March 30, 2024 – Tried to Mix it Up, with Very Mixed Results – Brodhead Creek

A pretty bow, and the bobber back there.

With such a wet winter messing with my plans to visit, I have missed the Mighty Brodhead.  There are sections where fishing is legal before opening day, so I decided I would pay a visit on Saturday.  I set the alarm for early in the morning, but I think I messed with the clock in the night and switched things to PM instead of AM!  Well, I did not leave until 10:00 AM, which was fine, I guess, except for the breeze and high sun.  Leaving later would give me a shot at some variety of early spring mayflies, one or two of the quills, and tan caddis, of course, if I could find some elbow room.  When I packed the night before, I was not fully committed to the bigger creek, which was a bit high but certainly clear, so I also packed my small stream stuff and mapped a couple Class As that I had not fished in some time.  I probably should have gone to one of them after missing my shots at a couple dry fly eats around 3 PM.   Instead of nymphing my usual way, I decided to give my 10-foot 5 weight some exercise this afternoon, so I was mostly bobber fishing heavy bugs or one heavy bug and a small imitation on the dropper.  I was definitely out of practice, as I dropped two fish on the retrieve, unable to keep up with them running towards me.  Takes were light, so that did not help either, I am sure, but if I were tightlining I am positive I would not have dropped these trouts, light hits or not.  One was a decent wild brown that leaped off the line not 10 feet in front of me, too.

Moving water but certainly fishable and very wadable (in spots).

I did manage to land two wild-ish rainbows that either migrated upstream from previous spring stockings or migrated down from some private clubs upstream.  They had been around, based on the fins and the skinny shape from having to work for their meals for a couple years.  There was plenty to eat today, even a good hatch of small tan caddis and some larger mayflies around 2-3 PM.  That potential was another reason for throwing an actual fly line today.  I switched to a caddis dry when I had four decent fish rising around me.  I did not even get a refusal, so they were either taking the mayflies or something I could not see.  My gut said caddis emergers based on what they were doing, but my go-to caddis soft hackle dropped off the dry got no love either.  Humbling, of course, but that was why I changed it up today.  These fish are oft-targeted by better dry fly guys than me.  In fact, a nice guy hunting heads in a slick where heads are often spotted was rewarded with a nice wild brown on the dry.  Also humbling, of course.  It will come back to me over time, I am sure, and I did vow to throw a fly line more this year.  Just to really make my day humbling, I also dropped a nice streamer fish just before I quit for the evening ride home (in heavy rain).  Maybe the botched alarm was sign.

March 18, 2024 – Wind and Cold are Four Letter Words but Fortunately So are Tube and Bass – The Mighty Susquehanna River

Mitches catch fishes.

I have not fished let alone hung out with my good friend Young Kenny in ages, so when he rolled up on his motorcycle last week, I was happy to see him.  When he told me he had an opening today on the main branch of the Susquehanna for an early season smallie trip with Chris Gorsuch and Reel River Adventures, I was even happier to see him.  Of course, it was 70 degrees and sunny that day.  March weather changes, and by the time Eric and I were fishing on Sunday morning, a cool breeze had returned ahead of a series of cold fronts.  We were going either way, Kenny and me.  It had been too long, and we both had the utmost confidence in Chris, whom we knew would take care of us, shelter us from the worst of the weather, and find us some fish.  The fact that we beat the worst of the first cold front and also caught 72 mostly nice bass between the two us speaks for itself.  It was a fantastic late winter trip with a few fish over 18 inches and many in the mid-teens enthusiastically eating tubes, ned rigs, and other small soft plastics.  For me, a heavier ¼ ounce lead head was the only alteration needed to account for the high water and wind, a way to have more contact and less line bow.  Fish still thumped the heavier baits too.

We caught 72 bass in the cold, wind, and high, dirty water.  Some good ones too.

I met Kenny at his house at 6 AM and we arrived early for the 9 AM departure time.  Chris’s wife reminded him the night before that the wind chill was going to be 35 or something ridiculous at 7 AM, so waiting for what little sun to warm things up a bit was probably wise.  I guess I am part of the club now because Chris greeted us both with a hearty hug.  He is not only a good captain but good company, and I know he appreciates the fish Kenny and I catch, which have to be good for the socials and business in general, but more importantly the belly laughs that Kenny and I can supply—I swear that truckers on 322 must have witnessed Kenny doing a Kid and Play leg-grab dance worthy of House Party 2, and I may have tried to twerk after a particularly good run of fish.  In addition to having fun, Kenny and I do have real talks and play catch up on the long rides there and back.  And we fish hard even in tough conditions.  The wind was not bad to start, but as the day progressed, the east side of the river was unmanageable even in a heavy 20-foot jet boat with spot lock on the trolling motor and two power poles.  We had limited success early on an east bank spot, but when we tried a creek mouth on the east side later in the afternoon, the attempt did not last long.  Instead, Chris returned to the late morning and midday game plan that was working, tucking us into some creek mouths and behind islands on the west side of the river. 

We had a chance, twice...

Dirty and high water, so I jokingly called my tube “the arborist.”  Kenny and I helped do a spring cleanup for the next jamokes to fish these spots.  I believe the classic Caddyshack line, “Right in the lumber yard” was even evoked as gusts took the baits on a flight once in a while.  Chris is always happy when the crew is catching and always patiently continues tying and serving as rod caddy, so breaks in the fishing are few.  Snags are just par for the course this time of year and under these conditions, and fortunately for us so are rather short runs out there exposed in the river.  I caught plenty of fish pretty much dead drifting a ned rig in the current under overhangs and close to cover, but the dead drift also brought up a lot of dead (drift)wood, so I settled on the heavier tube as I mentioned above.  Having control of the lift AND the fall paid dividends.  Because this river never ceases to amaze and surprise, we even had a chance at a musky, both of us, a fact confirmed on Tuesday.  Kenny and I both got bitten off in the same spot, and Chris returned to the same creek mouth the next day and not only caught a musky but also retrieved one of our tubes from its mouth.  At least one of our hook sets was solid, you know?  A good, good day.

Some bonus shots.  Tough old dudes.  A swimbait fish.  Thanks Chris!

March 15 and 17, 2024 – Two Mornings of Small Stream Sneaking with Very Different Outcomes - SEPA

A bunch of quality small stream fish.  Eric's best and the best of the morning.

I had the morning again on Friday, March 15, but unfortunately only the early morning.  Olives bring the fish to life on Valley and other creeks, but usually not until well after 10 AM.  I was leaving at 10 AM.  I am glad I went out for a walk, but fishing was pretty terrible, resulting in only a few YOY, one flying into the air behind me I was so shocked by the hit.  Despite the spring and summer feels, the fish on Valley and even a couple Lehigh Valley creeks remain in winter mode and/or focused solely on those BWOs.  That can’t last for too long if my trip with Eric to our little freestone oasis on Sunday is any indication.  The caddis in size 18 were out in full force.  Shake the last papery leaves holding on to a birch tree, and there were even more bugs in the air.  We did not catch dozens, but we caught some quality fish in quality numbers for this creek.  Eric had the fish of the day, one far closer to 15 than 14 by hand measure, but we each had one that was at least 14 inches and a few others over 12, probably only one dink and she was 7 or 8 inches not 4.  For this small Class A creek in SEPA, one that is not a food-rich limestoner either, that is exceptional by my estimation.  Eric and I both had to rank this visit high on the growing list of excellent visits to this spot.

A great start!

The fish were fat, healthy, and angry in the cold water.  We had a blast watching a few of the better fish, including Eric’s second fish of the morning, jump and run all over the creek.  Flows were up but clear, so pretty perfect for this time of year.  Riffles and pockets were disappointing, as was one of our honey holes, but fish were actively taking our nymphs in the wintering holes, and some of the deeper cut holes overperformed too—including a pair of really nice fish back to back in a hole that was once the swimming hole of Eric’s youth!  I mentioned the caddis, which started showing around 10 AM, but midges were present right away, so we started with small perdigons and thread body bugs before retooling for the caddis.  We both got a couple to eat size 18 blowtorches and buggier soft hackles on the dropper tag, including my solid, far-wandering, holdover rainbow, but the simple, natural bomb walts was really what they wanted as the morning progressed.

Another of Eric's good fishes, and he did let me catch a few nice ones too!

Eric had stopped at my house on Saturday morning to have me take a look at what he’d been tying and also to help put together a working box for Sunday.  We hooked him up with my most simple mono rig too, just 30 feet of 12 lb. Trilene XT Extra Tough in green attached to his sighter, which had seen better days—hunting and not fishing will do that to a leader, you know.  I had to take a ride to the fly shop later that day to send my Simms waders out for repair, anyway, so I picked up some new sighter and some tungsten shrimp bodies for his vice too, just for fun, maybe more weight on small buggers or some bomb-bomb walts and caddis larva?  Anyway, the knots tied with my aging eyes held, and he got his first good, sustained exposure to the joys of the mono rig.  He is a quick study and a very good fisherman, as I know I have mentioned, so I was not surprised.  For me it just added to the pleasure of the day, probably not unlike me catching fish on bugs that Eric ties, just a little vicarious extra bonus.

Left, the typical average. Right, today's average!  Below, the bow + another good brown.

We generally enjoy each other’s successes, which is why we make good fishing partners, but today was probably even sweeter because we both had a lot of success.  Eric’s beauty fish landed toward the noon hour bested the previous quality fishes, but there were so many quality fish to share throughout the day that it just accentuated what an exceptional late winter morning we were having.  We even stuck one more in pocket water on the way out, perhaps a preview of what is possible in another month or so.  We also ran into the landowner who granted Eric permission to fish here several years ago.  He was out riding on the big tractor, but we got to share a brief word over diesel noise if only to, as Eric put it, “make sure we are good for yet another year” on this often-magical creek.  Keeping with the theme, Eric even collected a fresh shed on our walk into the morning’s first spot, which is another clear sign that the other wildlife here has continued to survive if not thrive for yet another year.

A shed, skunk cabbage bulbs, caddis, a mitch, signs of spring abound.

March 12, 2024 – A Couple Stolen Hours on a Tuesday – Valley Creek

A real fish?

Well, I beat the steadier breeze today by fishing from 8:30 to 10:30, but I also beat the warmup and the olives by at least an hour or two.  My workday was pretty loaded towards the afternoon, but I had a quiet morning after getting the boy to school, so I suited up and braved Tuesday rush hour traffic—still not used to that, and I typically take the train to work when I am in-person—and I made my way to Valley for a visit.  There were a lot of boot prints, which is not surprising, and I even spooked another dude out before 10 AM, but I think I had first crack at a few holes today.  The holes weren’t cooperating, however.  The water is still up and a bit cold, but visibility was perfect for nymphing, so I am sure it would have gotten better had I more time to wait for them to rise off the bottom and sink bank to the tailouts in anticipation of the potential afternoon feast.  That said, I caught a few fish, including one the Silver Fox likes to call a real size fish with respect to Valley—probably 9 or 10 inches, which says a lot about the Valley average, of course.  I caught a couple on an 18 perdigon and 6X in two moderately flowing runs.  The better fish hit Eric’s version of the sculpin snack, with an extra bead added by yours truly, when I decided to switch it up and look for something bigger.  When I tactfully texted a mitch a critique on my free fly this morning, he informed me that he already has some 4.6 mm beads on the way and will be whipping up the heavier versions soon.  He’s a smart mitch, at least.

Some crick pics for RR and a better shot of Eric's bugger?

I am trying to figure out a day to give it a real try, but this week is busy.  I do have Thursday morning open again (so far), and I can leave a bit earlier that day, so I am hoping the continued warmth opens up the morning hours for me one more time before the weekend.  And I am also hoping that the next round of rain does not ice the weekend’s potential.  Olives are a midday thing, but there are still fish who haunt that early bite time, sometimes the better ones, so who knows, you know?  Speaking of early: Jeff already wants to fish for striped bass, but I am not ready to soak bloodworms, so I keep putting him off, gently.  He will eventually win when I can slow roll some soft plastics with a level of confidence that warrants the long drive.  I also have a 9 weight and some intermediate line if I am feeling really confident!

A couple perdigon eaters early.

March 9, 2024 – I Just Like to Know They’re in There – SEPA Freestoner

Wild fish in what some would call Philly (it's not).

I was out with friends in Philly last night, so getting up to fish before the rain arrived was a bit ambitious for me, I guess.  The boy also had SATs in the morning and was not finished until 11 AM, so it did not look like a fishing weekend, especially with high winds to follow on Sunday.  When I actually watched the forecast for today, however, I was pleased to see that they were calling for the main event to hold off until between 4 to 6 PM, moving (south)west to (north)east.  I have no problem fishing in the rain if it’s just showers, and that is what it looked like.  They do get it right sometimes because I did not hit heavy rain until close to 6 PM when I was back at the ‘Ru ready to make the short drive home.  After a quick look at the Valley gage and driving over the mighty Wissy a couple times, I decided against Valley on a weekend.  It was just mild enough, with nice flows and visibility, that there might be olive chasers.  I would try to fish the falling water next week instead.  There were stockers to catch in some local creeks, of course, and based on the Wissy flows, they would be in good shape.  But I had another SEPA freestoner in mind that is much more of a novelty.

I caught a couple even smaller than the one above too, but they get a quicker release.

So this crick: I visit once a year typically just to see what’s happening.  It is a formerly stocked creek way close to urban and suburban sprawl that somehow has wild reproduction due to clean water and solid tree cover to keep it cool.  It is very small, but it has some good gradient as it flows to the river, and therefore some pocket water to fish.  Those riffles and pockets help the fish survive the warm summer months too, I am willing to bet.  Someone besides the PFBC stocks it in spots, of course, but the stockers don’t last long, not like the wild browns that have learned to survive in here.  Heck, a couple of those wild fish might even be thriving, as I caught probably half a dozen yearlings this afternoon, maybe two young year classes.  It only takes two consenting adults to keep this thing going!  In addition to the smalls, I did catch two adults, and I had one slightly bigger adult chase a jigged bugger clear out of the water as I lifted to recast.  I could not get him to come back, even when I returned with bugs after dialing in what the little fellas wanted to eat, a basic caddis larva.  Still, like the number of hungry babes I caught, it was a pleasant surprise, and helped make a potentially lost fishing day, nay, a potentially lost fishing weekend, a damn good time.

March 4, 2024 – Looked More Promising Than It Was – Northampton County

A few cooperated.  This one hooked recently, yeah?

With flows so good, I went out this morning around 8:45 AM hoping to move a piggy on a streamer or something exciting. When that tactic netted only two small fish, and midday was fast approaching, I chose not to ignore the baetis flitting about, and salvaged the trip with a few more average fish with the nymph rig.  This creek gets pounded, so I am sure there were a dozen guys out on Sunday when it was perfect weather for humans, but today was a better day for those olives.  A lot of boot prints evident early, but I encountered no fishermen to start.  I miss having my Tuesdays, however.  I used to have the luxury of resting a few of these creeks at least a day after the weekend before giving them a fresher shot on Tuesday or Wednesday—not that I think it much matters with the post-quarantine pressure on the creeks in this region.  I keep hoping that will fizzle over time, and it has to some extent, but a few dudes showed up around 10:30 or 11 AM.  I had to quit before noon today, anyway, as this was a workday in theory.  By that time, I was working pocket water with some bugs heavy enough to get down.  Flows were still a bit sporty yet, but I did see a few fish show chasing emerging bugs late in the morning. 

Had potential this morning.

None of my trickier, go-to spots worked out, and one of them produced a rainbow.  Parts of the creek are stocked, but until recently I rarely encountered a bow in these parts.  I even caught a golden last year, I believe.  I hope this stream is not going the way of the Little Lehigh.  I will not pass judgement until May when the caddis really turn this place on, but I think I said that last year!  Besides the bugger fish, the others took either a size 12 perdigon I was using to get under the heavier current to the holes that I know hold better fish at times, or they took the soft hackle pheasant tail I had way up the line on the dropper tag.  Even though two fish ate that dropper, I did not get a touch letting the drift swing out a little at the end.  Working from home this week, so if more rain arrives tonight and gages look good, I may give it go tomorrow morning a little closer to home, maybe even with the streamer rod.  If not, it was still good to take advantage this morning and go catch a few on a weekday.

I could have thrown something more closely BWO, but this holdover didn't seem to mind a little pt...