"You Can Catch 'Em On Anything" That was the title of a chapter in John Gierach's book "Fly Fishing Small Streams" and one day last week I put that phrase to the test. By the way if you have not read that book I strongly suggest you do. It is one of the best books I've read.
Now back to fishing. The stream I was fishing had a pool in which I saw two brook trout just setting there taking in some nourishment. I had a bomber on but changed my mind and selected a pretty sparse fly instead. The fly is posted above and it was not much more than a lightly dubbed hook with a turn of hackle. The hackle had broken off and was just about hanging on. I tied it on and cast it up from where the brookies were. It drifted near them and instantly one of them darted for it and took it.
Well John your words came true and here is the proof.
I picked up some Italian sausage at a small market. The label said "hot" sausage but knowing markets I took that meaning very lightly. That afternoon I grilled it up and man did it look awesome.
As it cooked I took a small piece to test to see if it was cooked. Well folks this is one time when "hot was hot", I want to tell you it smoked me. The Mrs. was not pleased but she tolerated it.
Some red and green peppers and a few onions and a hard roll and the burning was not the bad.
That sausage with peppers and onions is right up my alley. One of my favorites on the grill.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful brook trout caught on that sparse fly. I hear and read, once again tonight, that sparse is better, but when I am tying a fly I have the tendency to make one more wind of hackle than I probably should. Maybe more than that if I have room next to the hook eye.
Parachute Adams
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Sam that was one awesome meal.
My soft-hackles tend to be sparse but the one here was actually a fly that lost most of it's hackle from a poor job of tying. Key was the fish took it anyway. I'm still trying to figure out what they thought it was.
I once read a scholarly article about stomach contents of cutthroat in small mountain streams. Such things as gravel, wood, twigs, flowers, leaves, and bits of grass turned up not just in some fish but in most fish. Small streams are not the easiest places for fish to find a meal, and so fish like cutthroat and brook trout compensate by eating anything and everything that floats by! I can remember finding an actively rising brook tout on a small stream in central CT 5 years ago. I decided to do an experiment. I found some little pine cones and gave them a toss, and sure enough up came the brookie. He didn't even spit the first one out.
ReplyDeleteRM Lytle
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Rowan that's amazing. The food sources in those streams are scant so even though there is no nutrition in it it still fills the belly. We observed fish in the eight mile rising to yellow flowers that we threw in.
Okay, first things first. I love hot sausage with peppers and onions. Nothing better. I'm not surprised at what a fish will eat at any given time. I've seen them grab a bare hook!
ReplyDeleteHoward Levett
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Howard hot sausage and peppers would be a great breakfast. A nice way to start your day. I learn more about fish everyday.
Alan
ReplyDeleteThe sausage looks delish!! I guess like humans the trout when hungry will eat anything that represents food.
TROUT1
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Pete you have made a good point.
Alan
ReplyDeleteThose sausage links would have been a treat for me, I'm into hot foods----your fly episode reminds me of my grandson this past spring who landed a bluegill on a bare hook-----thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill I love hot stuff too, only I pay for it later.
A bare hook, I have heard that mentioned before.
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteI have had trout & grayling take well chewed up soft hackles (with barely any hackle left) over here in the UK also.
That spicy sausage looked and sounded good.
Finally John Gierach, what an author, I love his work.....
Alistair
Anonymous
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Alistair when the fly is so beat up it must take on a reality so that it looks more natural.
Gierach has a wonderful style.
I have a copy of John Gierach"s "Fly Fishing Small Streams" and reread it often--wonderful book.
ReplyDeleteThere's a Black Woolly Worm in one of my fly boxes that has no hackles remaining and it looks just like a fat black nymph.It still catches fish.
The sausage looks great but I think it would kill me! I used to love hot curries, chillies, sembal olek paste wasabi sauce and spicey sausages. Glad you can enjoy them.
Cheers,
Steve.
Steve Hynes
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One of my favorite chapters is "Where there are trout, there's hope"
Wow Steve you do have a spicy taste.
Hi Alan, Food looks great, as usual. We've been having an outstanding albie season. Best I can remember. Anyway some of the fish regurgitate what they've been eating. We call their meals "two eyes and a wiggle". I think thee best way to approximate it, with a fly would be a short piece of chenille bound to the hook with two black dots (marker pen). Sparse rules. No doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteJohn Dornik
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John I guess a stomach pump is not necessary with albies. It's good to hear that there is a strong run of these fish.
Sparse is an asset at times. A gent from VT ties a streamer with a chenille body and a 3-4 squirrel tail fibers. Killer fly.
not only do the fish look lovely but you can cook a lovely looking sausage too Alan, well done again mate just goes to show that no matter how sparse a fish will still have a go, do we over complicate things as fly tyers at times is a question I often ask myself.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
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George I ask the same question and I can't give myself an answer.
Sometimes they just have to look "buggy". That one sure fits the bill.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz
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Mark they tell me these guys eat leaves and sticks, so that fly seems to fit the dinner plate.
that sausage looks great ... I made you more vegan....
ReplyDeleteArmando Milosevic
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Armando it was so tasty. I'm a meat eater, but some veggies I like especially peppers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ex9T4fCLo
ReplyDeleteCame across this today-short film about John Gierach and his outlook on life and fishing. Hopefully the link works!
Kindest Regards,
Steve.
Steve Hynes
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Steve the link works and the clips are great. The guy is awesome.