Fall Tricos

Some fall color along the path to the stream

If there was ever a month in the year in Western New York that could reinvigorate the outdoorsman in all of us, it has to be September. 

The mornings are noticeably cooler, we start to receive some cool fall rain, leaves start to turn, apples are now ready to be picked, hunters are preparing tree stands, and fishermen from all over the world start watching for the first reports of salmon being caught in the local tributaries. And some will drive long distances to just a few select rivers that get early runs of fish for just the chance to do battle with that first chromed out king salmon. And I don’t blame them one bit!

A #20 female trico dun

But before the fall migration of Lake Run salmon and trout get into full swing out here in Western New York, don’t forget that there is still plenty of time to take full advantage of some other equally amazing fly fishing. And don’t get me wrong either, I like those giants from the lake just like anyone else, but when you still have an opportunity to get into some fantastic dry fly fishing at your local inland trout stream, you gotta go for it!

Since the end of July, the tricos have been going strong. And even now with the weather and seasons changing, they are still out in force – And so are the trout.

A nice small stream brown taken on a #22 trico spinner

These small mayflies will start at a robust size #20 at the beginning of their hatch cycle and will gradually diminish in size until the fall where they are now a size #24-#26. So not only will it be a challenge to see the fly on the water, it will now be difficult to hook up and land fish.

Wading carefully and precise casts with long light leaders is now the name of the game. 

Even the rain can't stop the bugs...or the trout!

#24 trico spinners and their smaller companions

Fishing early in the morning with small dun patterns or emerger patterns have worked well for me in the past. And once the spinner fall gets going your standard trico spinner pattern will work just fine in a matching size or smaller.  But your cast and drift will have to be right on the money to get consistent action. I would also recommend having some small midge patterns in white and the ever popular Griffith’s Gnat or other midge cluster patterns in your box, not to mention any other small variation of ultra small dries you may want to try. The point is – it pays to throw something different at the trout even during an amazing spinner fall to differentiate your fly from all the rest. And if any of you have seen the amount of biomass that falls into our local stream during the spinner fall, you already know what I mean.

The fishing reports from all the local inland trout streams are really solid. And until we get those first few days of frost, it should remain that way.

#22 trico spinner does the trick again

A rising trout taking advantage of a spinner fall

A nicely colored up brown trout ready for fall

See you out there!

Trout at Midnight

Jessie Hollenbeck ties a fly on by headlamp

At some point in the early part of the summer, when the dry fly fishing begins to lose some of its luster and the trout start to settle into their summer holding patterns, my friends and I start to talk about fly fishing at night. We vow to make room in our schedules for a late night rendezvous during the dog days of summer in late July and August, when the water is low, and the fish - hopefully the big trout - wait until after dark to feed.

When the time is right and the phone calls are made, we all make the drive to the pull-off and with nervous hands we try and tie on our first choice of flies as quickly as possible – flies we all hope will bring interest from the trout.

 With a parade of headlamps leading the way, the walk down to the stream is filled with small talk measured in the cadence of a quick step that is only paused for a warning of a fallen tree or rock under foot.

Even the smaller fish can't layoff a big meal

Then the path finally spills out onto the bank, and the stream lies before us. 

With headlamps turned off, we wait for our eyes to adjust to the dark before taking those first few steps into the water.  Our sight now becomes a liability.

Fly line is peeled off the reel and the whistling sound of it slipping through the air as it carries the fly off to a target unseen seems so much louder without the aid of our eyes. Even the pull of the rod as it waits to spring forward the fly line seems greater. We are now fishing blind and we are better for it.

Flies like these draw explosive strikes

Now we must wait for the fish. Even though we can hear them thrashing at the surface in the hopes of destroying the fly, it is the pull that we are after – And a patient hand is rewarded.

This year I was joined by Jessie Hollenbeck of Wide Sky Flyfishing, Mark Mckelvie (AKA Fly Master) and Rich Pecora. And even though our trip is now a couple of weeks old, the memories of trout and friends still remains.

Throughout the course of that evening we all took turns working our own stretch of water, and even managed a few fish for our efforts. The only pause in the action was for a quick photo or to let another angler work into a productive run. 

A nice small stream brown taken on a mouse by Jessie

In the end, Jessie and I stood knee deep in one last stretch of creek for one last chance at a large trout. But by now the time between strikes, splashes, and the push of water became greater, an

d we found only one more trout willing to exact its full measure on a fly. If only its determination would have been matched equally with size – it would have been a bigger fish. But in the dark, all fish are monsters.

WNY Warm water fly fishing

Black Creek Smallmouth

Summer fishing has been great this year, even with all the rain we’ve had. 

The high water gives us fly anglers an opportunity to brush up on some different techniques that we normally would not have a lot of opportunity to practice – such as tossing big streamers.

These conditions also force us to fish different water, especially when streams become way too high and dirty to fish. 

Black Creek carp caught on my JP Ross 7 foot 2 weight Beaver Meadow fly rod

Warm water fly fishing provides us these opportunities and they have fished very well for us this year. 

Plenty of bass, carp and panfish have provided hours of enjoyment, and when you live so close to many great warm water fisheries, there really is no excuse not to get out there and enjoy an hour or two.

Add caption

Cruising carp

Here are a few photos from some of the great warm water adventures we have had so far this summer…..enjoy!

Fishing Oatka creek with the kids

Jonathan works a nice stretch of the Oatka in the park section

A few weeks ago I was able to get out and do a little fly fishing with the kids. This was our second trip together for the spring and this time we decided to hit up Oatka creek instead of another warm water destination.

I was a little apprehensive in choosing Oatka only because it requires more precision and study than some of the other warm water fisheries. Plus the trout in Oatka, and more specifically the park section, can be very picky which does not always make for a good “kid friendly” fishing trip. But their insistence that it would be fine, and the fact that they really wanted to go no matter what the fishing was like made it an easy decision in the end.

On this go around I made sure that I had set up the younger kids first. This would make it easier for them to get out there and fish the best spots before their older brother. And hopefully put a few fish in the net before it was his turn.

Ethan with a good sized wild brown

We always have a spot picked out, and try to get in there whenever we can. It’s set up perfectly for the kids as they can fish, wade easily, find all kinds of bugs and other critters and eat snacks on the bank right where all the action is. On this day however it was taken for the time being, so we moved upstream.

A male Sulphur dun takes a rest

We found a nice alternative and fished it hard for an hour until our plan “A” spot became vacant. Ethan hooked up his very first trout of the day all by himself, but lost it after a big jump and a loud yell of excitement from him…..I think it may have startled him a little.

When our first spot opened back up, we moved down and settled in. The kids each took turns in the honey hole and caught and hooked plenty of nice fish throughout the rest of the afternoon. And when they were bored with fishing they took turns looking under rocks for crayfish and caught several by their own hands.

Katie with one of her fish on the afternoon

Ethan with another small stream brown

Jonathan holds one of his bigger fish of the day

Katie on the release

Taking a snack break is always a good idea

Jonathan works out a few more casts before we have to leave

All in all it was a wonderful day of fly fishing with the kids. It’s a blast watching them grow and learn on the stream. And even though I did have some tangles to tend throughout the afternoon, it is nothing like it used to be. They really are doing a wonderful job!