Changes!

As many of you know, I have been blogging for the JP Ross fly rod website for a while now. And I have really loved the experience. It has provided me another avenue in which to share and enjoy one of my passions - Fly fishing!

I try to write for the web site at least twice a week. This leaves me with little time to keep up on my own blog, so I will be posting fewer blogs in the near future. I will still try and keep posting a few times a month, but for now look on the JP Ross fly rod website for updates and other news from me and my travels to all the fishy places I like to go.

In the past week and a half I have had the opportunity to get out and fish a number of times and share a few of those mornings with some friends. Friday was one of them and I met up with Luke and Jessie for some great action on Sandy creek. We all caught fish and Luke took some really fantastic photos, including one of my biggest brown trout of this year....so far. And you can see more of his wonderful work at his flickr page! Thanks Mom for giving me a few hours to fish with Luke and Jessie. It reminded me a bit of the times you used to take me up to the salmon river.....thanks!

On Monday I fished with "Mr." Rich and his friend Mike. Rich has known Mike for a while now and they have fished many streams, rivers and lakes together for years. So it was a pleasure to finally meet Mike in person and talk with him about some of his adventures. I hope it isn't the last time either. I also spent much of that morning running around netting fish for the both of them. I netted 2 steelhead for Mike and a nice male brown trout for Rich - his first ever lake run brown! I caught a small sucker, and that was it for all of us that morning.

So here are some pictures from the most recent adventures on the stream. I'll update when I can, but for the mean time, check out the www.jprossflyrods.com for my latest blog!

Thanks for all your support. See you on the stream!

Fly Fishing Video trailer!

I thought I would post a video I first viewed at Moldychum.com. It is a short trailer on fly fishing for trophy fish in the U.S. The idea being that you don't have to travel to exotic places and spend thousands of dollars to catch trophy fish. The video, by Jason Jaacks, is aptly titled "No Passport Required" and shows off some of Western New York's finest lesser know tributaries. In fact, many of the video clips show spots where we fish on a yearly basis. And I think you will recognize them. I think it's great that these guys took the time to promote the fantastic trophy fishing we have in the U.S. and in New York. Most of us don't have the kind of money that is required to search out fish like the ones in the video in faraway places. I know that videos like these will often spark a mass influx of fly fishermen to the area, but with the proper education in stream etiquette and fishing practices it could actually prove to be an enjoyable experience.

So I hope you enjoy. I certainly did!

No Passport Required from Jason Jaacks on Vimeo.

Great November fishing on Sandy Creek

November has been the month of the brown trout. At least it has been for us that fish the Western New York tributaries. And as it has always been, they make their way into the streams as the Chinook salmon are just about done with their fall spawning. There will always be a few fresh salmon that will still make their way into the streams, but it is the brown trout that will now start making a big push into the tributaries. The males show up first. They work their way upstream into likely holding areas and wait for the females to show up(isn't this always the case? The males waiting for the females!). This can get interesting as they will often hold were salmon are spawning or have spawned. The salmon don't like this one bit and will often try to chase the brown trout out of their territory. This little battle for territory is a lot of fun to watch, especially when you are standing in the stream just 10 feet away. The down fall is the fish don't always respond to a well presented fly. And how could they. They are busy either protecting their territory or trying to stay out of the way if an angry 20lb. salmon. But fish can be caught! And it is often at this stage in the season when the fishing can be really good.

I met Mr. Rich at Sandy creek this Monday to hopefully experience some of that really good fishing. And although the morning started a little on the slow side, it would not end that way.

We walked down the trail to the stream and slowly made our way downstream searching for fish. And to my surprise Rich spotted the first fish. He had spotted the fish as I was just about to move further downstream. The reason why it was a bit of a surprise was because I usually am good at spotting fish. But not today! Rich pointed out that the fish was in a run tucked carefully behind a submerged rock. And sure enough it was there. I just had to strain my eyes a bit to see it. So I took a step back and watched as Rich began to work the fish. After a minute or so, I had to try and find my own fish. And I didn't find any until I came across the tail out of a long flat run. It was here that I saw the salmon and brown trout holding together. It was also here that I saw the salmon trying to push the trout out of their spawning area. I got into position and gave it a try. I did finally hook up with a brown trout, but it had been foul hooked so I popped the hook off as quickly as I could.

I continued to walk downstream after that. And I made my way to the root pool. The root pool is a nice deep pool that has a rather large tree on the opposite side of the stream. Its roots make their way into the bank and the stream on the far side in an attempt to keep it standing. But this year a very large section of the tree broke off and fell into and across the pool. This has made it difficult to land any fish that is hooked in the pool. And it came in to play this morning, as I lost the second fish I hooked when it ran under that limb. I tried to put as much pressure as I could on the fish, hoping to turn it. But the only thing I got out of that exercise was a broken tippet and a lost fly.

Things would take a turn for the better at the next run. And in the last half of the morning of fishing I manged to land two small male Atlantic salmon of about 22" to 24" inches in length and my best brown trout of the season so far. A very nice male brown trout of 28" that was probably close to 10lbs. And thanks to Rich, who had made his way downstream to where I was, I was able to get a few photos for this blog!

I had to leave, but Rich had the run now and continued to fish for a little while. I got an e-mail an hour or so later from Rich saying that he did manage to hook up twice and land a nice coho salmon of about 24" inches or so. A great morning for the both of us!

But I must say that this is becoming a typical scenario for Rich. He seems to wait until the very end to get his fish. This past spring he waited until I had walked around the corner and out of sight before he hooked and landed his first ever tributary steelhead. Luckily Luke was there to net the fish and take a few photos for him. And this October at our trip to Oak Orchard, Rich waited until the very last minute to hook up with a huge Chinook salmon. It was an epic battle that ended well(thanks to coaching from Bob and Luke). And Luke was there again to take some great photos of some very tired but happy anglers. And now this past Monday, Rich again waits until the end to put some numbers on the board. My only question is why? He has the skills to get into fish. Is it because he has a flare for the dramatic? Or perhaps he is like a lizard that needs to sun itself before it becomes active. Or perhaps he just doesn't want his mug to make it on this blog. I'm not really sure what the deal is, but I hope he changes his mode of operation soon. I can't keep getting e-mails after the fact, it's killing me!

All joking aside, it was a great morning to be out on the stream. And thanks Rich for taking a few photos for me. Next time make sure to get a fish before I leave!

Fall trib fishing at it's best!

The salmon are just about done, we have had great water conditions, and the trout are starting to show up in greater numbers each day. What else can I say? I think the title says it all. "Fall trib fishing at it's best!"

Yes the fishing seems to hot right now, and the beginning of November is proving to be fantastic. But there is a chance it could get even better. Yupper doodle doo! Even better. How you ask? Well just consider this for a minute. First of all the water levels are near perfect right now. And with any more precipitation they will be even better. That means that the brown trout and steelhead will have plenty of water to start their journey. And high water means more fish will enter the stream. Second - we still have plenty of salmon around. This means that some salmon will still be spawning. Often you can find trout sitting with the salmon or just behind them. They use the salmon to hide behind and as a feeding station. And it is often a good choice to start with an egg pattern when you find trout in this position. And third - I have only seen mostly male trout up to this point. Things get interesting when the females start to show up. Once this happens you will start to see females and males pairing up together. And before they get into full spawn mode the males will become very aggressive. This is a good time to try large streamers and swing them or dead drift them into holding fish.

Those three reasons are why this years tributary season is shaping up to be a really good one. Of course that can change in a blink of an eye. After all we do live in New York. So take advantage of it when you can.

Oh! And here are just a few other important things to think about. Wade with care as their are many spawning beds around. And watch carefully as the brown trout are very difficult to see with the tea stained water. It pays to walk slowly and spend time searching the water before moving. You may find that a trout may be holding in water right near your feet.

Here are some photos from some of my recent outings to one of my favorite Western New York Tributaries.

Friends and fly fishing at the double "O"

Yes sir. More fishing was had this weekend. Saturday morning to be exact. We all met at Oak Orchard creek at 6:30am at the lower parking are. Or at least that was the plan. And you know what? It worked out really well. Every one was there at 6:30am. Usually we end up having to wait for someone, or meet them later on the stream. But not this morning. Even James, who usually sleeps in, was there at 6:30am!

The crew for this Saturday(in no particular order): Dan, Rich, Ian, James, Bob, Luke and Me!

And I have to give a special mention to Mr. Dan. And why does Mr. Dan get a special mention you ask? He brought us Coffee and donuts! Need I say more?

Back to the fishing - We were all feeling a little giddy at the prospect of hooking into some big lake run salmon and trout. And our feelings would only be bolstered by the great looking conditions of the water. "Tasty" would be a good word to use. Oh...and there was FOG! Lots of it too! And it lasted well into the morning. It also made sight fishing a bit difficult at first. But we managed as all anglers must when fishing on any of the Lake Ontario tributaries.

We all worked our way into the stream and found some good looking water to fish. Some went downstream and the rest of us headed upstream to a good looking run at the head of a giant pool. And it did not take too long for a fish to put a good bend in a rod. Luke struck first with a good sized brown of about 8 or 9lbs. Then I got a brown of my own a short bit later. I then started to try and find holding fish. And tried to get some of the other guys into position. Dan fished a nice run at the East side of the stream, waiting for fish that would surely use this as safe passage to an upstream lie. The rest of us worked the head of a large pool hard, watching as a few fish would shoot through here and there. But a few fish remained holding. And Luke and I seemed to trade off hooking fish in this section for the next hour or so. We managed to hook 2 steelhead and a big brown. But only one steelhead found the net. Dan and Rich took over, and tried to find a few fish of their own.

And just as our morning was coming to a close, Rich's strike indicator went under and he set up on an epic fish. A few head shakes and the fish was off. He wanted no part of the game Rich was trying to play. The fish pulled line off the reel easily. Rich struggled to get into a better fighting position. Finally we had to walk way downstream before we could gain any line. Bob and Luke also came down to watch and help. Rich then began to work the fish close to shore by sticking his rod to the side and pulling as hard as he could get away with. Collecting line inch by inch. Another short bit later he had the fish swimming in the shallows. I got into position and made a grab for the tail. Fish landed! And the fish was huge. So big in fact, I hard time holding on to it. So I slid the fish into the net and carried it to shore with both hands. The big male Chinook salmon measured 42" from snout to tail, and 23.5" around his thickest part. I guessed the weight to be around 30lbs. Big indeed! Luke took a few photos for us and then we sent the big salmon back on his way.

That was the last fish of the day for Rich, and for several more of us as well. We said our goodbyes and headed home. But man, what a great day to be on the water. Beautiful fall colors, a few nice fish to go with it, and some good fellowship. Not everyone hooked into fish on this day, but their turn will come soon enough. I am certain of it. Especially with more great fishing ahead.

The few that remained, fished into the afternoon and found some more fish well below where we started out. They even hooked a few. And Bob managed to land a very nice brown.

A few guys we missed having around on Saturday were Jessie, Drew and Steve. I hope the next time we get a group together they will be able to join us.

Till next time.....Fish On!

To check out more photos from the trip, please check out Lukes flickr page.

The Bradfield Boys go Fishing!

This past weekend my brother Andy and my Dad "Big Jim" set out for a little fishing adventure. The goal was to hook some of the monster lake run fish that inhabit many of the Western Lake Ontario tributaries. And we only had one day to do it!

Saturday started great with cool but clear sunny weather. Already a huge improvement from last year's monsoon.

We decided to start our morning at Oak Orchard creek. And along the way Dad asked many questions about midges and would we be fishing them in the Oak. I of course I had to explain that although the Oak most likely has a midge population, the trout and salmon that make their way up it's waters do not feed on midges. Which led to another discussion about were we could fish midges, and the difference between a size #26 hook and a #6 hook.

Now to the Oak - We arrived at the lower parking area to find the pull off part was filled with about 10 cars and so we parked in the field on the opposite side of the road. The field is manned by a guy who collects $2 from each car, and keeps you info in a small little notebook. Hopefully to make sure you don't pay again after going to lunch. We were the first ones in the lot. And I was a little bit surprised that there were so few cars. Where were all the people? I got my answer from the parking lot attendant when he said that the D.E.C. had built a rather large parking lot up near the dam. And it was FREE! He guessed it held close to one hundred vehicles. Well that explains a lot!! So much for thinking we would have a little elbow room.

On the walk down the trail to the creek, we could see the river had a good flow with a slight stain to it. Great conditions! We saw fishermen too. But not as many as I thought. We would be able to find some space to fish after all. The only question was, could we find the fish? This was answered after a somewhat long walk upstream, with us looking in every little run and pocket to find anything. We found very little until we got near the "archers club." And in case you didn't know, the "archers club" is a club that has a piece of land that borders the river on the west side. And it has some great water to fish. Plenty of gravel runs and pocket water with a nice sized pool at the head. Perfect for fish to hold in. The only issue with this is that is also where we started to run into lots of fishermen. The lower part of the run wasn't too bad, and that is where we set up for the morning. But the top end of the run and pool was packed shoulder to shoulder with fishermen. And when we looked upstream even further we could see more of the same. We stuck it out where we were. We hooked up a few times and played with some salmon, but we couldn't land any. Even my dad, who is new to this whole thing, hooked a fish all by himself. I walked up to help him out and soon realized it was hooked in the tail. He fought it for a minute before I said he should break it off. Besides it would have never gotten to shore anyway.

We stayed until lunch time and then made our way back to the car. On our way out my brother spotted a fish close to shore in a shallow section. It looked like a fresh salmon resting in the current. We snuck closer, trying to not spook it. My brother got his line ready and began casting to the fish. He made many drifts until his line got stuck on something. He tried to get it out without spooking the fish, but it wasn't working. I walked very slowly over to the fish to see if I could free his line. Then I saw that the fish was on a stringer and his fly had gotten caught in it. Okay at this point you have to options. One - you unhook the fly and run out of there with your tail between your legs and give up for the rest of the day. And who would blame you. You just tried to catch a fish that was already caught. Your day is ruined! Or you could go with option number two - Laugh hysterically at the embarrassing situation in hopes that others will laugh with you. And then continue on your day realizing that everyone does stuff like that every once and a while. Right? We went with option number two. And it was the right decision. Because after lunch, things changed.

Sandy creek was our next stop after some gas station food. We hit up the Brick Schoolhouse road section downstream from the bridge. And when I say downstream, I mean way downstream. Like half a mile downstream. And we walked that far because we didn't see any fish until then. We came across some great little runs and pools that were holding some salmon. Some of the fish we could tell were post spawn fish. But my brother managed to hook a very big female salmon. A fish he had trouble moving out of the run. We spent a good 20 minutes trying to land that fish before it broke us off going around a submerged tree limb. I spotted the next fish. And after a few casts I hooked up with the second fish at Sandy creek. I gave the rod to my Dad and he and I worked together to finally land our first fish of the day. Finally!

We spent the next half an hour walking back upstream looking for one more last fish before we had to go. And finally I found one. Holding close to the opposite bank. I pointed it out to my brother and he got himself into place. A few casts later he went to pick up his line and realized he had hooked the salmon. The good news was, it wasn't on a stringer. He fought for a minute before we got it in the net. Now both my Dad and brother had landed fish. We took a few photos and sent the male Chinook back on his way.

It was a good ending to our day. The fishing was slow but we managed to land a few. Besides it was great to spend a day on the water with my Dad and my brother. I just hope they aren't too sore for the next few days.

So thanks guys for joining me for a little fishing. I hope we can do it again soon.

More Salmon on Sandy creek!

Yesterday morning I met up with Bob and his friend and pastor Alan for a little fly fishing on Sandy creek. See....It's pastor appreciation month and Bob thought it would be great to get his pastor out on the stream. So Bob was to be Alan's guide for the morning. What a great idea!

I arrived after they had already been fishing since the wee hours of the morning. They first tried the Rt. 19 bridge, but things did not look good there. So they finally moved. And I found them at Brick Schoolhouse Rd. at around 9:35am. And as I drove over the bridge to park behind Bob's giant white truck, I could see him standing just upstream from the rail road bridge.

I got my gear together and walked upstream to meet him and Alan. But when I got there Alan was busy working a fish that was holding in some pocket water. So Bob and I shook hands and talked for minute before we had Alan change positions to get a better drift. It was great to see Bob and meet one of his friends. And I really enjoyed seeing Bob coaching Alan on how to get the right drift. I think Bob would make a good guide!

As they worked together I made my way upstream to find some more fish. But that never materialized. So I headed back downstream. And as I was just about back to where they were fishing, I saw Bob walk up watching a salmon that was pushing upstream into another hole. He said I should give it a try, and after the fish rested a minute I started casting. After several minutes of careful drifting, my line stopped and I set up on my first fish of the morning. This fish took me downstream past were Alan and Bob were. And after about 5 minutes I had my first fish of the morning landed.

Bob and Alan had since moved upstream, still casting to the fish that was now holding behind a large rock in a riffle section. Bob coached as Alan kept at it. Finally Alan lifted his rod, but he seemed to be stuck on the bottom. He applied more pressure to try and break the fly free. And then the water exploded! Alan had his first fish of the morning. He fought it for a minute or so before the fish broke free and swam upstream. The fish found a new resting spot and Alan tried again as I pointed out the location of the fish. But the fish didn't want any part of it, and it moved on. I then told Bob I would head downstream in an effort to try and find more fish.

I walked quite a bit down from the bridge before I found another resting salmon. And as I was drifting my fly to that fish, another fish blasted up from the next run below me. Soon there were two fish in the pool I was fishing, but not for long. Both fish now began to move upstream. And when they finally rested I began casting to larger fish. After many many careful drifts in front of the fish, I finally hooked up with my last fish of the morning. A big male chinook salmon! It took a while but I finally landed the fish. I took a few photos and released it back into the run. I then made a B-line to where I had left Bob and Alan a short while ago. But they had moved on way upstream and I had to go. I felt bad I couldn't find them, but I knew that Bob would find more fish.

After I got home I made a call to Bob's cell phone to let him know about the fish downstream. The phone rang and rang without an answer. Then finally he picked up. I began to try and explain that I had found fish downstream and to say what a great time I had with both he and Alan. But Bob had to interrupt me.....He had a fish on!!! I laughed and said goodbye. I knew he would find fish.

Both he and Alan hooked up with a bunch of salmon and even landed a few nice fish. If you want to read more about their second half of the morning and see some of their photos, please check out Bob's blog page here!

It was great to meet you guys on the stream. And I think Bob would make a great guide!