Bassin' with the kids

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go fishing with my kids. All three were super excited to go and couldn’t wait to get a line in the water. And who can blame them….they love it!!!!

We decided on a different piece of water on this adventure. Sure, we got into trout on the last trip, and even a few nice ones for a small stream, but you gotta change it up from time to time. And this time….we headed to Black Creek!

The fishing…fishin’ was easy and I had way too much fun watching the kids haul in fish after fish. Smallmouth, largemouth, bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass – they all made an appearance. And they all came to hand from professional youth fly anglers. And I say professional because that’s what they were. They cast the fly,made the fly do things that made the fish want the fly, hooked the fish, landed the fish, and even unhooked a few fish all by themselves. Who needs dad? Well I did unhook a few and take some photos….so I guess that’s something!

All in all many fish were landed and the kids had tons of fun, which by the way is what is supposed to happen when you take kids fishing.

So here are a few photos from our expedition….enjoy!

Next up…a story on midnight mousing!

Tricos on Oatka

Tricos are going strong right now.

Fishing early with all this heat will prove to be a wise decision until it starts to cool off a bit. Right now the fish are starting just at sunrise, taking the many duns that are coming off. Then at some point, only known to them, the trout will change to spinners. And for now, that will end about 9:00-9:30am.

Remember this will be one of the best hatches of the year! Of course you will have to fish smaller flies - like a size #20-#24. But the rewards are so worth it. At times the fishing can be as crazy or more so than any early season hatch. So be ready and be willing to change and adjust often.

Start early in the morning with a dun or emerger pattern. I have had success with a female dun pattern in a size #20. Then as the morning wears on watch the fish. When the rise forms change then that means you need to change! It most likely will be to a spinner pattern.

If you have the chance to continue fishing after a major trico spinner fall....do it! The opportunity to adjust your learning curve will be rewarded with some fantastic fishing. Look for fish below the surface taking submerged spinners. Also look for fish taking small midge larvae and nymphs along the bottom. Just because fish stop feeding off the surface doesn't mean they stop feeding all together. Most of the time these fish will go back to their comfort zone and feed on anything that comes there way. These fish sit in spots that consistently funnel food to them, such as a current break or more often than not a cut in the stream bed or bottom of the stream. This can get very technical, as it may take many changes in weight, flies, and position to get the right drift. But when you find it, that drift may produce fish after fish. So stick with it!

I took the kids out last week for a little adventure and we all had fun taking some nice fish after the hatch.

Jonathan did very well for himself with two fish landed and several others hooked and lost. The rest of us had fun hooking a few and returning them back to their home after they were revived. It was a great morning!

Oatka Gold

My time on the water this spring has been great. I haven’t been able to go as much as I like, but then ask any die hard fly fisherman if he would like to spend more time on the water, and his answer will always be a resounding yes! So I make the most out of every second. I make it count.

A nicely colored Oatka brown

When I do get out I have been trying to find some decent dry fly action on my local inland trout streams while fishing my JP Ross seven foot two weight Beaver Meadow. And Oatka Creek has been on fire. If you like fishing multiple hatches with lots of bugs, then this is the time to do it. Plenty of Sulphurs, March Browns, Caddis, midge, BWO’s, a spattering of Golden Stones, and maybe a Green Drake or two fill the air this time of year. The afternoon through evening will be the most dramatic, and can often be a good learning experience for matching the hatch. But don’t forget mornings. This is the time, when conditions are right, where you can find a good hatch or spinner fall without the pressure of someone casting right on top of you. In fact I have found myself completely alone more often than not. And fortunately for me, that’s usually when I can sneak out for a little while.

Release point

A male sulphur spinner

Fish like this are a whole lot of fun on the JP Ross 2 weight Beaver Meadow

Depending on the air temperature of the previous evening and whether it can stay warm over night will depend on what kind of fishing you will have the following morning. And by no means is this an exact science, it’s just a reference point. When there has been a very warm humid day with enough cloud cover to keep the heat through the night, then you can expect a decent to extraordinary spinner fall the next morning. It is usually done by about 9:30am - 10:30am. But you will also find small sporadic hatches as well, and even though it may be tempting to throw a dun pattern, it will probably be more productive to throw a spinner, parachute, or a low riding emerger pattern. Rise forms will be the dead giveaway. Look for fish sipping, or dimpling the water’s surface. A rusty spinner is a good overall choice, but don’t be afraid to play with slight variances in color at the bench, because that’s what you’ll see on the water.

If you can’t get there during a peak hatch period be ready to fish nymphs. I have had success with #14-#20 flash back pheasant tail nymphs, hare’s ears, and black all purpose nymphs. It is also the time to break out the midge box as well. Depending on the day, fishing small midge larvae and pupae in sizes #20-#24 in black and brown, may provide some of the best fishing of the day.

I hope you all enjoy your time on the water this week…tight lines!

Oriskany creek trout and retirement

In the beginning part of the month of May, I found myself back in the town I grew up in – Clinton, NY. I was there to celebrate my Dad’s retirement from Hamilton College with my brother and sister. We had plans to meet my mom and visit some old family friends in the afternoon before we all had dinner at a great restaurant in Waterville, NY. The following morning we would all plan on attending my Dad’s last lecture before eating lunch and then making our way back home.

Well….plans change, and due to a minor biking accident my Dad had earlier in the week up in Inlet, NY, his last lecture was cancelled – Don’t worry he’s fine.  That left me with a little spare time before I had to meet up with one of my old friends Jordan Ross of J.P. Ross Fly Rods. I guess it was a good thing I brought a few fly rods with me just in case something like this happened.

Fishing was good. Not great. The water had receded from the previous day’s high and stained conditions and looked to be near perfect. But even with a nice warm day, there were only a few #14 tan caddis popping off, so my plan was to toss big streamers and strip them back fast. But it wasn’t until I was at least forty five minutes into it that I hooked up with my first fish. It was a good fish for that stream, at least from what I could remember, and it took a bit longer than I had planned to land the fish. But the four weight fly rod and tippet held up just fine and I soon had a chunky eighteen inch brown trout in hand. A few photos later and she swam back just fine. My only other fish of the day came just a few casts later as a small stocked fish of about nine inches did it’s best to swallow the big streamer.

I spent the remainder of my time walking downstream looking for one more. But all I found was a big old goose trying to protect her nest from a six foot two inch moron who just happened to stray a little too close for comfort while scanning the water for fish.

Congratulations Dad - This fish is for you!!!

A great beginning!!!!

I have been a bit derelict in my blogging as of late. So I must start again, trying to catch up, if that is at all possible.

My spring steelhead season was very short. Other commitments and bad timing left me reading other fly anglers good reports and viewing photos, instead of taking part in the action myself. And to be honest I felt a bit left out. But then the first mayflies started to show up, trout began to rise, and I began to feel much better. Which is a huge improvement over last year when fishing conditions were a bit reversed. Last springs wet rainy cold weather prevented me from getting into trout on a dry until mid-summer. But the steelheading was fantastic!

So I sat and waited for my opportunity. It came. I fished with dry flies, and I caught fish! Lots of fish. And even though I have yet to fish a full blown hatch, I have witnessed enough action on top to make last year a distant memory. In short....the dry fly fishing has been great!

The Hendricksons are now on, with BWO's and caddis to come. My best pattern so far has been a snowshoe winged hendrickson pattern in a size #14, with a parachute pattern a close second. These patterns have been absolutely perfect for this early hatch when the trout line up in the slower water below a slight riffled section to take emergers, cripples, and duns. In fact it has been a whole lot of fun to take some of the bigger fish right off the bank!

And so the yearly cycle of hatches moves forward, one after the other, until the cold sets in and we are forced to turn our attention to the big fish from the lake once again. But not until this angler makes up for last year.

So far we are off to an excellent start!!!

Ethan and his first lake run brown

The title of the blog really tells the story. In fact, if I left it as is with a few photos thrown in, we would be good...right?

Well, maybe.

We had a few hours to search out some lake run trout last week. So we made the drive and met up with Michael Simmons of Guys, Flies & Pies fame to see if we could get into a few fish. Ethan and I didn't have very long so we got right to it.

Ethan had a new spin cast rod from a recent birthday to try out with a new floating stick bait to get wet. Mike used a bass popper for the first ten or fifteen minutes - I guess he has been dreaming of warmer weather and bass fishing lately, or maybe it was due to the fact that he has been spending way to much time at the vise tying up bass bugs.

And lastly - I worked a large rabbit strip streamer in hopes of getting a good fish on the swing.

It didn't take too long and Ethan gave out a yell that he had gotten into a fish. We rushed down to see him leaning back into a bent rod reeling like crazy. This is what I was hoping for! With a little coaching and some help from Mike, Ethan worked the fish into the shallows where I could put a net on her. What a great moment!! He was very happy, surprised, tired and ready for a break. But not before a few photos. Then we made sure the twenty five inch hen was ready...and we released her. Ethan was so excited and proud of his catch. Amazing! The day could have ended right then and I would have been just fine. But......

We still had some time left, so we got back to fishing. Ethan, who was now satisfied with the days catch, went to playing between Mike and I as we now tried to catch that first fish.

Ethan and I made our way down to a good run, and as I worked through course of the riffles swinging and stepping, I began to think of that "one more cast," when my line pulled tight and I felt the pull of my first lake run trout. It soon became apparent that this was a better than average fish. And when it began to run downstream, heading for a fall down, I pulled back with as much pressure as I thought I could get away with. With the ten foot eight inch seven weight switch rod bent to the cork, my last ditch effort paid off and the fish began to work into the shallows and eventually onto a gravel bar. She was big! In fact thirty inches big. My biggest fish of this new year. After another round of photos she went on her way, giving me a good shower as she left.

Ethan and I were now done. He was cold and I was satisfied I could keep up with him in the fish catching department. What an amazing afternoon. We left shortly after that, but not before handing Mike a whole bunch of streamers to try out...it was the least I could do for his help in making that hour and a half so special. Thanks Mike for helping Ethan land that first lake run brown trout, and for taking some photos. Let's do it again soon!

Until next time....

On a WNY swing!

I am happy to report that the fishing remains good!

Usually we have had to deal with frigged winter conditions...but not this year. The streams have been open and all the reports I have gotten so far have led me to believe that there are plenty of big lake run brown trout left along with the occasional fresh chrome steelhead. Or vice verse, depending on where you go.

And for those of you enjoy getting fish on the swing....well let me just tell you....it's on!!! The big lake run brown trout can't refuse a big streamer. And those who are willing to walk are rewarded with plenty of great opportunities. The steelhead are there as well, but as spring approaches they will be more inclined to take flies that are dead drifted instead of on the swing, due to the up coming spring spawn. So for now it may be a good idea to pack both the big stuff, up to four inches or better, and a few smaller wet fly patterns for the steelhead. And when the spawn begins we will have to do the dance between egg patterns and streamers depending on where we fish and when.

And remember...high water is our friend not our enemy. So fish accordingly and enjoy every minute you get to be on the stream!!!!