Lessons learned; Black creek

A lot of times as a fly fisherman I have to check myself at the door. And by that I mean, I can't get to comfortable with what I'm doing every time I go fishing. I enjoy the challenge of not knowing what is going on with the fish all the time. Solving puzzles is a lot of fun. But I sometimes will fall back on what I know or am comfortable with. I usually catch fish. And sometimes I have great fish catching days. But that does not always translate into me becoming a better fly fisherman.

Have you ever started to feel like you were getting to know a place, and then have something happen to totally reverse that feeling? And I'm not talking about a good feeling turned bad, or the feeling that that you missed out on something. I'm talking about a feeling of revelation!!

This past Friday I took my two boys to Black creek for a little fly fishing. It was a good morning, as we all caught fish. But what made it even better was the shared insight of a passionate seasoned angler who spends all his time fishing Black creek. He is not a fly fisherman. But a fisherman none the less. And he was not one of these "old timers" who now spend their retirement fishing every day either. No! He was a young man in his teens. And his passion and knowledge reminded me of what fishing was like to me at that age. And for that matter, still is today!

He walked around with a seine scrapping the bottom of the stream trying to get some live crayfish to use as bait. He then would put them in an empty coffee cup, and when he had enough, he would start fishing.

We had seen him before, and he recognized us right away. We watched him work as we fished. And soon he was joining the fishing just below the spillway on the opposite side of where we were fishing. We talked back and forth. And he shared with us some fantastic stories of fish caught and lost that would make any ones eyes light up. Stories of giant fish that he had caught right where we were fishing. He told us of walleye that he was catching recently along with some big pike(up to 38" long.) He also told us of a few big 20" smallmouth that he seems to catch every day. He even shared a story of a really nice sized trout that he caught in the spring below the dam. And this is supposed to be a warm water fishery! And finally, the icing on the cake, was a story of an almost unimaginable small child eating 52" beast of a northern pike. Sorry, I had to embellish the "small child eating" part. Anyone who has seen a pike that big will surely tell you that they would not want to swim in water where a fish like that lurked. He had said the big 52" northern took a large creek chub that he was using for bait. And he then told me that he had caught the creek chubs in his seine in another part of the same creek. If even half of his stories are true....it is still an impressive resume'.

This is someone who has made a study out of Black creek and has come to know it well. His use of every bit of knowledge that he has gained was impressive. His enthusiasm and passion for fishing Black creek made me realize how much more I needed to learn about this great place. I am now thinking about how to tie flies to meet the requirements for catching a large northern pike. I am also in process of tying some crayfish patterns for some big bass.

It was a great experience for me. And when I got home I came to the understanding that I was learning from this young man. Usually I focus on fly fishing and how I can learn from my friends who I get to fish with from time to time. But this time I was able to gain insight from a "non-fly fisherman" who had a lot more knowledge about Black creek than me.

When I was a young fly fisherman there were many times when I was able to watch and learn from more experienced guys. And every now and then there would be this one guy who seemed to have it all figured out. He would catch the biggest and the most. He seemed to have the right fly at the right time. He knew where the fish were and how to get the right drift every time. He knew the stream and the fish that lived there so intimately that he was always a couple of steps ahead of everyone else. This is where I wanted to be as a fly fisherman. And to some extent...I still do! I have worked hard to learn from those guys and on my own to try and get there. I know I'm not there yet. But I am always trying to learn more and become the best fly fisherman that I can be. Sharing my passion with others who are equally passionate will only help. And this past Friday the tables were turned and I was able to learn from a younger guy who didn't fly fish.

So I'm sending a special thanks to all of you who have shared the passion with me and with whom I have learned a great deal from. You know who you are!!!!! You are all a blessing....keep it real. Or is that reel? Ha

See you on the stream!

Pond fishing with the boys!

Katie has been going to her summer gymnastics camp this week so....This morning I took my two boys to the local pond for a little dry fly fishing. We took two four weight fly rods and rigged them up with 4x tippet and #12 stimulators. It was great to see them both casting a fly. And even better to watch them catch fish. The best part, besides catching fish, was them watching the fish come up to the surface to take the fly. A shadow would appear below the fly and then in an instant it would dissapear in a swirl. My oldest son Jonathan was doing very well and caught many sunfish all by himself. And even my 3 year old hooked up once by himself.

This kind of fly fishing is perfect for kids! They don't need to cast well or try and get the right drift to catch fish. For the most part just getting the fly in or on the water will get a strike. And this is important because they won't get frustrated or bored becuase they aren't catching fish. They even let their Dad catch a few!!

It is also nice because you don't need a lot of equipment. Just a few fly rods, flies, pliers and a camera. You're good to go! Ho yeah...and some snacks and drinks! You can't forget those.

Finally....you can not replace the time that you spend with your kids. You may have to untangle some lines and keep them from falling in the water. And you don't often get to fly fish yourself very much. But, it is worth it! They get to be successful at catching a fish on a fly. How cool is that!
Tight lines!

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

More Steelhead!!

It just doesn't get any better than this. A beautiful spring in which we have had nice weather and plenty of water for our Lake Ontario tributaries. This has given us excellent conditions for steelhead fishing!!

This past weekend some friends of mine hit up a local trib and landed 6 out of 8 fish they hooked. A mix of both female and male steelhead ranging from 20" inches or so up to 10 lbs. And that was just a half day trip. Check Jessie's page here. And Luke's page here for photos from their day!

Today I hit up the same trib for about an hour. And the fishing was still hot! The first half hour was crazy! I didn't drift 10 minutes before the first fish took my indicator under. She was a nice female of about 5 lbs. that jumped four or five times before I could beach her. And then, not five or ten minutes later I was into another fish that pulled the rod right out of my hand. After picking my rod out of the stream, I chased a big male steelhead downstream. Way downstream! Then after a long ten minutes, I finally beached the 33" monster. I took a short break and went back to the same spot where I hooked and lost one more fish before I moved downstream to a nice run. I took maybe two or three drifts in that run before my indicator dipped and I was into my last fish of the day. This fish was like the first. It jumped a few times and ran all over the run before I could slide the 5lb. male onto shore.

What a great morning. I wish this could go on for a few more months, but in reality I will be lucky to have another week or two out here in the western part of the state.

I hope you all can get out for some spring steelhead. Now's the time to go and It's been great so far!

All fish were caught dead drifting woolly buggers under an indicator. Dark colors were the ticket. All fish were caught on olive or black.

Brian