6/14/14 Valley Creek Chester co.

[DrNymph]

Got to the creek today with my buddy Dylan at around 10am. Air temps in mid 70's with sporadic gusts of wind, water temps mid 60's. Water flows in 60's and a touch off color but clear in the riffles.

No bug activity. It being relatively close to midday and with the wind, I gave terrestrials a go with a hopper and tailing ant without any success. The water may have been to colored for surface activity though. Switched to a high sticking double nymph rig with again, no success, even in holes that have consistently produced. Even tried a streamer with nothing.

2pm rolls around and we start seeing consistent risers in glassy pools, but no bug activity and nothing obvious on the water. I threw on an emerger pattern thinking that maybe there was an impending sulphur hatch and again, no luck.

Dylan, on the other hand, tied on a sz 16 sulphur comparadun and downstream drifted to the risers I had missed and hooked and landed every single one, with a few very nicely colored and sized fish, some of the best I have ever seen taken on that creek.

Turns out I got skunked despite switching to an identical rig. He had the mojo today and ended up landing 4 nice browns.

 

[DrNymph]

Why can't I add pictures?

 

[englishprof]

Started around the same time, but must have been on a different Valley. Water temperature was 54 and flow was around 40 CFS. Ants all over the place and imitations worked well.

 

[DrNymph]

I must have a busted thermometer.

And must have been a different valley because I fished all sizes of ants 16-20 and didn't even get a refusal splash.

Good for you for doing so well today.

 

[englishprof]

Wet ant.

 

[teebs4140]

English prof what section of valley were you in?

 

[teebs4140]

Shout out to Orvis in Plymouth meeting for setting up my new 7'6" 3 weight superfine touch. First day out with it and landed 4 on dries. Thanks again Tom

 

[lestrout]

tee - TomC @ O Plymouth Meeting is the best. You're off to a great start!

 

[mikesl]

I was out on Valley sat afternoon as well, flow was a bit lower than i like for the section I was in, making it tricky.
Can confirm that wet ant, caddis dry, and BHPT sz 18 all worked. My sulphur emerger got no love, but I am not yet dialed in on how to fish it.

 

[teebs4140]

Pics of two of the fish

 

[FishInPhilly]

I was also out on valley Saturday, looks like we couldve had a paff party there. I pulled 2 on green weenies, nothing on 2 different ant patterns and 2 different elk hair caddis patterns. I was there from around 1-5. I had a section with consistent rises, but couldn't get them to take a dry.
Here is one of them, Was actually the first trout I ever caught on a fly rod. My second trip out flyfishing. Still trying to pop my dry fly trout cherry.

 

[teebs4140]

FishInPhilly: congrats on catching your first trout on a fly rod!

 

[CLSports]

I took my nephew and his friend to Valley on Sat. to introduce them to the stream. It was a tough day. Very few caddis on Sat., but they both managed to hook their first wild brown on a fly rod with zebra midge larvae.

For what it is worth, there are no sulphurs on Valley.

 

[Midge22]

Had a great day Saturday morning. me and a buddy fished it from roughly 6 am to about 1 in the afternoon. lots of fish to hand, including the nicest fish of the day. pretty close to my personal best on this stream.

 

[Bobert540]

That's a great fish for Valley!

 

[pcray1231]

There are indeed sulphers on valley.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Midge,

Love the red spotting on that fish. Fine example of a wild brown

 

[govtmule]

as far as sulphurs go...I have encountered a few times a small mayfly around size 20 that was olive/yellow during some summer evenings a few years ago...most likely in the "sulphur" family but I have not seen good hatches of 14s/16s that we are all used too...just my observation...although I usually dont fish there in the summer evenings any more

 

[CLSports]

^^ My observation as well ^^

At least there is no hatch worth targeting. My mistake for saying there are none. My degree in bugology is from an online university . . .

 

[afishinado]

govtmule wrote:
as far as sulphurs go...I have encountered a few times a small mayfly around size 20 that was olive/yellow during some summer evenings a few years ago...most likely in the "sulphur" family but I have not seen good hatches of 14s/16s that we are all used too...just my observation...although I usually dont fish there in the summer evenings any more

Hey Mule,

I would bet the fly you describe is a baetis (BWO), not sulphurs (see pic below).

Sulphurs have not been seen on Valley for a long time.