March 6, 2023 – Before the Weeklong Blow, a Breezy, Lazy Fool’s Errand – SEPA Freestoner

Low and clear, but some trouts in there.

So this creek….  It was stocked into the early aughts, I believe, and then it was taken off the list because of dwindling access and usage.  At least that is what I remember hearing back in the day.  I did not fish it when it was stocked, but I did spend a couple lunch hours in parks on the edge of the creek when I worked in the area.  It is a beautiful area of Montgomery County and, despite its proximity to the City, it now supports some wild reproduction.  There is also someone stocking it, which is often the case these days.  I have said numerous times that I am never surprised where stockies end up.  The lack of usage I get, as the stream is small, shallow, and clear, so not an easy place to fork a stick and wait on Powerbait.  The access is a taller tale.  Yes, there are some ritzy properties who probably didn’t like the random fisher getting out of bounds.  But I have seen more posting (and purple paint) in places far removed from urban and suburban concerns, and there are no less than three parks along the banks full of dogs and dog walkers.  I counted ten discarded or lost tennis balls.  Some are probably from private courts in the backyards of the rich and famous, sure, but most are from walkers and canines off leash.  No one wants to retrieve a ball in December without waders, I figure.

Got one to pose, at least.

I go back here every couple of years to see how the creek is doing and see if I can at least spot some of those Montgo chupacabras—I mean wild fish.  I did catch one last year, from what I can tell, and I landed one today that had many of the marks of wild.  I also saw a bigger fish, in the 12 to 14 inch range, along with a two sub-legal trout that had to be wild (or fingerling stocks?).  Besides the one I landed on a micro bugger, I had another of similar size come off while flopping in the shallows, of which there are many, after a short tussle on a bugger swung under a log.  Fishing was pretty technical today with high sun, breeze, and low water (I actually started out with a dry dropper and a long leader before deciding to tuck and dab the bugger in tight to cover where I could).  The pics probably do some justice to those observations.  It was also midday—I fished from 1 to 3 PM in one spot and then drove to a second short, unposted stretch for another hour—so I was happy to move and hook as many fish as I long-distance spooked.  I was disappointed that the area around arguably the best wintering hole in the creek was lined with shiny new No Trespassing signs, but I was also not surprised.  Also, the second fish I hooked was in a section I had not fished before and only fished because my ace in the hole hole was posted and I had more time to explore.  So far, posting seems to be a theme for me this month.  Let’s hope that changes soon.  Still, it was good to get out, catch a fish and a half, and assess that some trout, both wild and possibly stocked, made it through a hot dry summer and mild dry winter.