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!

WNY fly fishing roller coasters!

Western New York has a habit of offering two kinds of weather during the winter(at least it seems that way to me.) Cold and sunny or cold and snowy. The latter is accompanied by lots of clouds and very little sunlight, which is made worse due to the fact that the days are already short enough, and for some reason these kinds of days make up most of the winter! So when you are offered a glimpse of spring with beautiful sunny and warm weather you soak it all in. Of course the very next day you are brought back to reality with a healthy dose of doom and gloom. But it is what we have come to expect for WNY, and we make the most of it!
This is also a good way to describe the fishing conditions during the spring season. Once you get the nice beautiful warm weather, the snow pack starts to melt, creating a good amount of run-off. If you then get any rain in the mix, the water will become dirty and tough to fish. Then it becomes a waiting game until the water levels drop back to fishable conditions. And If you are diligent in checking the water levels in your local streams and tributaries, you have the opportunity to catch those in between stages of "to high to fish" and "near perfect" conditions. This is often made even more tough by the fact that you may often find yourself at work or other wise detained in some other task that inhibits your ability to get out to the stream. And then when you hear or read reports of great fishing and see the photos of all the wonderful fish being caught while you are otherwise detained.....well that just doesn't sit well! But if you do find yourself with one of those rare opportunities to get out during one of those "near perfect" times, it is well worth it and you should take full advantage of it!
Over the past few weeks my friends and I have been riding the WNY fly fishing roller coaster. And for what ever the reason, we seem to buy tickets for the same ride every year. And just like years past, it has been a fun but rough ride, and we have even found ourselves on the good end of some "near perfect" conditions. We have had the opportunity to get out and fish several inland trout streams with great success and a few favorite Lake Ontario tributaries with very little success. Lucas Carroll and Bob Burrows have joined me on several occasions and you can see their take on this whole spring fishing thing at their blogs and flickr pages.
Soon we will be in full spring mode with more days being warm and sunny than cloudy and rainy. We will find ourselves doing battle with chrome giants from the lake, and soon after that, our first major mayfly hatch of the season. And maybe, just maybe, we will have the opportunity to do both!

February, Spring Creek and the Midge!!

I know it's kind of a strange title, but I couldn't think of a better one, and it fits with what I am about to report!

February has been the month to fish a midge pattern at Spring Creek...Period! No other fly has produced as many trout as the midge. And more specifically the "#16 red worm." In fact, just last week the red worm has been responsible for putting close to 25 trout in my net in just about 2.5 hours of fishing. That's just ridiculous, and a hole lot of fun!

The fish haven't been huge, but when you can hardly keep your fly in the water without getting bit, who cares? Plenty of fish in the 10-12" inch range with a few that were 13" to 14" is about right. We also have been getting the occasional 5" fingerling thrown in for good measure.

But now that it's March, we need to look for the impending midge hatch! And it has been really starting off with a bang. Just this past weekend Lucas and his friend Andy fished Spring Creek and did very well. In fact a small midge dry fly was responsible for a few trout in the net for Luke. Check his blog and flickr page for more photos from his adventure!

This morning I saw hundreds of midges on the many rocks that line Spring Creek and I was very pleased to see that many fish had started to look up in the water column to feed. I saw plenty of fish bulging under the surface today and a few dorsal to tail rises. And I even saw a few fish taking adults right on top.....very exciting stuff!!! I was even more pleased when I was able to take a few trout fishing a #20 midge emerger. The trout I fooled, were working a section of creek that bordered a nice run, just on the opposite side of some submerged logs. It was here that I also hooked a rather large brown trout before I had to leave. And on the hook set, the fish came 2 feet out of the water and then came down in between two submerged logs. With another hard pull from the fish, he broke free, taking my fly and tippet with him. It was the biggest fish I had hooked at Spring creek this year, and all on the 2 weight!

So before the tributaries start to break free from the ice, I will try and make it out to Spring Creek for more trout. And I will be carrying a box full of midges with me.

On another note - I will be heading out to Utica, NY for the 2010 Central NY Fly Tying Symposium this weekend. You can check out all the details at www.jprossflyrods.com and even get directions too. And maybe I'll see you there. If not........

......I'll see you on the stream!!

The Banner Says It All!!

About a year ago James sent me an e-mail that really caught my eye. It was about a local fly tying party that would be fueled by the consumption of mass quantities of pizza. It sounded great and I let him know that I was ready to go, but that was a year ago, and with family and jobs and everything else that life throws at you, I kind of forgot about it. And I know what your thinking..."How in the world can he forget about a fly tying event?" But I did!

Fast forward to yesterday - I get an E-mail from Mike Simmons from Guys, Flies & Pies with an official invite to this years event. And I must say that it was very nice to hear from him. He had found my blog and made mention of who he was and that we fished many of the same spots. It's nice to connect with local guys who have the same interests, especially when it comes to fly fishing! So I am going to try and go to this year's event and redeem my forgetfulness.

Party starts at 3pm on February 20th(That's a Saturday) ans runs till midnight! Pizza at 6pm and raffles at 8pm.

Hopefully we can all go and meet some new fly fisherman and learn how to tie some new patterns. But most of all....talk "Fish" for a while.

So click here to find out more about his years event!!

Salvation at Spring Creek!

Winter can be a tricky time to spend on the water. You have to deal with frozen fingers and guides. You also have to wear many layers of clothes and make sure to cover your face and head. Frost bite is a very real possibility, and you need to prepare accordingly. I now carry a net with me so I don't have to stick my hands in the water to retrieve my fish - a lesson learned the hard way!

Most of the streams can be frozen over like many of our still water fisheries. But there is always a hearty few who know that not all is lost. In fact winter is probably the best time to fish. Crowds are not a problem and the fish still need to eat. So a few of us hard core fly fishing dudes take to the water that is open. And with our layers of clothing and waders, we stand in water that is barely above the freezing mark, in the hopes of getting our lines stretched and our rods bent. And if we are prepared enough, we might just catch a few fish.

For the past few weeks, with the exception of this past weekend, the temperatures have been a little on the cool side. And we expect this - it is winter after all! The bad part about it is that we have had no snow melt to raise the water levels, and many of the small streams are locked up with ice. The few that have remained open get pounded by fisherman that have been fishing to the same fish on a weekly basis.

Salvation has come from a small inland trout stream that remains ice free all winter long. In fact it's water temperatures stay near 50 degrees all year round. And that means that it is often the best place to spend a few hours throwing flies. And that place is none other than "Spring Creek!"
It has provided us hard core fly fishing guys with a remedy for a severe case of cabin fever.

Small flies and light tippet are the key to consistent action Spring Creek. We have had our best success using #16-#20 pink scuds, with #16-#18 red worms, #20-#26 midge larvae and #20 flash back nymphs taking the rest of the fish.

So here are some photos that were taken from the past two weeks of fly fishing spring creek. I will also put in 2 links here for you to check out some of Lucas Carroll's photography as well.

I hope you enjoy!

Winter Fish and Flies

With the new year now here, I have been thinking it might be time to put up a blog. I know, "it's about time!" But like I said before, I have been trying to cut back a little from my own personal blog so I can devote more time to the www.jprossflyrods.com web site. Besides it gets awfully busy around here during the holiday season....yikes!!!

December was a great month filled with more family and friends than anything else. And it was great to see everyone, even if it was for a short little while. But I am starting to get that feeling - you know the one where you wake up at night in a cold sweat yelling FISH ON!!! at the top of your lungs. Okay - maybe you don't know. But if you know me, that's not out of the realm of possibility. I'm starting to think that the risk of almost certain frost bite while fishing in weather like this is worth it. I mean I endured it last year, how bad could it be a second time around?

December was not completely void of fishing or fish for that matter. I did get out for an hour on December 7th at one of my favorite Western New York tributaries. And even though it was cold, I did manage to hook up with two fish and land one very bright female steelhead of about 5lbs. Happy Birthday to me!!! Other than that morning, I have been in a terrible drought. And as my Dad used to say on Christmas when one of us kids would open all of our presents in a sugar induced frenzy, and then have to sit back and wait as everyone else got to enjoy the rest of their gifts.....wait for it......"You'll just have to sit there and suck wind!" So that's what I've been doing at least on the fishing end of things.

As for other fly fishing things - I have been spending some time at the vise. And that means filling in some holes in the fly boxes and trying out some new things for my next adventure. I'll post some photos here of those flies, but you can find the recipe for these flies at the jprossflyrods site. So enjoy and make sure to get out there if and when you can. I know spring creek is always open and so is Oatka and Irondequoit creek too! Trout have to eat even in winter, we just need to take advantage.

Happy New Year!!!!

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!