Fall trib season is here!

It's now mid October and the fish are running in all the WNY tributaries. It has taken a little while to get to this point, but it is normal for this part of the state.
Several of my friends have already had great outings in which they have caught both good numbers of lake run trout and salmon. And although I have yet to get into fish like that, I have still managed to hold my own with a few nice Chinook salmon to the net.
This weekend I will be playing host and guide to my Dad and brother, and I can only hope that we can get into a good run of fish for ourselves. We will have the whole day which will allow us to move around and find fish. This is the key to success when trib fishing because the fish are always on the move. One day they will be there, and the other they will be gone, making their way further upstream as each day goes by. Sure you can find fish here and there, but to catch a run is the best way to assure yourself a chance at landing several of these overgrown salmon and trout. It is a task that is easy to understand, but much harder to do...unless you have lots of time to find fish!
So with that said - I hope you enjoy the photos I have taken so far, and check back in the near future for a family fishing trip update.

More late summer trout

Summer in WNY has now slowed to a crawl, it has moved into the far right lane to allow the fall to move past it in the left passing lane. This also seems to be the case with our fishing conditions, as the inland trout fishing seems to be slowing down, as our tributary season is just starting to get underway. In fact, just to the north of us, the Salmon River has been experiencing it's annual run of Chinook, Coho, Brown trout and Steelhead for the past few weeks. We are not so fortunate...at least not yet!

In the mean time we have passed our time by catching what we can in our inland trout streams. Fishing has been a little on the tough side, but we are still finding a few fish willing to take a fly. The trout have switched off of the small midge patterns of late summer, and we have struggled to find a "go to" pattern. This means we have had to switch patterns frequently, and therefore have caught fish on at least a half dozen different flies.

These late summer excursions have been a lot of fun, mainly because they have included the kids. Jonathan has just about mastered dead drifting a nymph, and has enjoyed great success because of it. The other kids are content with helping net the fish and releasing them, and on occasion reeling them in. I have also had the pleasure of being joined by one of my good friends Lucas Carroll and his daughter for several of these inland adventures. It is always a good thing to have someone to bounce ideas off of, especially when you are trying to figure out witch flies will work. If you would like to view some other photos from our time on the water you can visit Lucas' flickr page and blog pages...well worth the visit!!!

We have put our time in, and we have been rewarded for it! Many wonderful fish have been caught and I think we are now ready for the fall trib season, were fish are measured in pounds...not inches!

See you on the water....

Late summer trout and the power of the midge

Before we take that turn into the fall season that is filled with large lake run fish, we must finish out the summer by taking advantage of every opportunity we can. Most of us have resigned ourselves to fishing the morning trico hatch, or have switched completely to the pursuit of warm water fish on the fly. And for the most part, I have joined in on this with great enthusiasm. But there is still another option to be explored - Fishing midges during the early afternoon! This of course is done on streams that maintain a more agreeable water temperature. A certain stream that lies to the South of me and it's tributary provide just that - "An agreeable water temperature!" They both boast much cooler water temperatures than other inland streams, due to their many spring influences. And although one is purely a spring creek, and stays near 50 degrees all year round, the other's water temperature actually rises when we get a warm summer rain. It is in these waters that the trout thrive on tiny midge larvae. And during the ultra low late summer water conditions, you can often sight fish to trout that you can see feeding on small midge larvae.

The past few weeks have been filled with trips to this inland stream, where we found many willing trout, and even a few suckers too. My kids and I have been joined by my good friend Lucas Carroll and his daughter on several of those outings, and nearly missed by another good friend Bob Burrows, who had spent a good portion of one of those mornings fishing the trico hatch, and lastly "Mr." Rich, who joined us for a few minutes one morning.

Our technique was rather simple - Dead drifting small midge larvae that ranged in size #18-#26 on 6x tippet. Our execution, on the other hand, needed to be precise. We needed to get the fly in front of the fish and keep it there for as long as possible. This required many adjustments to the indicator, fly changes, and the addition of extra weight. Once those criteria were met, the fishing became catching and everyone enjoyed doing battle with some inland brown trout.

My oldest son, Jonathan, made history on the first morning on one of our outings by casting, hooking, and landing his very first brown trout on the fly rod. A wonderful moment for both father and son. His success didn't stop there either, as he proceeded to hook even more fish on his own the very next time we went.

These little fly fishing trips, have solidified the importance, and the power of the "midge." No other fly can claim such popularity when dealing with our local inland trout, by both fly fishermen or fish. Without the midge, our success would suffer, and we would most likely turn to other less lofty pursuits.....perhaps not, but it would most certainly narrow our choices.

Trout, Midges & Going Solo

Just recently I found myself with a whole bunch of spare time to do anything I wanted to do. And just like a hunk of prime meat dangling in front of a hungry bear....I took full advantage it!
And what did I do with my new found freedom? I went in pursuit of some trout.

I ended up at a Spring creek, which was the only real option I had after a good bit of rain, and tried my best to catch a few. The morning started off a little rough, but I was not about to throw away my new found freedom. I pulled into the parking lot to see 4 other cars already there, and to make it interesting, it started to rain. Then it poured - Hard! Good thing it only lasted 20 minutes. From that point on conditions improved. I caught fish, the rain stopped all together, and the sun started to poke through the clouds. And by late morning, the sun had pushed every last bit of ugly out of the sky.

A few nice fish came to hand in that time, along with a trophy sighting. It's funny how those sightings seem to happen. One minute your fishing to a pod of fish, and the next, a huge shape appears out of no where. It's almost like spotting big foot. You could tell all your friends, and they may nod their head in understanding, but you know in the back of their head they just moved you up on their list of crazies.

I caught some more trout after that and then packed it all in and headed East. I came to location number 2 and brought out the big rod for some streamer action. The water was high and stained - perfect conditions for throwing big ugly flies, to big ugly trout.

I walked upstream heaving a 4" lead eyed black rabbit strip streamer, covering every last bit of big ugly trout water I could find. I got some follows, but no commitments. And then at the tail out of a certain "honey hole" I got my first pull - but no hookup. Two more pulls later and I hooked up with my first streamer hungry trout. It wasn't big, but it fought great in high water. And when I got it to hand, I could see why this trout couldn't lay off the meat. It was 14" and thin - like a hammer handle.

That was that! I headed home fulfilled with a day of fishing - even if it had to be solo! And as one of my friends says "sometimes you just need a day to get your act together, refocus your fishing skills, and concentrate on catching fish." So that's what I did. I re-focused my skills and caught some fish - and it was great!

Lucas Carroll Photography

For those of you who have viewed my blog or my work on the JP Ross Fly Rod website, you will notice that I try to put some great photos along with my writing. A good portion of those have been contributed by my very good friend - Lucas Carroll.

Lucas and I have fished together for a while now, and I have had the privilege of watching him develop his craft in both fly fishing and photography. It started with a few photo competitions(several of those he has won!), and has grown into so much more! Over the past few years he has had many of his photos grace the pages of several fly fishing magazines such as: Eastern Fly Fishing, The Drake & the Fly Fish Journal. His images have also found a home at several fly fishing websites that include www.MidCurrent.com, and of course www.jprossflyrods.com

So please stop by his photography website www.lucascarrollphotography.com and look around. You will see fly fishing stuff of course, but there is also much more that will catch your eye. You can even order prints if you find something you like....so take a few minutes and enjoy!

WNY Spring Smallmouth

For the past few years now I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fish all kinds of great water during late April and early May. It is the time when I make the switch from steelhead mode to small stream mode, and on occasion bass mode. And if I where to be completely honest, it is a hard switch to make. Very hard! But the pull of getting my first trout on a dry fly, usually wins out in the end.
This spring has proven to be very kind to me so far. I have had the pleasure of fishing the hendrickson hatch and spinner fall a number of times with some friends, and even caught some nice fish for the stream we were fishing in. But great stream conditions and warm weather only lasts so long in WNY, especially in spring! A cold front, wind, or both, can put off a spinner fall or delay a hatch for a long time. And when you have a limited time to get a fly to fish, you have to have a second option up your sleeve. This is when I break out the bass flies and head to some water that is close to home in pursuit of some bronze backs.
There are two spots that I spend most of my time fishing at, the Erie canal and Black creek. Both have great fishing all throughout the summer, but spring is when it is easier to get into some of the bigger fish during the day. Plus there is always the added bonus of catching other warm water species such as carp, rock, bass, walleye, pike, crappie, and sunfish.
Being successful on these waters in the spring means slowing down your presentation. Dragging or jigging the fly along the bottom, and letting it bang off rocks and submerged logs is the best method. The fish almost always take the fly on the drop, and when you go to pick up the fly again, and you feel tension on the line(like you may be snagged on the bottom,) set the hook! More often than not it's a fish. Sometimes they put on a great aerial display and sometimes they stay down near the rocks. Either way, they pull hard!
Flies like the clouser minnow in chartreuse and white #2, woolly buggers in white and olive or brown #4-#8, and large cone head rabbit strip streamers in white and white/chartreuse #4-#6, are my go to flies. I fish them mostly on a WFF line and on occasion a 5' sink tip. If the water is high, I will sometimes add a split shot about a foot above they fly to get it deep fast and keep it there. A 7 or 8 weight rod is probably the perfect choice, but I prefer a 6 weight. I know it's a bit light, but it's way more fun!!!!!

My Spring Steelhead Season

After the cold of winter releases it's grip on Western New York, my fly fishing friends and I eagerly await the spring steelhead run. This usually happens in mid March when warmer temperatures melt the ice and snow that locks up most of the smaller freestone tributaries that flow into Lake Ontario(larger tail water fisheries may have a different time table). Then it is a waiting game, until the water becomes fishable again. When that happens, we have a few good weeks of fishing until the spawn is done and most of the fish have made their way back to the lake. And much like the fall tributary season, it is our best opportunity to get large lake run trout that average somewhere between 6 and 8 lbs. There are brown trout and steelhead that have wintered over from the fall, but these fish can become stale, meaning that they have been in the stream for a long time and have seen every fly and fisherman for months. This can make fishing tough through the winter, especially if you have very cold temperatures that freeze the smaller tributaries and have very little run off or rain to bring water levels up to optimal fishing conditions.

The month of March also is the best time to catch the many lake run drop back brown trout that have been in the system since last fall. These fish can be very aggressive and take a fly well. In fact it is not uncommon to catch both steelhead and brown trout out of the same spot when fishing at this time. And if you hit the right spot at the right time, you could have a double digit day of big drop back browns and steelhead. It is what my friends and I strive for each year, but it rarely happens that we hit it perfectly.

The very end of March and the beginning of April usually marks the start of another lake run fish...the sucker! When these guys show up, it usually means that we are at the end of the steelhead run, and can expect to catch drop back steelhead in the weeks to come. Suckers can become a nuisance when fishing for steelhead and brown trout because they take up the very same water as the trout, and they will often out number the trout 10 to 1. You may have to catch 4 or 5 suckers before you even hook a trout. Many fly fishermen will swing large streamers up in the water column to combat this problem, but doing that will often lead to less hookups with trout. The drop back browns and steelhead will feast off loose eggs at this time, so using a pattern that matches the natural, is the best way to hookup with lots of trout, even if it means catching a few suckers in between.

By the end of the first week of April the suckers are usually done spawning and catching them while fishing for trout becomes less of a problem. This is when you will find more and more drop back steelhead. Drop backs are almost an entirely different fish than when they first entered the stream just a week or two earlier. They are a much leaner fish after the spawn, and are now on the hunt for food. These fish can be very aggressive, and on occasion can pull the fly rod right out of your hand if your not careful(this happened to me last year.) The Steelhead fishing will continue to be good until the middle of April on most years, and sometimes fishing until early May will still provide you with a few fish.

This spring steelhead season was one of my best. I caught plenty of fish and enjoyed doing it with friends. And just like years past, I enjoyed some new experiences as well. One of those experiences came on this past Wednesday when I was able to sight fish to a large female drop back steelhead. I changed my rig from an egg pattern under an indicator to a large streamer, and was able to swing it in front of the fish. On my fourth cast, I watched as the fish moved up a foot to take in the fly. I set the hook and the water exploded as the fish went crazy! It peeled line off the reel, it jumped, it shook it's massive head trying to throw the fly....but in the end I came out on top and was able to hold in my hands a 30+ inch drop back steelhead.

Another wonderful event that happened this spring while fishing the tributaries, was the sign of what appeared to be either lake run rainbows or drop back juvenile steelhead from the previous years spawning. We caught many fish in the 14"-22" inch range that looked more like rainbows than steelhead. They were very colorful with bright olive green backs, bright red stripes and lots of spots all over their bodies and tails. Just like what you would expect from a rainbow trout, not a steelhead. And even though they are biologically the same fish, there are different strains that may look differently and behave differently than each other. In fact the state of New York does currently stock both steelhead and rainbow trout in Lake Ontario. So it would make sense that you would catch both a lake run rainbow and a lake run steelhead. So what ever they may be, rainbow or steelehad, I have enjoyed them both this spring.

In fact, April also gives us the opportunity to catch a 10lb. steelhead in the morning on a Lake Ontario tributary, and then catch some brown trout on dry flies in the afternoon from one of our many inland trout streams.

For even more photos of this springs steelhead adventures, please check out some of Lucas Carroll's wonderful photography at his flickr page and blog.

Inland stream trout, hatches and other stories to come in the near future!