Valley Creek, Chester Co, 2/11/2023

Prospector

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Jul 7, 2015
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Butler Co home, Forest Co camp
Time Fished: 1130am - 300pm

Weather Conditions: Sunny, stiff breeze that lightened up, 47 degrees

Water Conditions: Clear, 23 cfs, 40 degrees when I arrived and 42 when I left

Insects: some midges and small BWOs

I parked on Wilson Road and fished between Lafayette Quarters down to the Covered bridge. I had to jump out of the creek and go around other fisherman about 5 times. I saw 8 fisherman on the creek and another 5 in the parking lot. A lot of people were fishing. As I was heading to the creek a guy walking his dog asked me if they were having a fisherman’s convention since he had seen so many people fishing.

I started out swinging 2 wet flies. The flow was light and water was fairly shallow so I was picking up moss on about 1 out of 5 drifts. I continued downstream with no strikes. I arrived at a shallow hole that in 2019 my father had taken the smallest brown I’ve ever seen caught on a fly. I didn’t have any strikes on my wets but I saw 4-5 rises about 1220pm-1230pm.

I didn’t see any insects so I tried a small Caddis (my early season dry fly of choice). I had no takes but I saw a few more rises. I walked back to the top of the hole I noticed a few small fluttering mayflies. They couldn’t get airborne and one got eaten after about 15 feet and the other travelled maybe 35 feet. I tried not to disturb the hole so I walked up to the top of the shallow riffle and I caught a midge and a small BWO. I put on the smallest BWO I had but I never brought a fish up. It seemed like the fluttering was a major part of the appeal for the trout in 42 degree water.
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I gave up on dries and went back to a single wet and fished downstream to the nicest hole in this stretch without a strike. Someone else was in the nicest hole and the next hole, so I jumped around them and switched to a streamer. I fished through a few nice holes and missed one on the streamer. Ran into another person who had caught 2 on dries earlier in the day. After chatting with him I never had a strike below the bridge that looks like an arch. Slow day but I’m glad I went.

When fishing here, you really need patience with the folks you are sharing the landscape with. It’s not uncommon to have a person walking a dog to show up at the great looking hole below you, only to throw a retrieving dummy to their lab 6-7 times before they move on. Take a deep breath…haha. Most people here are so very, very friendly, some are fascinated and stop to watch.

I’ve included 3 photos of the same BWO from different angles and lighting. I also included the midge that was damaged when I caught it in my hat.
 
Thanks for posting - I thought about going out. Sounds like I would have had plenty of company.
 
I was also out that day. From around 1-3pm. The first hour was very slow with fewer bugs in sight and no rises. However it quickly turned around and I started to see a lot of BWO's and some midges. I used both size 18 and 20 BWO's but couldn't find a strike. I ended up tying on a size 22 "cripple midge" and had some luck. No real winners but was glad to escape the skunk.
 
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