Midnight Mousing Trip – August 2017

Bob sends out a few nice loops before dark.

We have had a great end to our summer and I have much to catch up on. 

I always try and do a late night fly fishing trip to our local stream during the dog days of summer. I make sure to pick a night near or on the new moon, and when the water is low and clear. This gives us the best opportunity for success.

Last year I didn’t even try and get out on the stream, because of how poor the fishing conditions had been over the past few years. The local trout population had suffered greatly since we had to back to back bitterly cold winters. The locations that we usually could find plenty of fish were now vacant, and up until this past winter, seemed to be on a very slow rebound.

The fish and the fishing are now starting to make their way back, but it will still be a few years before the stream begins to fish as well as it did before.

Midnight fly change

This year my good friend Bob and I decided to start at a new location. It was a section of stream up from where we normally fish that receives plenty of stocking during late March and into April, depending on stream conditions. Sure it gets plenty of pressure from all kinds of anglers throughout the spring and summer, but I also know that in those same areas, bigger holdover and wild trout can be a pleasant surprise.

Arriving with plenty of light to rig up our rods, we fished a nice pool below the bridge before the darkness set in. We worked it over pretty well, but no fish came to hand.

We then walked way downstream, tied on high-riding mouse patterns, fished a great looking tailout, and worked our way back up slowly.

We fished our mouse patterns on the swing and with a constant slow and steady strip. In all that time, we only had two or three fish come up and give a good pull, but none of them could stay hooked.

With just a couple of hours or so left, we then headed to a section of stream that we had spent a good amount of time in fishing at night. It is a place, that in the past, we could always count on catching at least a few trout before heading home. Even here, the fishing started off incredibly slow. I was beginning to think that the fishing that I had experienced earlier in the year was just a fluke. And that the fish, were not rebounding like I thought.

Finally on the board!

Over the next half hour or so we flogged the water, until I heard a loud splash followed by a hard pull. It was the first trout of the night. We were on the board!

Over the course of the remainder of our time we had just a few more good pulls, but none of those made it to the net. We left the stream that night feeling fulfilled and tired, and perhaps most importantly, hopeful. Hopeful of the future of this stream and the trout that reside within it’s ever winding course. 

The fishing that we used to experience is still a little ways off. In the meantime, I plan to try and get out when I can enjoy the fish that are there and willing to take a fly.

Fly Fishing Oatka at night - Early fall edition

Bob takes a few last casts before calling it a night

This past Friday I finally got out to do a little fly fishing.

I met up with my good friend Bob Burrows on Oatka creek for a little night fishing. The goal was to find some big trout, and maybe a few bass and pike, while tossing mouse patterns and big streamers.

The stream gauge was reading right at 2.45 CFS which meant we would be fishing in low clear water – near perfect conditions for tossing flies at night.

17-18" inch brown taken on a deer hair and rabbit strip streamer

The fishing wasn’t easy, especially when you are limited by what you can see, or for that matter, what you can’t see. You become more reliant on your other senses. A practice that takes some getting used to. At least we had a little help from the bridge lights from time to time.

We did manage some nice fish for our efforts. On the night, we landed two rock bass, one pike and one brown trout.

Fishing with a little help from the bridge lights

All fish where taken while fishing large streamer patterns that where fished just under the surface with a slow but steady retrieve.

Hopefully I’ll get a few more cracks at these inland trout before we start to gear up for the fall migration of lake run salmon and trout into our local tributaries.

1 of 2 rock bass on the night

26-27" inch Northern Pike

Until then….tight lines!

Midnight Mousin' - Small stream 2014

Sunset over WNY

Yup…It’s that time of year again. Time for a little midnight mousin’.

Over the past several years some friends and I have made plans during the dog days of summer for a late night rendezvous with some local small stream brown trout. 

We try and meet up right at dusk to give us the opportunity to get tied up, go over the game plan and even walk in before it gets too dark.

Curtis, Jessie & Flyfish Horton

I had been watching the water gauge closely over the past few days, as some recent rain had brought the stream levels on Oatka creek up to just over 3.0 – a level that would make for some very difficult fishing at night. But as the weekend approached, the water subsided, and was now reading right around 2.85. Not ideal, but doable. The only hope was that the water would be clear enough to enable the trout to see our mouse patterns. The lower and clearer the water – the better the results!

This year I would be joined by a few old friends JessieHollenbeck of Wide sky Fly Fishing and Bob Burrows, and also a few new ones – FlyfishHorton and Curtis AnDré Lindo.

The creek seemed to be in good shape, but in the dark, how can you really tell? And we weren’t about to go around shinning lights in to the water to find out either.

Oatka at night

Curtis and Flyfish Horton were first up in a favorite spot of ours that typically holds plenty of willing trout, but after more than a half hour of fishing with only one good pull, we began to wonder if Oatka would give up any fish. Jessie and I soon joined the fray, and even with a move to some other downstream locations and a few more splashes and pulls, we all still remained fishless. We soon worked our way down to Bob’s location and found out that Bob and his wife Kim hadn’t faired much better.

Flyfish Horton and Bob left, leaving just the three of us pour saps to figure it all out for ourselves. And with another half hour of no action under our belts, we decided to make the move to Spring creek. And as we navigated our way out of the creek with lights now on, we could see why the trout weren't willing to commit to our flies - The water was still well stained.

Curtis' 1st mouse caught brown

A new start was what we needed, and as we started out for the stream Jessie said what we all were thinking - “I have a good feeling.” A feeling that would be proven right over the next hour or so.

Spring creek was fantastic, even though it took a little while for it to happen. Fish began to respond to our fly patterns with splashes and pulls, and then, as Curtis fished a new spot with a new mouse pattern – it happened – Fish on!! Finally one of us put a fish in the net. A few pictures later and Curtis gently released his first mouse caught brown trout. We were now on the board – well – at least Curtis was!

By then our fishing time was nearing its end, but not before we tried one more spot at Jessie’s suggestion before the walk to the car.

For the next twenty minutes we each hooked up and landed fish including a really nice fifteen inch wild brown, and as I was walking out, I watched as both Curtis and Jessie hooked up again. 

15 inch wild brown

A little bit later I got a text from Jessie letting me know that they each landed several more nice trout before the action slowed.

What a night!

One of the mouse patterns we used.

One of Jessie's Spring creek browns

Curtis and a well fed 14" inch brown

I’m just glad we stuck it out till the end. Perseverance was our lesson on this evening….what a blessing!