April 14 and April 20, 2024 – A Couple of April Trips: One Meh, and One with a Little More Magic – A Pair of Northampton County Limestoners

A good one during the early shift.

I should not expect “normal” April weather anymore, but it is hard to break 50+ years of muscle memory.  The ups and downs of air temperatures are strange, but at least the precipitation is keeping streams plenty "hydrated."  I fished last Sunday for the evening shift at a limestoner that has so many springs that it holds the pulse of rainwater for a long, long time.  It was a bit too high to chase heads, even if I had seen fish rise to the evening caddis dancing over the water—alas, I did not see a single rise.  A weird front was coming too, so I did not do well.  Fish had lockjaw, perhaps from the odd barometric pressure and impending storm.  I ran into another fly fisherman who had the same results, perhaps worse, since I actually stuck a YOY.  On the ride home, on April 14, mind you, I saw a lightning storm in the heavens and even small hale in the deluge of rain that fell for a brief time.  A weird night, but a nice walk in the woods and an experience, for sure.

A couple more decent ones.

After a busy week at work when I couldn’t even sneak out for a morning Wissy trip, I just had to fish on Saturday morning.  It was my birthday, so my phone was blowing up all morning, but it did not distract me from the task at hand.  I arrived at another SEPA limestoner about 7 AM in clouds and drizzle.  This creek gets pounded, so I rarely get anything to move on a bugger, except in the dead of winter, but this morning would have been perfect on a less pressured and fertile creek.  I had a jigged bugger on to start and caught a little brown before rerigging to nymph.  Besides one friendly and respectful angler, I had the place to myself, which was a good sign for a Saturday.  We spoke briefly and worked out a plan.  Unsolicited, he shared a truth about this creek that I have found to be the case myself.  Small bugs, nothing flashy, not even a hot spot or silver bead; otherwise, the fish tend to ignore.  You would swear the place has no fish until you dial it in or get lucky enough to hit them during a mid-hatch feeding frenzy.  In one such hatch a couple years ago, I landed a 22-23 inch wild brown feeding late morning in 8 inches of pocket water.  A rarity, of course, but today I did land a toothy buck in the high teens on a fly Eric and I like to call the little brown nothing—just a size 18 on a 16 competition hook with a spot of hare’s ear and a dull tungsten bead.  You might mistake it for algae, but the fish don’t.  

Clouds to sun, tan to black sedges.

Don’t tell dude, but I caught this fish in the hole where he began fishing today!  I said I was going to fish the next two holes below where we spoke, and he could have the third if he wanted.  I was going to nymph upstream after that.  I saw him work this third plunge, but not the spots I would have worked, so after he left, I had to tuck my nymphs into a sweet spot in the riffle, and sure enough there was a good fish in there.  This buck just dug for bottom, and I kept him upstream of me, so the fight was nothing epic on a small stream, not like the aforementioned pig that had me running through knee high water to keep him in control.  This was still a beautiful fish and even sweeter on a warm Saturday morning on a pressured creek and in a hole that had just been fished not ten minutes earlier by a dude who at least knew the bug secret if nothing else!

A pretty one just before the release.

It got sunny and warm as the morning progressed, but in between taking texts and calls wishing me a happy birthday, I did pick away at a dozen more fish over the next few hours.  Most were average size, but there was another one close to 12 inches in the mix and only one stocked rainbow amongst the catch, so a solid day.  There were tan caddis in the bushes and some over the water, but on my walk out the black caddis were starting to get active.  I planned to quit sooner than I did, in the end choosing to take advantage of the new bug in the mix and so adding an hour to my outing.  I re-fished a couple deep holes on the way back downstream and caught a few more fish to add to the tally.  All were deep avoiding the direct sun but still interested in dark-colored, buggy flies—as long as they were small, of course.

Bonus piggy shot, one bow, dude missed a spot, little brown nothing.

Eric and his wife both celebrate birthdays this month, his wife’s on the 21^st, both the big 4-0, so I pledged to meet up with their friend group and some neighbors at a local brewery around 5 PM for a joint birthday party.  My day had begun at 5 AM, so I needed nap before all that.  I also had to have cake and celebrate with my own wife and son, but they knew that a good fishing morning was all the present I needed, and they knew what attending Eric’s party would mean to him too.  I guess I get birthday part two on Sunday?  I might actually get the boy out for some local trout.  In true fashion for this April, a front is coming and the temperature is going to drop ten degrees, but maybe by late afternoon we can find some eager fish.  If not, maybe I am due for a Monday morning stocky chase before they stock again.

I actually got three good shots and couldn't decide which one to share.