March... In Closing

My first outing in March, found the small stream running high, cold and off color.
The air temps may have been tolorable, but the water temps were not. There was a considerable snow cover lining the banks, and access was tough. As the month moved on there were a few days with air temps in the fifties and sixties, this brought out some midge and stoneflies. I was fortunate to take my first brookie on a dry fly on one of those warmer days.

As March is about to leave, I found myself fishing a small stream in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the next to last day. The sun was bright and the air a warm fifty degrees. I fished for three hours or so, with a bump or two with a BHPT nymph, and one brookie hookup, who never made it to hand.

And although a month had passed since my first snow lined stream outing, my last outing also found me fishing a snow lined stream.

My first dry fly trout of this year. A beautiful wild brookie.

In a previous post I had said that a brown was hooked here. I asked where you thought the trout took the fly. All of your answere were good, and at certain times of the year I have taken browns in the locations you stated. The bottom center of the photo, right in front of the submerged black rock in that slick spot between the broken water, is where the trout was hooked.

This is the last stream I'll fish this month of March. A beautiful Massachusetts wild trout stream, and look thirty days later it's still snow lined.




And with the start of April many states have their inland fishing season openers.
To all who will take part, I say good luck, and tight lines.

And today also marks the opening of Major League Baseball. I'm excited. My Red Sox will open tomorrow............... Play Ball.

A New York Vise

A Royal Sakasa Kebari, and Ausable Sakasa Kebari


About a week or so ago Chris, at "The North River" blog and I got a fly swap going, and exchanged a few flies. I have been reading "The North River" for some time and have always enjoyed Chris's wonderful Tenkara flies. He is a fine fly tyer who has put some of the well known traditional flies into the Tenkara style.

I fish the Ausable Bomber, and the Royal Coachman dry flies, in fact they are probably my go to flies 90 percent of the time. And when I saw how Chris converted these two into the Tenkara style, I knew they would be effective. And they were.
The first time on the water they brought a lot of activity, and a few gems to hand. As the waters warm a bit these flies will be taking their share of wild trout.

The Royal Sakasa Kebari

A very clear wild trout stream

On this day I fished the fly downstream and allowed it to hang a bit after the drift. A twitch of the rod, and the trout hit.

Beauty, Simple, but Elegant

A Yesterday, or Two

A beautiful waterfall cascading down into a small stream in Western Mass.

In the many years of fly fishing I have been fortunate to fish some fine streams ,in many states.. Most of them quiet small waters, with wild trout. And without a doubt I probably can recall most of what happened on each one of them. Not every exact detail but a few things that always remain in the journals of my mind.

I have put a few photos of some of the places, and sights of a few streams. I could write a book on these streams. I hope you'll enjoy a few of my yesterdays.

A mountain in New Hampshire, in a town that's always first with presidential voting results. Many little streams abound.

This is a favorite little stream in the Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania.

While fishing a small stream in Connecticut. A natural woolly bugger stopped to say how's the fishing.

A brookie pool at the base of a waterfall in New Hampshire

A fly rod and a Bomber at the ready, on a Maine River.

A Surprise on A small Stream

Well according to the weatherman, yesterday was to be the pick of the week. Hearing this I managed to work in a few hours on one of CT's Class 1 wild trout streams.
First of all the weather was not something to write home about, temps were about 40, with a good wind. Water temps 42 degrees, but its probably better than a blizzard.
I rigged up the fly rod with a Bomber, and a number 14 Royal Coachman dropper, and started fishing the stream where I thought there would be some willing takers. I managed several brookies in an hour or so. This stream is one that over the years I have fished many times, it always is good to me. It seems that I seem to work the same runs, pools and riffles that are familiar. I have walked this stream several times in the areas of thick brush and lots of overhangs, very good looking water, but difficult to fish. Feeling a bit adventurous I decided to fish this section. Its long slow deep runs, along with some swift areas just looks fishy. I fished this area for a few hours and it gave up a brown or two as well as something I have only caught twice on this stream in many years. A very healthy highly colored rainbow.
He was the only fish of the day that took the Bomber dry, the others all took the Royal Coachman.

This is one of the deeper, swifter runs on this small stream.

The Small Stream Special, with new yellow line, at the ready.

Healthy wild brown.

A beautiful wild brookie sharing a pristine environment.

It can get nasty back here. The thorns are sharks teeth.

The surprise of the day for sure. Only the second time I've taken one of these on this stream. He could not pass up the Bomber.

Bits and More Bits

Just a collection of things I thought might be of use. I replaced a fly line that was long past it's ability to work properly. The color was a bit bright but may be of use on those low light conditions.

With some of the leftovers from St.Patrick's Day meal, I put together a breakfast of corned beef hash. Shredded corned beef, redskin potato's, and lots of onions.

We all know that used Altoids tins are good for holding flies. I have another way of using them. I put together a few items that have come in handy for me at times in the field. It's not a first aid kit, or for survival, just some items that give me peace of mind.

While fishing this small stream the other day I hooked a brown trout. Looking at the photo, where do you think the trout took the fly?

Peanut butter and jelly. This is in my opinion the classic Trout Bum food. I like both the natural, I believe it tastes more like peanuts, but the other one is easy to spread. While the two jellies in the photo are not jelly but jam, they are my favorites. The classic PB&;J sandwich usually is made with sliced white bread, I prefer whole wheat or sliced soft Italian bread.

St. Patrick's Day, 2011

I had been watching the weather forecast's for the last few days, and today's forecast was for warm and sunny, no wind. This is what I was waiting for, a day to actually enjoy. The stream was running bright and ever so clear. I dropped the thermometer in and it said a cold 44 degrees. I thought this called for a nymph to be bouncing on the bottom. NOT, I tied on a dry and let it rip. The fly floated many many drifts through the riffles before it was noticed. A silvery fish came up to intercept the fly, but missed it. Thinking the trout was a brown. I again drifted the fly to either side of a swift current, pulling the fly up as it was pulled under. After a number of drifts the trout came up again, this time there was a hookup. Soon a beautiful wild brookie lay in my hand. In the 4 hours or so that I was fishing this little stream I managed to hook quite a few trout on the dry fly, even a few to hand. I probably could have done better fishing the nymph, but I'll take the few on the surface any time.

A cold 44 degrees

The clarity of this stream is awesome. They can see you.........

The first wild one to come to hand, on a dry fly.

This was the fly of the day. An "Incorporator"

This guy looks to have fared well over the winter

And to finish this fine day, Corned Beef and Cabbage

A Small Stream 3/13

On this Sunday I had several firsts happen to me. Number 1, this was the first time I have fished this stream since last September. At that time it was dried up, only dry dark stones laying in the sun. As I walked along the stream this day its waters were flowing swift and clear.

Number 2, I had the opportunity to fish my friend, a repaired Orvis Superfine.

Number 3, while walking along the stream I noticed several skunk cabbage popping up through the ground. A sure sign of Spring.

And last, but most important. I was able to hook two wild trout in a run that was only stones 6 months ago. While these fish never came to hand, the feeling of them trying to gain their freedom was special. I was thankful for their return.

This is the run where I had the enjoyment of two wild gems. The waters were crisp and vibrant.

Orvis Superfine.... The fly also has a special meaning to me. I'll explain in another post.

A sure sign of better days ahead.

Streamer Reflections

"ShangsFavorite"


Streamers were designed primarily to represent different types of forage fish. These forage fish are what large game fish prey on. There is a lot of reference to them as big flies=big fish. In Maine where a great number of streamers originated, being designed for the taking of landlocked salmon and brook trout. These fish preyed on the smelt that inhabited the large lakes, and many of the patterns were tied to represent the smelt.

One of these patterns was "Shangs Special", a fly designed by Carrie Stevens and named for her close friend Charles,"Shang" Wheeler. Wheeler was a Connecticut Yankee from Stratford. He spent many summers fishing Upper Dam, Maine.



Another type of streamer is an attractor pattern. This type of fly uses colors, and flash to draw a strike from a game fish. While the fly is tied in the same fashion as the streamer that represents a forage fish, its bright colors show almost no resemblance of a natural fish.
Both types can be very effective.

"Magical Mystery"
This is a streamer I designed to be an attractor fly. Bright colors and and flash.

Grandchildren

A table we have set aside for the beautiful hand made, from the heart gifts of our grandchildren.


Jeanette and I are blessed with two beautiful grandchildren. Morgan and Ethan are very special kids who love to be creative and to give those creations to Nana and Papa.
Early on Nana made it clear that whatever they made and gave to us as a gift had so much more meaning than any store bought gift. This post doesn't have much to do with fly fishing in terms of tackle and gear, but it does have something to do with whats beautiful and precious. Come to think of it so can fly fishing.

A flower pot that was painted by Ethan

A salamander made and painted by Morgan

A Little Bit Of This And A Little..............

"Royal Coachman" Streamers


This is a post about a little bit of this and that. The first up is a few Royal Coachman streamers. These are a good attractor pattern used in the spring.

This is a small stream the day after some very heavy rains  yesterday. It has come down, and cleared somewhat, but you can see the high water mark clearly.

Meatballs and Rigatoni, they speak for themselves

This is a fine book written by Christopher Camuto. It's of fishing the streams of Virginia, Camuto also writes a column in Trout magazine.

A beautiful March wild brown. Not taken on a March Brown, but a Picket Pin.