It rained hard overnight last night.
The flows on the White River have been increasing all day today, from about 1400 cfs to 2100 cfs. It does look like the increase has stopped, but it's hard to imagine the river dropping a huge amount before first light tomorrow. So, for the first part of the weekend, it looks like I'll be limited to smaller streams again. This is starting to get old.
If I get lucky, maybe the main branch of the White will be fishable by Sunday evening. If I'm lucky.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Lots and lots of rain recently
My Facebook feed taunts me. I follow a number of local guides. A local teen who is a great fisherman with lots of time to fish. I have local friends who simply have way more free time than I have, and they fish more than I do. I follow the feeds of lodges out west, lodges in the northeast, and fly shops all over the country. Pretty much every day, I see a fish or two on Facebook that would make my entire season. It's hard not to get jealous at times, to be honest. It also messes with my expectations every single time I head out to fish. I'm always thinking about that big brown or rainbow I'm about to catch. And, it rarely ever happens. I need to constantly remind myself to relax and enjoy the experience, and not tie my enjoyment to ideal outcomes that rarely happen.
Right after the White River Open, which was held under very low and warm water conditions, the rain arrived. We've had a number of very rainy days over the past 2 weeks. One week ago, the Winooski was high and off color. This past Saturday, it was even higher and more off color, to the point where I wouldn't even consider wading it.
The northern half of the state seemed to get more rain than the south, so the Winooski and Lamoille have been tougher to fish than the White or other rivers to the south.
Still, I prefer the water flows in Hartford, VT (USGS measuring station) to be no more than 1400 cubic feet per second if I'm going to wade the main branch of the White, and I really prefer 1200 cfs or less. It was just over 1400 cfs this past Saturday.
So, I hadn't fished at all the previous weekend (my wife's birthday, work to do around the house, blown out rivers, etc.), and I was determined to get out this past weekend. It was another busy weekend, but I managed to secure 3 hours of time Saturday evening. So, then I had to decide where to fish. The Dog was an option, but I'd fished there just a few weeks ago. The Third Branch of the White was an option, but I've honestly not caught a fish there yet this year, and some other friends have reported similar (lack of) luck. The Winooski wasn't an option. The upper main branch of the White was an option, but that's a longer drive. I finally settled on a White River tributary that will remain unnamed here.
I'm not trying to be elitist by not naming the tributary. I've told a few of my catch and release friends where I fished. The tributary is easily located on maps and it's easily accessible. But, it is small water with wild fish, and if someone were to fish this tributary and keep the fish, the local population could be adversely affected fairly easily. I really, really dislike Vermont's 12 fish per day bag limit. There is no reason any fisherman needs to keep 12 fish in a day, especially wild fish.
This is a stream where I tend to do well with dry flies, even when fish are not actively working the surface. Not knowing what insects I would encounter, I put on an attractor pattern to start - a size 14 humpy. I know this fly isn't fished as much on the east coast as the west, but it's still a favorite of mine after all the fish I caught on humpies in the Sierra Nevada when I lived in CA.
This creek is really just pocket water and the first few pockets yielded nothing. Finally, about the 4th or 5th little hole I was fishing, a trout came to the surface and rejected the fly. A few casts later, a fish hit the fly but evaded the hook. This happened a couple more times. I had been watching for insects in the air, and so far, I'd see a few small caddis flies and my first yellow sulfurs of the year. I decided to switch to a size 16 elk hair caddis. In the next 10 casts, that fly was hit at least 5 times, although I suspect it was just 1 or 2 fish. I cast further upstream in this hole, and a fish hit the fly hard as soon as it hit the water. It was a wild rainbow, about 8".
It was interesting, as I worked upstream, that some pockets that usually yield nothing at all, contained willing fish. And, the two pockets where I tend to always catch fish had no rises at all. I took 2 fish out of a pocket that had never yielded a rise before. It seemed like the fish had simply changed locations. As I missed more and more fish, I kept trying smaller flies. I eventually moved to a size 18 yellow sulfur comparadun and then a size 20 parachute Adams. I hooked fish on every fly except the size 14 humpy, and every fly brought fish to the surface.
As I moved into the final stretch of water, I was surprised when a German Shepard Dog came running at me. I had never seen a dog in this area, and the closest house to me was never occupied. It turned out to be a house owned by tourists, and I got a chance to finally meet the owner. I asked his permission to fish through his property, explaining that I'd wanted to ask before, but there was never anyone home. He was happy to oblige, although he did warn me about some downstream neighbors who seem to have a habit of pulling out a gun on people they think are on their property. Good information for the future.
The landowner was surprised when I told him that he lived on a great stretch of the stream. He asked me how I was doing, and I told him that I'd hooked 4 fish in the previous 5 minutes, but got none of them to the net. I hooked another while he was standing there, and also failed to land that fish.
As I called it a night, there was a quick blast of March Browns, but I resisted the temptation to tie on a new fly in the fading light. I still needed to hike back to my car in near darkness.
In the end, on a stream where no fish were actively working the surface, I pulled at least 30 fish up to look at or hit my fly. At least 20 of them (some the same fish, I assume) had hit the fly. I'd hooked over 10 fish, and I think I got 4 of them to the net. While there are some bigger fish in this stream, the biggest fish I caught was about 9", and the smallest was maybe 5". All were wild rainbows within walking distance of a paved road.
It's always a successful day when you catch a big fish. But, there are other experiences that make fly fishing fun and this was one of them. I hope this stream remains undiscovered. I only know a few people who ever fish there and I've never seen another fisherman on this water.
We are expecting rain off and on this week. If the main streams are still high next weekend, I have two other White River tributaries in mind for a little bit of exploration.
Right after the White River Open, which was held under very low and warm water conditions, the rain arrived. We've had a number of very rainy days over the past 2 weeks. One week ago, the Winooski was high and off color. This past Saturday, it was even higher and more off color, to the point where I wouldn't even consider wading it.
The northern half of the state seemed to get more rain than the south, so the Winooski and Lamoille have been tougher to fish than the White or other rivers to the south.
Still, I prefer the water flows in Hartford, VT (USGS measuring station) to be no more than 1400 cubic feet per second if I'm going to wade the main branch of the White, and I really prefer 1200 cfs or less. It was just over 1400 cfs this past Saturday.
So, I hadn't fished at all the previous weekend (my wife's birthday, work to do around the house, blown out rivers, etc.), and I was determined to get out this past weekend. It was another busy weekend, but I managed to secure 3 hours of time Saturday evening. So, then I had to decide where to fish. The Dog was an option, but I'd fished there just a few weeks ago. The Third Branch of the White was an option, but I've honestly not caught a fish there yet this year, and some other friends have reported similar (lack of) luck. The Winooski wasn't an option. The upper main branch of the White was an option, but that's a longer drive. I finally settled on a White River tributary that will remain unnamed here.
I'm not trying to be elitist by not naming the tributary. I've told a few of my catch and release friends where I fished. The tributary is easily located on maps and it's easily accessible. But, it is small water with wild fish, and if someone were to fish this tributary and keep the fish, the local population could be adversely affected fairly easily. I really, really dislike Vermont's 12 fish per day bag limit. There is no reason any fisherman needs to keep 12 fish in a day, especially wild fish.
This is a stream where I tend to do well with dry flies, even when fish are not actively working the surface. Not knowing what insects I would encounter, I put on an attractor pattern to start - a size 14 humpy. I know this fly isn't fished as much on the east coast as the west, but it's still a favorite of mine after all the fish I caught on humpies in the Sierra Nevada when I lived in CA.
This creek is really just pocket water and the first few pockets yielded nothing. Finally, about the 4th or 5th little hole I was fishing, a trout came to the surface and rejected the fly. A few casts later, a fish hit the fly but evaded the hook. This happened a couple more times. I had been watching for insects in the air, and so far, I'd see a few small caddis flies and my first yellow sulfurs of the year. I decided to switch to a size 16 elk hair caddis. In the next 10 casts, that fly was hit at least 5 times, although I suspect it was just 1 or 2 fish. I cast further upstream in this hole, and a fish hit the fly hard as soon as it hit the water. It was a wild rainbow, about 8".
It was interesting, as I worked upstream, that some pockets that usually yield nothing at all, contained willing fish. And, the two pockets where I tend to always catch fish had no rises at all. I took 2 fish out of a pocket that had never yielded a rise before. It seemed like the fish had simply changed locations. As I missed more and more fish, I kept trying smaller flies. I eventually moved to a size 18 yellow sulfur comparadun and then a size 20 parachute Adams. I hooked fish on every fly except the size 14 humpy, and every fly brought fish to the surface.
As I moved into the final stretch of water, I was surprised when a German Shepard Dog came running at me. I had never seen a dog in this area, and the closest house to me was never occupied. It turned out to be a house owned by tourists, and I got a chance to finally meet the owner. I asked his permission to fish through his property, explaining that I'd wanted to ask before, but there was never anyone home. He was happy to oblige, although he did warn me about some downstream neighbors who seem to have a habit of pulling out a gun on people they think are on their property. Good information for the future.
The landowner was surprised when I told him that he lived on a great stretch of the stream. He asked me how I was doing, and I told him that I'd hooked 4 fish in the previous 5 minutes, but got none of them to the net. I hooked another while he was standing there, and also failed to land that fish.
As I called it a night, there was a quick blast of March Browns, but I resisted the temptation to tie on a new fly in the fading light. I still needed to hike back to my car in near darkness.
In the end, on a stream where no fish were actively working the surface, I pulled at least 30 fish up to look at or hit my fly. At least 20 of them (some the same fish, I assume) had hit the fly. I'd hooked over 10 fish, and I think I got 4 of them to the net. While there are some bigger fish in this stream, the biggest fish I caught was about 9", and the smallest was maybe 5". All were wild rainbows within walking distance of a paved road.
It's always a successful day when you catch a big fish. But, there are other experiences that make fly fishing fun and this was one of them. I hope this stream remains undiscovered. I only know a few people who ever fish there and I've never seen another fisherman on this water.
We are expecting rain off and on this week. If the main streams are still high next weekend, I have two other White River tributaries in mind for a little bit of exploration.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
White River Open
We knew it was going to get hot, so it was important to get an early start. I had picked my starting spot well in advance - a spot I'd fished three times already this season. It's a series of 4 holes, where the lower hole is rarely productive, but the second and top holes are often very productive.
Keeping in mind what I wrote in my last post, I got to the river about 5:15, rigged up with a strike detector, a leading Prince Nymph, a middle Pheasant Tail, and a trailing green caddis emerger. We were allowed to start fishing at 5:30 and I was standing in the river ready to go at 5:28. As soon as my watch switched to 5:30, I made my first cast - a close cast designed to get a nice clean dead drift, and I started intently at my strike indicator.
For 4 or 5 casts, I saw nothing, but then, I noticed my strike indicator move upstream just the smallest amount. The fish was a native rainbow, about 12", and it fought hard. It had taken the prince nymph. My first fish was recorded on my score-sheet at 5:39. I had to untangle a bit of a mess (the fish had hit the top fly but was tangled a bit in the trailing tippet material. I finally got everything done and cast again. This cast - close in - brought a quick strike from a stocked fish. I landed this fish quickly, and I had 2 fish by 9:45. Last year, it had been at least 11:00 by the time I caught my second fish.
And then, things slowed down for a while. No more strikes in this huge hole/seam. It just seemed to go dead. Eventually, I moved to another hole maybe 30 yards upstream. I usually have good luck in this hole early in the year, but nothing at all was happening. I thought I had the right flies and good drifts, but nothing at all. By now, I was glad the morning was overcast. This was going to give us a little extra time before the river really got hot.
I did lose my bottom two flies, and I made a slight change. For my middle fly, I switched to a Montana Prince Nymph, and for my trailer, a different green caddis emerger with a bit of red and a soft hackle.
And then, I started to work upstream to my favorite hole at this spot. I worked things thoroughly on the way up, taking advantage of the low water and the strike indicator to put my flies on as many fish as possible. At the top of the hole, I got one stocked fish on the caddis emerger. That was 3 fish before 9:00. Last year, it had taken 16 fish to win the amateur division, so I had no dreams of winning, but I was just hoping to beat my 50.5" of fish from last year, and maybe finish a little higher in the rankings. Eventually, I gave up on the upper hole and started working back downstream. In the middle hole, still nothing.
But, the lower hole was exciting. Early on, I hooked a wild rainbow. The fish was jumping like crazy on the way in, and as it got closer to me, I noticed that it was flanked by two large rainbows in the 20" range. Very odd. I wasn't sure if they wanted to rescue the fish or perhaps eat it. Either way, it seemed that the combination of being hooked and being trailed by 2 big fish was too much excitement. Inches from the net, the fish managed to get off. I know that doing things the "right" way - barbless hooks, in particular - is going to cost me fish. But, sometimes in tournaments, I wonder if I'm doing myself a disservice with barbless hooks.
When the fish shook loose, one of the big rainbows disappeared with the little guy. The other settled onto the bottom of the river, about 5 feet in front of me. For 5 minutes or so, I drifted my flies right past that big guy, with no response at all. Finally, that fish took off as well. On my next cast, I hooked a stocked fish, and it also shook free right at the net. It was now 9:30, and I had 32" of fish on my scorecard and it could have easily been 50". Next, is where I might have made a mistake.
I'd hooked 4 fish from one large pool/seam, seen 2 other large fish, but I was guessing it was time to move on. I wonder now if I would have simply moved around a bit and stayed in the area if I might have picked up a few more fish. Instead, I went to my car, got a quick drink of water, and drove downstream half a mile. I was surprised that no other tournament fishermen were on this water. It starts out with some long slow pools that hold stocked fish. Then, some fun pocket water. And way downstream, there is a railroad bridge that results in 3 distinct holes that can produce fish. It's a long hike, but I decided to give it a shot. It was now almost 10:00, the sun was high, the clouds were gone, there were no hatches, and it was getting hot.
I fished quickly through the upper deep pools, knowing that lots of local fishermen hit this spot with bait and spinners as well as flies. By the time I got to the pocket water, I slowed down. I was far enough from the bridge that I was in water that rarely gets fished. Most people simply won't wade downstream for half a mile for a few small pockets of decent water. I worked these pockets carefully, and at 10:15, I hooked and landed my 4th fish of the day - a 9.5" stocked rainbow. This caused me to slow down and work the water more carefully, hoping that perhaps there were more fish in these little pockets. But, I had no luck and I eventually headed for the railroad bridge.
Here, the wading to a bit more treacherous, with the risk that a misstep would lead to be being washed into a very deep pool. I was very cautious, and while I got some casts into the limited shade, my casts were probably not to the ideal locations. But, safety comes first and I did as much as felt safe.
From the bridge, I headed downstream to a stretch of water that I used to love. It's where I caught my biggest White River trout ever. But, two winters ago, the river flow, split by a nearby island, had changed and the majority of the flow moved to the other side of the island, essentially strangling a great stretch of water. I fished through this water quickly, and then exited the river. It was now 12:30, hot, sunny, and I hadn't had a strike in over 2 hours. I had a 30 minute walk back to the car.
By the time I got to the car, I was hot and exhausted. I needed some water, but I had one more little stretch of pocket water to fish. After no luck there, I drove downstream to the nearest convenience store and got an ice cream bar and a drink. I sat in the air conditioned car, contemplating my next move. Finally I decided on an area of the river where I'd done well late in the day last year - lots of ledge dropping off into deep pools.
I got there about 1:30, leaving me with about 90 minutes to fish. A group of 2 men and 2 kids pulled up beside me and I was pretty sure they were heading to the same spot as me. But, we talked a bit and they just wanted to drown some worms, so I pointed out a good spot for them. They had caught 3 fish in deep water on worms before I had fished around the corner.
Despite my best efforts, the heat seemed to be in control. I fished almost 90 minutes without a strike before calling it a day.
The largest fish this year was only 15" - smaller than last year. Either of the big fish I'd seen would have won that category easily. Also, the winning total in the amateur division was just over 60" If I'd simply landed the 2 fish that escaped beside the net, or gotten lucky with the 2 big fish I saw, I might have won.
Next year, I guess.
While this was my best fishing day of the year, I am still averaging less than one fish per day of trout fishing.
We've had lots of rain this week, so streams may not even be fishable this weekend. It may be time to work on some projects around the house and take a weekend off fishing.
Keeping in mind what I wrote in my last post, I got to the river about 5:15, rigged up with a strike detector, a leading Prince Nymph, a middle Pheasant Tail, and a trailing green caddis emerger. We were allowed to start fishing at 5:30 and I was standing in the river ready to go at 5:28. As soon as my watch switched to 5:30, I made my first cast - a close cast designed to get a nice clean dead drift, and I started intently at my strike indicator.
For 4 or 5 casts, I saw nothing, but then, I noticed my strike indicator move upstream just the smallest amount. The fish was a native rainbow, about 12", and it fought hard. It had taken the prince nymph. My first fish was recorded on my score-sheet at 5:39. I had to untangle a bit of a mess (the fish had hit the top fly but was tangled a bit in the trailing tippet material. I finally got everything done and cast again. This cast - close in - brought a quick strike from a stocked fish. I landed this fish quickly, and I had 2 fish by 9:45. Last year, it had been at least 11:00 by the time I caught my second fish.
And then, things slowed down for a while. No more strikes in this huge hole/seam. It just seemed to go dead. Eventually, I moved to another hole maybe 30 yards upstream. I usually have good luck in this hole early in the year, but nothing at all was happening. I thought I had the right flies and good drifts, but nothing at all. By now, I was glad the morning was overcast. This was going to give us a little extra time before the river really got hot.
I did lose my bottom two flies, and I made a slight change. For my middle fly, I switched to a Montana Prince Nymph, and for my trailer, a different green caddis emerger with a bit of red and a soft hackle.
And then, I started to work upstream to my favorite hole at this spot. I worked things thoroughly on the way up, taking advantage of the low water and the strike indicator to put my flies on as many fish as possible. At the top of the hole, I got one stocked fish on the caddis emerger. That was 3 fish before 9:00. Last year, it had taken 16 fish to win the amateur division, so I had no dreams of winning, but I was just hoping to beat my 50.5" of fish from last year, and maybe finish a little higher in the rankings. Eventually, I gave up on the upper hole and started working back downstream. In the middle hole, still nothing.
But, the lower hole was exciting. Early on, I hooked a wild rainbow. The fish was jumping like crazy on the way in, and as it got closer to me, I noticed that it was flanked by two large rainbows in the 20" range. Very odd. I wasn't sure if they wanted to rescue the fish or perhaps eat it. Either way, it seemed that the combination of being hooked and being trailed by 2 big fish was too much excitement. Inches from the net, the fish managed to get off. I know that doing things the "right" way - barbless hooks, in particular - is going to cost me fish. But, sometimes in tournaments, I wonder if I'm doing myself a disservice with barbless hooks.
When the fish shook loose, one of the big rainbows disappeared with the little guy. The other settled onto the bottom of the river, about 5 feet in front of me. For 5 minutes or so, I drifted my flies right past that big guy, with no response at all. Finally, that fish took off as well. On my next cast, I hooked a stocked fish, and it also shook free right at the net. It was now 9:30, and I had 32" of fish on my scorecard and it could have easily been 50". Next, is where I might have made a mistake.
I'd hooked 4 fish from one large pool/seam, seen 2 other large fish, but I was guessing it was time to move on. I wonder now if I would have simply moved around a bit and stayed in the area if I might have picked up a few more fish. Instead, I went to my car, got a quick drink of water, and drove downstream half a mile. I was surprised that no other tournament fishermen were on this water. It starts out with some long slow pools that hold stocked fish. Then, some fun pocket water. And way downstream, there is a railroad bridge that results in 3 distinct holes that can produce fish. It's a long hike, but I decided to give it a shot. It was now almost 10:00, the sun was high, the clouds were gone, there were no hatches, and it was getting hot.
I fished quickly through the upper deep pools, knowing that lots of local fishermen hit this spot with bait and spinners as well as flies. By the time I got to the pocket water, I slowed down. I was far enough from the bridge that I was in water that rarely gets fished. Most people simply won't wade downstream for half a mile for a few small pockets of decent water. I worked these pockets carefully, and at 10:15, I hooked and landed my 4th fish of the day - a 9.5" stocked rainbow. This caused me to slow down and work the water more carefully, hoping that perhaps there were more fish in these little pockets. But, I had no luck and I eventually headed for the railroad bridge.
Here, the wading to a bit more treacherous, with the risk that a misstep would lead to be being washed into a very deep pool. I was very cautious, and while I got some casts into the limited shade, my casts were probably not to the ideal locations. But, safety comes first and I did as much as felt safe.
From the bridge, I headed downstream to a stretch of water that I used to love. It's where I caught my biggest White River trout ever. But, two winters ago, the river flow, split by a nearby island, had changed and the majority of the flow moved to the other side of the island, essentially strangling a great stretch of water. I fished through this water quickly, and then exited the river. It was now 12:30, hot, sunny, and I hadn't had a strike in over 2 hours. I had a 30 minute walk back to the car.
By the time I got to the car, I was hot and exhausted. I needed some water, but I had one more little stretch of pocket water to fish. After no luck there, I drove downstream to the nearest convenience store and got an ice cream bar and a drink. I sat in the air conditioned car, contemplating my next move. Finally I decided on an area of the river where I'd done well late in the day last year - lots of ledge dropping off into deep pools.
I got there about 1:30, leaving me with about 90 minutes to fish. A group of 2 men and 2 kids pulled up beside me and I was pretty sure they were heading to the same spot as me. But, we talked a bit and they just wanted to drown some worms, so I pointed out a good spot for them. They had caught 3 fish in deep water on worms before I had fished around the corner.
Despite my best efforts, the heat seemed to be in control. I fished almost 90 minutes without a strike before calling it a day.
The largest fish this year was only 15" - smaller than last year. Either of the big fish I'd seen would have won that category easily. Also, the winning total in the amateur division was just over 60" If I'd simply landed the 2 fish that escaped beside the net, or gotten lucky with the 2 big fish I saw, I might have won.
Next year, I guess.
While this was my best fishing day of the year, I am still averaging less than one fish per day of trout fishing.
We've had lots of rain this week, so streams may not even be fishable this weekend. It may be time to work on some projects around the house and take a weekend off fishing.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Have I been getting lazy?
My fishing companion made a comment to me on Sunday that really took me off guard. He said "You aren't really nymphing, are you?". What he meant, was that I am spending a lot of time with the flies on the swing rather than in a dead drift. I've been thinking about this all week and thinking about my fishing the past couple years.
I do know that in my initial response to the comment, I got a bit defensive, talked about some topics from the book Dynamic Nymphing, which I've been reading recently. But, I never really answered the question.
I remember two years ago, in the autumn, I caught some really nice fish, including the 2 biggest rainbows I'd ever caught in VT. I was using strike indicators a fair amount, doing lots of high sticking, and really working on a nice clean dead drift. My success rates were going through the roof, and I remember telling a guy at my gym, who also fly fishes, that I felt like I was finally "getting it" with nymphing after all these years.
Early last season, I had a lot of success with fishing buggers on the swing. I do remember the first half of the day of a local fly fishing tournament, when the fish were being picky, I had to really go for that dead drift with a high stick. But then, I caught fish through most of the season without having to use the high stick or a strike indicator. I completely stopped thinking about strike indicators, to be honest.
In the autumn last year, I took 12 days off work to fly fish. My success rates were pretty low. I had one really good day on the Winooski, but other than that, I had lots of days of zero or 1 fish. I was fishing on the swing quite a bit by then.
This spring, I've fished 11 days so far and landed 5 fish. At this point in time last year, I'd probably caught 60 fish. There is no doubt that we had a more "normal" spring last year, and conditions were easier last year. But, all spring, I've felt like something else was up.
Maybe I got the answer on Sunday.
"You're not really nymphing, are you?"
I can't fish until Saturday, but I guarantee that I'll be on the water with a different mindset, and most likely, a strike indicator, this weekend. Fly selection this weekend should be easy - a 3 nymph rig with a Prince nymph, a PT, and a green caddis emerger. If I can get the presentation right, maybe I'll find out that it isn't about luck so much as presenting the fly properly. Maybe I won't forget it this time.
I do know that in my initial response to the comment, I got a bit defensive, talked about some topics from the book Dynamic Nymphing, which I've been reading recently. But, I never really answered the question.
I remember two years ago, in the autumn, I caught some really nice fish, including the 2 biggest rainbows I'd ever caught in VT. I was using strike indicators a fair amount, doing lots of high sticking, and really working on a nice clean dead drift. My success rates were going through the roof, and I remember telling a guy at my gym, who also fly fishes, that I felt like I was finally "getting it" with nymphing after all these years.
Early last season, I had a lot of success with fishing buggers on the swing. I do remember the first half of the day of a local fly fishing tournament, when the fish were being picky, I had to really go for that dead drift with a high stick. But then, I caught fish through most of the season without having to use the high stick or a strike indicator. I completely stopped thinking about strike indicators, to be honest.
In the autumn last year, I took 12 days off work to fly fish. My success rates were pretty low. I had one really good day on the Winooski, but other than that, I had lots of days of zero or 1 fish. I was fishing on the swing quite a bit by then.
This spring, I've fished 11 days so far and landed 5 fish. At this point in time last year, I'd probably caught 60 fish. There is no doubt that we had a more "normal" spring last year, and conditions were easier last year. But, all spring, I've felt like something else was up.
Maybe I got the answer on Sunday.
"You're not really nymphing, are you?"
I can't fish until Saturday, but I guarantee that I'll be on the water with a different mindset, and most likely, a strike indicator, this weekend. Fly selection this weekend should be easy - a 3 nymph rig with a Prince nymph, a PT, and a green caddis emerger. If I can get the presentation right, maybe I'll find out that it isn't about luck so much as presenting the fly properly. Maybe I won't forget it this time.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Lots of fishing time over the holiday weekend
Friday night, my daughter had a lacrosse game. I was glad to be able to go to the game, although she is less than 100% after taking a stick to the wrist and thumb a couple games ago. But, going to the game gave me another option. When the game ended a little after 6:00, I had time to sneak out to fish for a couple hours. It was cold and windy and I headed for the main branch of the White, in the Royalton area. I fished the same area where I caught a wild brookie a few weeks ago, but I expected different results this time, because the river had been stocked a week earlier.
Because of the windy conditions, I pulled out my older Sage RPL+ (5 weight) and rigged it up with a 6 weight line. This was my go-to rod for many years, but I simply don't fish it much any more; it's just too stiff.
It didn't take long before the stocked fish started to strike at my flies. I was fishing a 3-fly rig - olive woolly bugger, Montana Prince Nymph, and a small attractor soft-hackle nymph. Over the next 2 hours, I hooked fish on all three of the flies. I probably had about 20 strikes, I hooked 5 fish, but I only got 2 of them to the net. That is one of the big disadvantages of the super stiff rod, especially with barbless hooks and smaller fish. It's hard to maintain the right amount of pressure on the fish and they are frequently able to escape. No big deal though. It was a fun 2 hours, even if I only caught a couple fish.
The next evening, I headed out on the Third Branch of the White, looking for browns. This river had been stocked just days before, and I deliberately avoided the logical stocking spots. I was looking for wild fish. I did a good job of avoiding the stocked fish, but I also managed to avoid all of the fish. I fished two normally production stretches of water, although one still isn't the same since Hurricane Irene. That stretch, by Camp Brook, will likely never be what it was just a few years ago.
Sunday, I met up with another local fisherman to fish the Dog River. The other guy, Jack, has been fishing the White River for 28 years, and fly fishing for 40 years, but he had never fished the Dog. We worked 5 different stretches of water over 8 hours. This is an un-stocked river with a reputation for big browns, but I honestly catch more rainbows than browns in this river. It's been a few years since I last caught a brown. I even catch more brookies in the headwaters of this river than browns.
We were only 30 minutes into fishing when I briefly hooked a beautiful rainbow - probably 16" and brightly colored. I turned the fish when I set the hook. It then jumped and threw the hook. And then jumped once more to laugh at me, I assume. It was a pretty fish and I know where to look next time. After that, things were quiet for a few hours.
The water was low and clear and we did sight fish to a few nice browns. One even took a bug off the surface, but we couldn't draw them up.
Finally, after almost 8 hours on the river, I think we were getting tired. But, I suggested we still had one "must fish" spot to go to - a spot that was also damaged by Hurricane Irene, but one that still produces nice fish on occasion. Because I was playing tour guide, I let Jack take the first casts in the nicest part of this stretch. He had decided to try a dry fly, and he enticed a fish to take it. It ended up being a really fat, beautiful rainbow, about 18". That was the nicest fish I've seen out of the Dog in quite a while. The Dog is a wild and challenging river, and we managed to hook just 2 fish in over 8 hours on the water. But, both of the fish we hooked were beautiful wild fish - the kind of fish that most fly fishermen dream about.
Next weekend, I'm fishing in the White River Open - a 1-day fly fishing tournament with over 90 miles of river to choose from. I really have 2 choices. I can target stocked fish and try to compete for the overall title. Or, I can go to more obscure spots and target bigger, wild fish, knowing that I might easily get skunked for the day. I'm still not sure how I'll approach things.
Because of the windy conditions, I pulled out my older Sage RPL+ (5 weight) and rigged it up with a 6 weight line. This was my go-to rod for many years, but I simply don't fish it much any more; it's just too stiff.
It didn't take long before the stocked fish started to strike at my flies. I was fishing a 3-fly rig - olive woolly bugger, Montana Prince Nymph, and a small attractor soft-hackle nymph. Over the next 2 hours, I hooked fish on all three of the flies. I probably had about 20 strikes, I hooked 5 fish, but I only got 2 of them to the net. That is one of the big disadvantages of the super stiff rod, especially with barbless hooks and smaller fish. It's hard to maintain the right amount of pressure on the fish and they are frequently able to escape. No big deal though. It was a fun 2 hours, even if I only caught a couple fish.
The next evening, I headed out on the Third Branch of the White, looking for browns. This river had been stocked just days before, and I deliberately avoided the logical stocking spots. I was looking for wild fish. I did a good job of avoiding the stocked fish, but I also managed to avoid all of the fish. I fished two normally production stretches of water, although one still isn't the same since Hurricane Irene. That stretch, by Camp Brook, will likely never be what it was just a few years ago.
Sunday, I met up with another local fisherman to fish the Dog River. The other guy, Jack, has been fishing the White River for 28 years, and fly fishing for 40 years, but he had never fished the Dog. We worked 5 different stretches of water over 8 hours. This is an un-stocked river with a reputation for big browns, but I honestly catch more rainbows than browns in this river. It's been a few years since I last caught a brown. I even catch more brookies in the headwaters of this river than browns.
We were only 30 minutes into fishing when I briefly hooked a beautiful rainbow - probably 16" and brightly colored. I turned the fish when I set the hook. It then jumped and threw the hook. And then jumped once more to laugh at me, I assume. It was a pretty fish and I know where to look next time. After that, things were quiet for a few hours.
The water was low and clear and we did sight fish to a few nice browns. One even took a bug off the surface, but we couldn't draw them up.
Finally, after almost 8 hours on the river, I think we were getting tired. But, I suggested we still had one "must fish" spot to go to - a spot that was also damaged by Hurricane Irene, but one that still produces nice fish on occasion. Because I was playing tour guide, I let Jack take the first casts in the nicest part of this stretch. He had decided to try a dry fly, and he enticed a fish to take it. It ended up being a really fat, beautiful rainbow, about 18". That was the nicest fish I've seen out of the Dog in quite a while. The Dog is a wild and challenging river, and we managed to hook just 2 fish in over 8 hours on the water. But, both of the fish we hooked were beautiful wild fish - the kind of fish that most fly fishermen dream about.
Next weekend, I'm fishing in the White River Open - a 1-day fly fishing tournament with over 90 miles of river to choose from. I really have 2 choices. I can target stocked fish and try to compete for the overall title. Or, I can go to more obscure spots and target bigger, wild fish, knowing that I might easily get skunked for the day. I'm still not sure how I'll approach things.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Slightly better results
I got out last Friday night on the main stem of the White River, near Royalton, VT. Water flows were down to 1400 cfs downstream in Hartford, meaning I could safely wade one of my favorite stretches of the White. And, for 3 hours, it was just like every other day this season. By the time I'd wandered upstream to the best of the four large zones I was fishing, I was desperate. At the top of this last hole, there are 2 rocks and it's very rare not to get some strikes here. But remember, until this point of the season, I'd had zero strikes at all in a month.
On my 4th or 5th cast, I got a strike, but failed to hook the fish. As often happens in this pool, it was a hard strike. Somehow, the fish here seem to have some superpower where they can slam a hook and not get pierced. A few casts later, I had another strike, and this time, I made contact. Due to the water conditions, this turned into quite a battle, and I had to wade downstream to net the fish. It turned out to be a female brookie about 13" or so.
It was the first time I've ever caught a brooked in the main stem of the White, below Bethel. I've caught them in the higher reaches of a number of tributaries, but never in the main branch. It was very surprising.
I fished another half an hour or so, and had one more very hard strike, but I failed to hook the fish.
On Sunday, I headed north and east to the Waits River, a river I'd never fished before. I focused on a stretch about a mile long between Flanders Brook and the East Corinth General Store. I hit three distinct "fishy" looking stretches, but I had absolutely no luck at all. This was my first time on the Waits, but it's close enough that I'll return, hopefully with more success the next time.
Yesterday (Thursday), I worked half a day and then arrange to meet a local Trout Unlimited friend on the upper part of the main branch of the White. I will be honest. The water had been stocked the day before and I was well aware of this. The day after this stretch was stocked last year, I caught 34 fish (3 wild, the rest stocked).
I got to our designated meeting spot and I was slowly working my way downstream. I was trying to avoid the best water until Paul arrived. Around 12:30 or so, I heard him yell to me. Before he could gear up, I'd landed 2 stocked fish. When he got to the water, we moved down into the zone were I tend to catch the most fish. I got one more. And then, the fishing just died. About 2:30 or so, we gave up and headed to another spot. Here, I was disappointed at how high the water flows were, and also how cold the water was. What a change the last week had brought us, especially the heavy, cold rain the previous Monday night. We couldn't even get close to the best hole here. At this spot, my standard technique is a strike indicator with a couple nymphs, trying to get a nice dead drift. The water was way too fast to have any chance with this at all. At one point, Paul was using 4 (non-lead) split shots to try to get his flies deep.
About 5:00 or so, we bailed on this spot and grabbed a quick snack and a drink. We had a few options, but the higher water ruled out a few. I suggested we return to where we had started, knowing it would now be shady, and perhaps the fish would be less cautious. Paul focused on the slower pools below me, hoping a fish - any fish - would respond to the Hendricksons on the surface. He had no luck at all.
I stayed with my flies from earlier in the day. After maybe 30 minutes, I had a strike, but failed to hook the fish. Fifteen minutes later, I hooked a fish, but failed to land him. Finally around 7:30, Paul, who had a long drive home, had had enough, and we called it a day. I had three stocked rainbows to show for the day (photos only - the fish were released), and Paul didn't even have a strike.
It's now mid-May and I've caught 4 trout. We've had really, really weird weather, starting with a very cold winter. Our hatches are all out of whack. I've talked to a lot of fishermen who are also struggling. Things will get better.
But, it's mid May and I've caught 4 trout so far this season. That's terrible. The only way to fix that is to fish some more.
On my 4th or 5th cast, I got a strike, but failed to hook the fish. As often happens in this pool, it was a hard strike. Somehow, the fish here seem to have some superpower where they can slam a hook and not get pierced. A few casts later, I had another strike, and this time, I made contact. Due to the water conditions, this turned into quite a battle, and I had to wade downstream to net the fish. It turned out to be a female brookie about 13" or so.
It was the first time I've ever caught a brooked in the main stem of the White, below Bethel. I've caught them in the higher reaches of a number of tributaries, but never in the main branch. It was very surprising.
I fished another half an hour or so, and had one more very hard strike, but I failed to hook the fish.
On Sunday, I headed north and east to the Waits River, a river I'd never fished before. I focused on a stretch about a mile long between Flanders Brook and the East Corinth General Store. I hit three distinct "fishy" looking stretches, but I had absolutely no luck at all. This was my first time on the Waits, but it's close enough that I'll return, hopefully with more success the next time.
Yesterday (Thursday), I worked half a day and then arrange to meet a local Trout Unlimited friend on the upper part of the main branch of the White. I will be honest. The water had been stocked the day before and I was well aware of this. The day after this stretch was stocked last year, I caught 34 fish (3 wild, the rest stocked).
I got to our designated meeting spot and I was slowly working my way downstream. I was trying to avoid the best water until Paul arrived. Around 12:30 or so, I heard him yell to me. Before he could gear up, I'd landed 2 stocked fish. When he got to the water, we moved down into the zone were I tend to catch the most fish. I got one more. And then, the fishing just died. About 2:30 or so, we gave up and headed to another spot. Here, I was disappointed at how high the water flows were, and also how cold the water was. What a change the last week had brought us, especially the heavy, cold rain the previous Monday night. We couldn't even get close to the best hole here. At this spot, my standard technique is a strike indicator with a couple nymphs, trying to get a nice dead drift. The water was way too fast to have any chance with this at all. At one point, Paul was using 4 (non-lead) split shots to try to get his flies deep.
About 5:00 or so, we bailed on this spot and grabbed a quick snack and a drink. We had a few options, but the higher water ruled out a few. I suggested we return to where we had started, knowing it would now be shady, and perhaps the fish would be less cautious. Paul focused on the slower pools below me, hoping a fish - any fish - would respond to the Hendricksons on the surface. He had no luck at all.
I stayed with my flies from earlier in the day. After maybe 30 minutes, I had a strike, but failed to hook the fish. Fifteen minutes later, I hooked a fish, but failed to land him. Finally around 7:30, Paul, who had a long drive home, had had enough, and we called it a day. I had three stocked rainbows to show for the day (photos only - the fish were released), and Paul didn't even have a strike.
It's now mid-May and I've caught 4 trout. We've had really, really weird weather, starting with a very cold winter. Our hatches are all out of whack. I've talked to a lot of fishermen who are also struggling. Things will get better.
But, it's mid May and I've caught 4 trout so far this season. That's terrible. The only way to fix that is to fish some more.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Still no fish
I usually get my first trout of the year somewhere around the first of May. I never seem to catch anything in the Otter Creek Classic, and after the opening weekend, I frequently don't fish again until the water warms up and levels drop after snow-melt run-off in late April.
So, I got out this past Friday. I hate to say it, but having caught no fish this year, I targeted stocked brook trout. Earlier in the week, the upper reaches of the Third Branch of the White River had gotten 400 brookies. But, those 400 fish were distributed over a stretch of water at least 12 miles long, meaning a very low fish density. There are wild fish in this stretch as well, but I rarely catch any of them, to be honest. I think the last time I caught a trout through this stretch was 3 or 4 years ago.
I assumed the fish would have been stocked in places where there is easy access to the river. I fished at a number of bridges, while heading upstream from Randolph towards Roxbury. I didn't have a single strike, despite nice water clarity and water temps. I am still fishing a sinking tip leader, given that the water is still cool and I'm assuming the fish are deep. With our current warm weather, I'm thinking I'm likely to abandon the sinking tip in the next week or so.
The next evening, I headed out on a White River tributary. This tributary sees very little pressure, I have never seen any signs of another fisherman there. No footprints, no other fishermen, and no litter. Well, I did find a lime wedge in a pool of water last Saturday, but that was not a usual find. There are a few houses upstream of where I was fishing, and one in particular has a deck that comes almost to the water. I assumed the lime was the remnants of a cocktail, tossed casually into the water.
I really like this tributary in the summer, especially when the main branch starts to heat up. This is a stream where I can fish dries when no fish are rising, and catch 10+ fish in a couple hours. I had never been shut out on this stream. That is, until last Saturday. Not one strike. Nothing.
I did see my first caddis flies of the year and my first BWOs. I still haven't seen any Hendricksons or March Brown's, but I expect to see them shortly given how it's warmed up the past few days. And I've heard the bigger stoneflies are starting to show up in places.
When I got home Saturday night, I told my wife I was selling all of my fishing gear. If I can't at least catch fish some of the time, why bother?
Of course, that was frustration talking. It seems like I've put a lot of time into fishing already this season, and I haven't had a single strike. I'm sure that will change shortly. Right around this time last year, I had a 30+ fish day (mostly stocked fish) and the fishing just took off after that. I'd rather catch wild fish, but right now, I'd settle for any fish at all.
So, I got out this past Friday. I hate to say it, but having caught no fish this year, I targeted stocked brook trout. Earlier in the week, the upper reaches of the Third Branch of the White River had gotten 400 brookies. But, those 400 fish were distributed over a stretch of water at least 12 miles long, meaning a very low fish density. There are wild fish in this stretch as well, but I rarely catch any of them, to be honest. I think the last time I caught a trout through this stretch was 3 or 4 years ago.
I assumed the fish would have been stocked in places where there is easy access to the river. I fished at a number of bridges, while heading upstream from Randolph towards Roxbury. I didn't have a single strike, despite nice water clarity and water temps. I am still fishing a sinking tip leader, given that the water is still cool and I'm assuming the fish are deep. With our current warm weather, I'm thinking I'm likely to abandon the sinking tip in the next week or so.
The next evening, I headed out on a White River tributary. This tributary sees very little pressure, I have never seen any signs of another fisherman there. No footprints, no other fishermen, and no litter. Well, I did find a lime wedge in a pool of water last Saturday, but that was not a usual find. There are a few houses upstream of where I was fishing, and one in particular has a deck that comes almost to the water. I assumed the lime was the remnants of a cocktail, tossed casually into the water.
I really like this tributary in the summer, especially when the main branch starts to heat up. This is a stream where I can fish dries when no fish are rising, and catch 10+ fish in a couple hours. I had never been shut out on this stream. That is, until last Saturday. Not one strike. Nothing.
I did see my first caddis flies of the year and my first BWOs. I still haven't seen any Hendricksons or March Brown's, but I expect to see them shortly given how it's warmed up the past few days. And I've heard the bigger stoneflies are starting to show up in places.
When I got home Saturday night, I told my wife I was selling all of my fishing gear. If I can't at least catch fish some of the time, why bother?
Of course, that was frustration talking. It seems like I've put a lot of time into fishing already this season, and I haven't had a single strike. I'm sure that will change shortly. Right around this time last year, I had a 30+ fish day (mostly stocked fish) and the fishing just took off after that. I'd rather catch wild fish, but right now, I'd settle for any fish at all.
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