.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
More Trout (but less of them)
JP and I headed back to thee crick last Sunday, hoping for caddis and getting none. I fished my brains out with an elk hair caddis and a dropper and caught very few. The word must've leaked out about last weekend because the long rod warriors were out en masse. We found a section of stream that was vacant of other anglers (and, seemingly trout) and worked it over hard. It was one of those 65 degree April days when there was just enough green happening that you know it's spring. The water was running clear, the cardinals were singing, the fishing was great but the catching sucked
.
.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Caddis Nirvana
An epic outing on local waters for me and JP. The timing was perfect.
We left town, drove to get our 2010 fishing licenses, arrived at the stream, loosened up our arms on a few rising fish and then WHAM! Full blown caddis hatch. In the pic above you'll see JP is sitting on the bank landing (another) 10"-12" brown on a size 16 elk hair caddis. The fish were so hot on the hatch that he had between 15 and 20 trout rising in front of him on this run. I could lie and say he was sitting to keep his profile down, but the fact is, sitting was just the most comfortable method of being there, and there was no reason to move. This kind of fishing happens so infrequently that JP had yet to experience anything like it. It was (maybe) the 2nd or 3rd time I'd attended one of this intensity on this stream. At one point I asked him to express his mirth at a lower volume for fear that our "secret" would be revealed to others. Although a number of fish were landed, we didn't beach any whales...nevertheless, the sheer number of takes, misses and rising fish undid all of our life's ills.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Remote Office
What to do when the schools close for spring break but you are busy at work and can't burn vacation time? Laptop...check, cell phone...check, wireless card...check, 8wt...check, airline ticket...check. I spent a few days working in a remote office on Marco Island last week.
The weather was cool but warmed with each passing day. Day one was semi-successful with a few mackerel, jacks and a lady fish caught. The wind and turbid water slowed things waaaaay down for the next two days, but I finally caught a break when the water warmed and cleared. I made my way down the empty beach under the nearly full moon. Waves lapped instead of crashed. After missing a strike from the beach, I made my way out on the rocks and connected with a pompano...my first ever. I caught a few more mackerel, jacks and pompano when I noticed something heavy feeding in the shallows near the beach. Armed with a clouser, I pitched and brought the fly back unscathed. I led the nervous water and started my retrieve...The fly stopped HARD. I got off a short 3" strip set and then watched all of my flyline and 150 yards of backing disappear. I was starting to think that my reel would empty and my morning fishing would end without ever knowing what I'd hooked when suddenly the stingray identified itself with a stunning leap.
Crap.
I don't know much about stingrays except that they have "sting" in their name and you are advised to shuffle on the flats because they don't like to be stepped on. I decided I wanted my flyline back, so I cranked down the Hatch's drag and pulled back on my Sage XI2 until it turned around. Once heading back my direction, I couldn't reel fast enough and headed back to the beach for the disconnect process. Once on the beach, I could see that the fly had stuck into its "shoulder" and that it hadn't actually eaten my fly.
I cut the tippet and coaxed the ray back into the water with the butt of my rod. I estimate the wingspan of this critter at 36"-40" and was happy when it calmly glided away.
I made my way back out on the rocks, retied and raised hell with a school of pompano that kept me in constant action until my laptop, cell phone and wireless card beckoned.
That evening, prior to the flight out of Ft Myers, I fished again and landed 1 pompano and a sheepshead. All in all a very nice week at work.
The weather was cool but warmed with each passing day. Day one was semi-successful with a few mackerel, jacks and a lady fish caught. The wind and turbid water slowed things waaaaay down for the next two days, but I finally caught a break when the water warmed and cleared. I made my way down the empty beach under the nearly full moon. Waves lapped instead of crashed. After missing a strike from the beach, I made my way out on the rocks and connected with a pompano...my first ever. I caught a few more mackerel, jacks and pompano when I noticed something heavy feeding in the shallows near the beach. Armed with a clouser, I pitched and brought the fly back unscathed. I led the nervous water and started my retrieve...The fly stopped HARD. I got off a short 3" strip set and then watched all of my flyline and 150 yards of backing disappear. I was starting to think that my reel would empty and my morning fishing would end without ever knowing what I'd hooked when suddenly the stingray identified itself with a stunning leap.
Crap.
I don't know much about stingrays except that they have "sting" in their name and you are advised to shuffle on the flats because they don't like to be stepped on. I decided I wanted my flyline back, so I cranked down the Hatch's drag and pulled back on my Sage XI2 until it turned around. Once heading back my direction, I couldn't reel fast enough and headed back to the beach for the disconnect process. Once on the beach, I could see that the fly had stuck into its "shoulder" and that it hadn't actually eaten my fly.
I cut the tippet and coaxed the ray back into the water with the butt of my rod. I estimate the wingspan of this critter at 36"-40" and was happy when it calmly glided away.
I made my way back out on the rocks, retied and raised hell with a school of pompano that kept me in constant action until my laptop, cell phone and wireless card beckoned.
That evening, prior to the flight out of Ft Myers, I fished again and landed 1 pompano and a sheepshead. All in all a very nice week at work.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tyin'
With a few saltwater dates booked it was time to put scissor to feather and fill some holes in my boxes. I spent the last two bonefish trips throwing flies of my own design and having success in the process. I have a staple collection of Crazy Charlies, Shrimp Scampi, Pink Puffs etc, but I take a twisted pleasure in tying saltwater baitfish, shrimp and crab patterns of my own design a 1000 miles away from the nearest bonefish and without any real method to my madness...except rubber legs. Here is an actual conversation with one of my guides on Andros last spring....
Me: "do you have any fly recommendations?"
Guide: "ya have da fly wit da rubber leg dat go outda bock?"
Me: "Tan, cream, pearl, olive or brown?"
Guide: "taun"
Me: "Like this?" (holding up a midwestern daydream lashed to a hook)
Guide: "Dat's PERFECT Mon!!! If it had dumbell instedda beadchain eyes?"
Me: "Like this then" (holding up the heavier cousin to the original choice).
Guide: "Dat's de fly, dat s'won"
And that was the second guide in a row that asked for a sample pattern when the day was done.
Now, lest the moral of the story get lost in visions of me dislocating my shoulder patting myself on the back, that's not the point. I was lucky...or I should say "informed" lucky. I start with the known quantities: sink rate, size, color...and then I add pin-striping, spoiler and mag wheels until it feels right. It's also the law of averages. Tie enough light, med and heavy flies in the basic sizes 2, 4, 6 and maybe 8, in the basic colors, tan, cream, olive amber, etc and tie everything long and relatively full and you can reduction tie (barbershop) the fly on the spot.
There is something almost sacrilegious about attempting to tie a fly to imitate a prey that I know nothing about for a predator that I know very little about in an environment that I spend so little time in. But there is something equally smug about pulling it off. This year's batch, thus far, is comprised of flies that are 20-30% longer than anything I've yet tied. I liked the barred craft fur tails on the Borski Slider so I added that to a few patterns. I even went a little 1980's with color and tied a half dozen with more than a hint of pink and another half dozen with a lot of orange. I'm hoping that one of these will turn out to be a winner...if not, I've always got the Crazy Charlies. But, if one kicks ass, I'm going to give it a fitting name like - Midwestern Daydream or Guides Sample.
Me: "do you have any fly recommendations?"
Guide: "ya have da fly wit da rubber leg dat go outda bock?"
Me: "Tan, cream, pearl, olive or brown?"
Guide: "taun"
Me: "Like this?" (holding up a midwestern daydream lashed to a hook)
Guide: "Dat's PERFECT Mon!!! If it had dumbell instedda beadchain eyes?"
Me: "Like this then" (holding up the heavier cousin to the original choice).
Guide: "Dat's de fly, dat s'won"
And that was the second guide in a row that asked for a sample pattern when the day was done.
Now, lest the moral of the story get lost in visions of me dislocating my shoulder patting myself on the back, that's not the point. I was lucky...or I should say "informed" lucky. I start with the known quantities: sink rate, size, color...and then I add pin-striping, spoiler and mag wheels until it feels right. It's also the law of averages. Tie enough light, med and heavy flies in the basic sizes 2, 4, 6 and maybe 8, in the basic colors, tan, cream, olive amber, etc and tie everything long and relatively full and you can reduction tie (barbershop) the fly on the spot.
There is something almost sacrilegious about attempting to tie a fly to imitate a prey that I know nothing about for a predator that I know very little about in an environment that I spend so little time in. But there is something equally smug about pulling it off. This year's batch, thus far, is comprised of flies that are 20-30% longer than anything I've yet tied. I liked the barred craft fur tails on the Borski Slider so I added that to a few patterns. I even went a little 1980's with color and tied a half dozen with more than a hint of pink and another half dozen with a lot of orange. I'm hoping that one of these will turn out to be a winner...if not, I've always got the Crazy Charlies. But, if one kicks ass, I'm going to give it a fitting name like - Midwestern Daydream or Guides Sample.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
2010 Early Season Opener
The early season opener, here and gone. I spent a few quality hours streamside and brought a few fish to hand. This marks the 12th season opener that I've waded this particular stream. I couldn't help but notice how the excitement and blood-lust of my younger years has given way to a mellow comfort...either that or I was just numb from another long winter.
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