Fishing with Jessie

Jessie putting some flies to good use

All the family construction jobs are now done, and that means I finally found some time to get out to the local tributary.

1st of the day

Even the high wind warnings and dropping temperatures couldn’t keep me off the water on this day.

The fishing reports this fall have been mixed. There haven’t been the numbers of salmon in the system that we normally get, and that means that you really need to be in the right place at the right time to get into a good group of fish that happens to be moving through the area that you’re fishing. There is of course, more to it than that, and a good bit of prolonged precipitation would be a great start. 

Having said all that, everyone has different expectations when it comes to how they measure success.

Fish on!

A nice kyped out male

Jessie Hollenbeck of Wide Sky Fly Fishing and I had to work for our fish today. The middle and upper parts of the small WNY tributary that I had fished earlier were rather slow, with only one or two fish being sighted here and there. The only saving grace was a large pool that held a good eight or nine fish. And even then, the low and clear water only provided me with a few good opportunities at several of the large lake run brown trout before they became too worked up.

The later part of the day proved to be better. I moved downstream to a new location to meet up with Jessie, and with the new change we saw a higher concentration of fish that would prove to be much more catchable.

But like I said we had to work for every bite we got. We continued to change things up until Jessie found a great new pattern that really turned the fish on. The key was in using a single trout bead (to match the natural color of the eggs in the system,) up about four inches from a number twelve olive gold bead head hare’s ear nymph. About eight to ten inches up from that, we attached one small shot fished without an indicator all on six pound test tippet. Remember we were fishing low clear water, so it pays to dial everything back a bit and go light.

All in all Jessie and I managed a good three or four fish to the net before we headed out for the day.

Our success today was in not measured in numbers of fish, rather in the process in which it took to get the fish we did catch interested in our offering and ultimately to the net. In my opinion being observant, learning to adapt to the conditions at hand, and being willing to try new things is and has always been the best path to success on the stream.

This brown came out of the water a few times

Remember, the trout fishing on all our WNY tributaries is just starting to heat up. Get out there and fish.

My biggest trout of the fall.....so far!

Special thanks to Leif Mermagen of StreamWalker Nets.....the Lakerun model got a good work out today!

See you out on the stream

A Quick Stop at Irondequoit Creek

Small stream in fall should never be ignored

On a recent trip out to the dentist’s office I found a brief window of time to look in on a great little fishing spot that I hadn’t visited for some time – Irondequoit Creek.

This small stream gem of a trout stream flows unimpeded from its headwaters (which lie South of the throughway,) North for miles and miles before emptying into Irondequoit bay and Lake Ontario.

It fishes really well at all times of the year for both resident brown and rainbow trout, but during the fall it receives a push of lake run fish that make the creek one of the only small streams in the Rochester area to have both.

It’s small stream charm of overhanging branches and tight quarters are not lost on this fishermen during the fall months when the leaves are brightly colored and there are fish to be caught, no matter how much time I have to catch them.

The first of a handful of these little guys

On this afternoon, for a short while, I found a few willing fish of both variety. But I had to work my way up to the lake run fish.

Working my way up with a nice resident brown trout

A lake run that required more than one hand

My teeth have been repaired and the pain that went with it is now gone, but the visual wonder and feel of this small stream will linger. And that is good!

Fishing with Bob

Bob holds a big male Chinook salmon that measured 42"

It has been at least a good year and a half since I last spent some quality time in the company of my good friend Bob Burrows. And to me, that’s a year and half too long. 

The story of our friendship really started years ago when we both worked for a small newspaper out of Canandaigua New York. We spent a good part of our lunch break talking about fishing, and on our off days we would often get out and fish together. In fact, it’s those early years of our friendship that we spent the most time out on the water in search of fish. And it allowed us to really fine tune our fly fishing skills. He is one of those guys that can help elevate your fly fishing skill set by just spending time with him on the water. 

But more than that, he has given me and my family lots of support through the years, and I am very proud to call him my friend. 

My biggest of the morning

So when I did eventually leave the newspaper for a new job, and things started to get busy with lots of little feet around, I always found time to stay in touch with Bob and even tried to get out fishing at least a few times a year. Some years it would work out really well, and we would get out on the stream two or three times. But for whatever the reason, these recent few years have left us with very little opportunity.

So when I got a call from him yesterday morning saying that he was up at a local WNY tributary, and that he was spotting fish moving upstream, I jumped at the chance to get out there, even if it was for just a little while.

Bob with his second fish of the morning

By the time I met him on the stream, he had already landed two salmon and had watched a good ten or more move past him. Even as I was setting up my leader and tying up for the morning, several fish moved up from downstream and blasted through. And even though the water was on the low side, it was cold, and until the sun moved up over the trees the fish seemed content on running.

We spent our time that morning walking upstream in search of resting fish that might be willing to take a fly, and talking about all those memories from fishing trips past. We even fished around some fall downs and undercut banks in search of an early lake run trout or two. And even though we didn’t find any trout, each of us managed a few salmon to hand before our time was up – Just like we used to do it back in the day.

The release

We may not be able to spend the time out on the water like we used to, and it’s probably a good thing that we don’t – our families would suffer for it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get out every once in a while and make some new memories.

Thanks Bob!

Winter fishing with my boys!

My two boys have been wanting to get out fishing for a while, and up until this past weekend, everyone has been way to busy to even think about it.

Sunday afternoon my wife wanted to take our daughter out to do a little shopping and spend some of her Christmas money, no doubt on shoes! So when my wife suggested that I ask to see if the boys would want to go fishing, she didn't have to twist my arm, not even the slightest little bit. The boys didn't even let me finish my sentence, once they heard "fishing" it was all over.

So off we went in search of lake run giants at a local WNY Lake Ontario tributary, even when the thermometer read 29 degrees. At least it was sunny and when we would get a little chilly, we would just stand in the sun for a few minutes.

I made sure to set the boys up first. Big streamers were tied on, instructions given, and off they went to make their first casts of the day. And boy did they do a good job. They are fast becoming great little fishermen. They are casting well, letting the fly do it's thing, and even listening to dear old Dad on occasion. But even with all their hard work, and fabulous stream conditions, the fishing was very tough. We all fished for an hour with nothing to show for it. Then the boys attention turned to other interests such as how to climb the many trees that made up the little section of woods right near the bank. They also made boats, swords, and worked on their "Man vs. Wild" skills. And we all know how important those are!!!

Another half hour passed by as I worked hard to try and find at least one willing fish to take a fly. I then put my switch rod down and grabbed the single handed eight weight. It still had a rather large white woolly bugger on it, one that my oldest son had picked out. I walked a few yards down from the pool where we were all fishing and began to swing some broken water below. Half way down the run a strong pull jolted me out of my rhythm and I was finally into a good fish. I yelled to the boys to grab the net and in seconds they were both there ready to help. I handed the rod to my oldest son and he began to work the fish into shore, as my youngest son got the net ready. A few minutes later a healthy, somewhat large, lake run female brown trout was in the net. Finally!!!!!!

As I got the camera ready for some photos and coached my oldest on how to handle the fish as we got ready for some photos, I noticed something coming out of the fishes mouth. And then as my son hoisted the fish for few quick shots, that something fell out. It was a half digested five inch long baitfish. I guess I now have a better reference for what to tie in the future!

Sundays fishing was tough. But spending time with my boys doing something we all love, and having fun in spite of the conditions was worth more than a thousand good days of fishing by myself. In the not so distant future they will be ready to leave the house, all grown up and ready to take on the world.....so I cherish every minute!

My daughter is up next. Last year we rocked it and the fishing wasn't too bad either!

Fishing with the boys!

Yesterday was a great day all around! My wife has been planning a trip to the theater with our daughter to see the Lion King, and that meant that the boys and I were left to fend for our selves. So we did what boys do....we went fishing!

Jonathan had been wanting to go for so long now, and the forecast was looking pretty good with temps in the 60's and plenty of sun, so it was now or never!

My goal was to get my oldest son into his first steelhead. But over the coarse of this past week, the water has gone way down, the air temperatures have come back up to normal, and the fishermen have come out in droves because of it. So my expectations were somewhat diminished. I still thought that if we got to the stream in the morning there might be a chance that we would beat some of the crowd, and be able to find plenty of fish. But when I saw at least 9 cars parked near the bridge, I knew that wasn't going to happen. So we got our gear together and went anyway! But I must admit that I was a little frustrated, and it must have shown a bit because Jonathan said something like "Dad don't worry about it, it will be fine!" And he would be right, even if our day started off a bit on the slow side.

Our plan was to walk down to a certain spot that has been a good producer for everyone this spring, while fishing along the way. We would hit up almost every pool we could, that wasn't already occupied - we found few! But we did manage one sucker, and one nice drop back brown before we reached our destination.

The pool was vacant and Jonathan set up in the front half while I tried a few other places. It wasn't long and he started to hook a few fish here and there and even landed a sucker. And while he fished I searched out more water and found a few willing fish, and after at least an hour and a half we finally landed our second fish - a beautiful hen steelhead.

Then Jonathan decided he wanted to fish by himself in the middle of the pool. He picked out his own fly and went to work. It didn't take long and he was into a fish. I ran up to help him land a good sized sucker, his second solo caught fish. He hooked a few more that he lost after a few head shakes, before I looked up again to see him doing battle with yet another fish. I ran up again to help, and asked what he had hooked. He thought it was a big sucker, but after he worked the big fish closer to shore I saw that it was a huge brown trout of at least 10lbs. But Jonathan's inexperience won out, and the fish parted the line and swam away with his fly. He went on to hook fish after fish in the pool. Most were suckers, but every once in a while we thought he might have hooked another trout, but like the others, they pulled free. Even Ethan got into the action with a creek chub that he caught all by himself on the fly rod!

Then it was time for the long walk out. We stopped and fished here and there on the way back and found one more good sized brown before the day was done.

It was a long day, but a good one. The boys did a fantastic job of sticking with the game plan and making the most out of the day, even when it was a slow start. I am very proud of both of them. Jonathan also showed me that he has some really good instincts when it comes to fishing. It will be a great joy to see what he does in the years to come.

One more for the road!

Okay....this is it for my steelhead adventures for this spring. I promise! Next time I will blog on the inland trout streams.

Unless, we get some really cold weather and rain this next week. Then I may have to reconsider my options. I mean come on!! The fishing has been way too hot for me to just pass up a steelhead or two! Right?

Anyway, I hit up Sandy creek in Hamlin, NY again. And just like on Tuesday, it did not take long for me to get into my first fish of the morning. In fact I was midway through my second drift in a nice deep run when the indicator dipped and I set up on a nice fish. But, after a few nice big head shakes the fish threw the fly. I then checked my hook and worked my way down into a pool section that has produced a lot of fish for me and my friends this spring. And after another 10 minutes I had hooked my second fish of the morning. This fish put on an awesome display of leaping ability and strength. And after 5 minutes of tug of war, I finally gained the upper hand and landed a nice fresh male steelhead of about 7lbs.

The last half an hour was slow. I hooked just one more steelhead. It was a nice sized male that was darker in color. But like the first fish of the morning, he broke free. I then stood there for a moment and wondered if this was the end of a what has been a fantastic spring steelhead season.

If it is....I'm okay with that! I was able to enjoy one of the better spring steelhead runs in a long time. And even better, I was able to spend that time with my son and my friends!

I have been blessed. No doubt about it!

Brian

Scouting Mission #1

After dropping Katie off at nursery school, Ethan and I headed up to Sandy creek to check it out. While putting my waders on, I told my self that it was too early and the water was too low. And after walking upstream about a half mile and seeing no fish, I realized that once again I was right! Sometimes I hate it when I'm right. I did see some shallow gravel sections where the rocks had been worn clean(the algae and weeds had been worn off.) This usually indicates that a fish or two have come up into the stream, at least a short distance any way. They may have gone back down to the estuary after first light.

The water level was not as bad as I thought it would be. The water was on the cool side too, maybe in the low 60's. But, as the sun continues to rise, it will warm that water back up into the high 60's. All we really need at this point is a couple of rainy cold days to bring the water level back up and trigger some fish to run the smaller tributaries, like Sandy creek.

Oak Orchard creek is already receiving small runs of fish, probably a few fish every night. And there are fish up by the dam. Plus there have been reports of people catching a few salmon and some trout as well at the dam. This is normal for this time of year, and soon the salmon and trout will be in every tributary.

Now....if we could just get a little rain to help things a long, that would be great!