one day and shoobie sharpie the next?  These blitzes, you know?  They are the equalizer.  You can be a total newbie on a good text chain, hear about a blitz in real time, show up with no waders and a pencil popper from Dicks, and you can pose for hero shots on the FB holding up 15-to-20-pound class fish.  After the skunk last week, I needed a sure thing, so I did the old drive down before high tide in full daylight and look for birds and boats and crowds.  As a result, I did have a banner day with over a dozen fish, at least 4 in the slot keeper size, and several on poppers.  I was fishing alone on Thursday, so I planned to fish with Brady Windknots, Tony the Squid, and Sandy Dunkin on Friday.  Because Dolf and Tony couldn’t get down until 12:30 PM, I met Jeff a little earlier and searched for action.  We missed a short blitz, and after driving around a bit, just decided to fish like civilized men and, eventually, to drive onto the beach in the Park.  It was packed, but the extreme blitzes of the day before were tempered in the area we were fishing by the South wind.   That said, Tony and Dolf had a banner 30 minutes on a blitz well to the north of us after Jeff and I had already aired down and committed to the Park.  There are still many fish in Monmouth County, which is great for the upcoming week(s).

Poppers, bunker tin, baits big and small.

On Friday, Jeff only had one come up on a popper, so that was not great, nor my wish for the day.  But I ended up slowing down and getting into a groove.  I had fun catching a half a dozen mostly shorter bass and one or two slot fish while stopping at soft structure like a proper surf fisherman!  On Thursday, the fish were on adult bunker with some peanuts around, but in the Park, I had shad and smaller rainbait at dusk.  For two days in a row, I landed doubles, as well.  If you count the two 14-inch shad I landed, I can say three doubles in two days.  I get lazy about the teaser.  It is wise to take them off in blitzes, and pretty useless and a drag on aerodynamics with a popper, but you know how it goes in the heat of the moment.  On Thursday, I had a 30-incher take a classic AOK Tackle peanut bunker tin and a 25 take the deceiver on the dropper loop!  I had the 10-footer with a 500(0) series reel, so I was able to land them both without too much incident—like landing, what, a 25+ pounder in the surf, so not a huge problem, but still fun in a crowd.  

Another day another double.  Jeff, sunset.  The black SP scores shorts after dark.

After sunset on Friday I had a 28 take the teaser (all the rainbait, I guess) and a short fish take the black SP Minnow.  That was a little more work on my 9-foot bomber rod, but at least it was not my schoolie/rat rod that sometimes takes a ride in December each year!  Made it happen with some effort and no crowds around.  Apparently, Dolf broke a rod on Friday when he kept the teaser on during a blitz and hooked two 12-15 pound class fish (those 30-inchers again) even though I told Tony and Dolf not to do it.  Do as I say, of course, not as I do…  Hopefully more to come this week before a prolonged South blow!

West is best?  South is...