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| A weird afternoon of extremes. I see (future) dead fishy. |
I made my first trip of 2023 to one of a handful of old reliable creeks within an hour of home. I had a feeling with rain ending, falling temperatures, and fronty conditions that this was not going to be a banner afternoon. I still wanted to get out and fish, and I figured no one else would be fishing here on a not so nice day. Flows were up and stained, so I tossed a jigged streamer in some deeper water for about an hour with only one small guy eating and jumping off on the first leap. I did not take a water temperature, but my spidey senses were telling me that nothing was moving for meat today, at least on this creek in this weather. I rigged up with a couple bigger, heavier bugs (for here, which is a small creek pushing 50-60 CFS on a high day, I bet) and I eventually landed one decent wild brown in the soft seam of some pocket water.
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| A survivor that won't survive the winter! |
The rest of this beat was, well, beat. To add insult to injury, or at least novelty
to the proceedings, the only other fish in the net was a holdover golden that
ate a walts worm in a hole that I was really hoping would hold at least one
more wild brown. This is a Class A and
Trophy Trout creek, but they stock upstream, so I sometimes get a random
rainbow. This is the first golden. This fish was a wanderer and survivor, at
least. You know, I managed to get
through all of 2022 without catching one of these, I believe, even from the Wissy
or Penny. I had a bad feeling about the
day, and I was right, but I am hoping this is not an omen for the entire new
year! I thought I saw her in the hole, even
with the stained water, and was like, “What are you doing here, girl?” I definitely saw her move for my bugs. With nothing hatching but a couple midges
when the sun popped out for all of 30 minutes, I should not have been surprised
that she was hungry. I wish the wild
boys had gotten the message, too. I
fished through drizzle, wind, sun, ominous clouds, and the first full moon was
rising as I pulled into my driveway. I
get a sixth sense about these bad trips, but at least I caught something, did
not fall in, and made it home in one piece.
Interesting how animals can be active or not active on a whim. Was babysitting the last 3 days at my daughters in Allentown. Saturday not a squirrel moving in the woods behind her house............Yesterday it looked like a squirrel convention. I guess those cold blooded trouts don't need to eat too much in the cold winter water.
ReplyDeleteRR
Most definitely, RR. I know they are tuned into a lot more factors than we are. With all the time I spend out there, I think that is what I meant by sixth sense. I get a hunch that they are feeling something I am feeling, just much more acutely. Hunters get it too, I know! Btw, on warm day, you could get on steady stockies along the parkway on the LL! Put the rods in a stroller and go ;)
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