Wednesday morning Kirk and I decided to fish a stream I had not fished in years. It's a nice stream with both stocked and wild fish. Are plan was to use the same flies that have been working for us the past few weeks. Cast after cast and not a bump. We worked downstream and each pool and run produced nothing. I trail walker came buy and told us of the destruction to the stream caused by the hurricane last year. A further comment made was the fishing has not been the same since.
Well with his comments and the lack of interest paid to our flies we made the decision to fish another stream. This one is somewhat smaller, but with good water flows and wild trout.
The first few pools we fished produced the same results, no interest, I was beginning to loose confidence in my number one fly "The Bomber" and in this case a "mini Bomber". It's a Bomber tied on a 18 hook. As the sun came out and the temps rose,a warm sun feels good on my 100,000 mile bones, the trout soon looked up and a good day began.
Both Kirk and I brought awesome colored little brookies to hand, and several I told you I Don't care for those hard bugs rejections.
We also took time to rebuild a few wonderful undercuts and deep holes. These were just full of stream debris making them useless to the fish. So with some tugging, and pulling we restored several sanctuaries.
This particular undercut gos quite away in. It has good flow and should keep a few brookies safe. You would not believe the amount of debris that came out of there.
I don't know what this is, I hope it's from this earth. It was in the leaf litter from the stream. Maybe I should tie a few?
A precious wild brook trout. I know the work we did today and will do in the future will make is habitat better.
It got to be a certain time and I had to leave, not good because the trout began to rise. Kirk was going to stay. We both said good day and I started walking out.
On the way out I was to fish a few of the areas we liberated. The first one I fished soon told me it worked. The swift current took the"mini Bomber" under the bank and caught a root. That was the only "mini" I had. So I tied on another fly and continued.
I came to this run where Kirk had commented such a great run and I have never had a hit in there. I let the fly drift and was surprised when on the second attempt the brown took the fly.
Looks like you two had a great outing Brk Trt..wish I could start blogging on some fly fishing action but still a ways to go for me..
ReplyDeleteanother beautiful day...that stream is fortunate to have such good stewards visiting that day.
ReplyDeletepenbayman,
ReplyDeleteThanks.
April 1st? I was in Cape Neddick yesterday. Paid a visit to Eldredge Bros. Great fly shop.
Steve,
Thanks.
It's something good and it doesn't require a lot.
Brk Trt - Im really fascinated by your use of bombers. Do you skate these or just dead drift them in the film? What a beautiful little stream! Thanks for the great posts! Will
ReplyDeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteYour mystery alien creature is a cranefly larva. Some are fully aquatic and some live in moist/wet leaf litter. Your specimen looks to be the latter. I can't say I've ever seen a great cranefly larva pattern, but Erin over at Mysteries Internal tied a pretty nice looking pattern for the adult a while ago.
Great post as always.
I was hoping you'd post a picture of the brown. A beautiful fish, from a nice section of water. You must have been quite surprised. Next visit I'll have waders, clippers and a saw to continue with the restoration. I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Will I do both. I also retrieve them like a streamer. It just depends on what they want.
Jay,
Thanks.
That's what we thought they were. It presents quite a meal. I'll check Erins blog for the pattern.
RKM,
Thanks.
Shears and a saw will work wonders.
Just started following your blog the past few weeks, and the pictures of those little brookiss and browns keep me coming back for more! Great photos, great fish!
ReplyDeleteGotta try to tie some bombers down to that size, used to tying them #4-#10 for anadromous fish.
You've gotta give me a general direction of those streams, North East CT? Or elsewhere... I know gems like that are kept close to the heart.
Tony,
DeleteThanks.
These are somewhat different, but they work great. 14 and 16's but the 14's have worked best.
Brk
ReplyDeleteThe closet place I can relate to a stream like you are fishing is the Smoky Mountains. That is about 5 hours away. You are so lucky to have streams like you are fishing and the bonus of landing those colorful brookies. As always great post.
Bill Trussell,
DeleteThanks.
The Smokies...small stream wild brookie heaven.
As always an excellent post with picture to match.
ReplyDeleteFlyfishermanrichard,
DeleteThanks.
Hi Alan....nice job on the "obstruction" clean up. I drive by Cape Neddick often and I will stop by Eldredge Bros fly-shop on my next trip. I think I know where it is located on Route 1. Check out the Orivs Outlet store in Kittery. They have a lot of material for fly-tying in the back.
ReplyDeleteEd,
DeleteThanks.
When you stop by Eldredge Bros. ask them to show you the results they have obtained world wide using The Bomber.
Nice work , if everyone visiting our wonderful rivers and streams would take a minute to make things better when they left than when they arrived just imagine the difference it would make. You're obviously doing your part and then some.....Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHighPlainsFlyFisher,
DeleteThanks.
A great thought. It's not hard and cost's nothing.
Nice work on trying to improve things. I'm sure your efforts will be rewarded in the future. Beautiful fish also!
ReplyDeleteBill,
DeleteThanks.
I'm banking on it.
Darn, Jay knew what that green thing was. I was ready to start some alien invasion story about the green worm that took over the world. A Crane Fly Larva taking over the world is just not the same.
ReplyDeleteMark
Shoreman,
DeleteThanks.
That was one big worm. Lots of protein for the stream residents.
Alan...That you're still getting after it this winter is pretty cool. Bombers in February!?! Unreal. Crane fly nymphs fly under the radar for most. Try Barr's pattern.
ReplyDeleteTodd,
DeleteThanks.
Has it been a mild winter up your way? I'm thinking a rainy spring.
Hi again Brk Trt!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures of lovely streams and it's inhabitants. Nice work of you and your friend making the stream a better habitat for those lovely brook trouts. Bad health, the fact that we are moving from my hometown in about two months and other urgent matters that had to be taking care of ASAP has made it difficult too keep up with the blogs of my fellow fly fishers. But today I had the chance to take a trip around here that made me cross a lovely small stream that holds both brook trout and grayling. Unfortunately it holds pike too and the brook trout seems to have a problem with that. Otherwise I don't have any problems with pike. I'm sad that I didn't have my camera with me at that point even if the stream is frozen but yet vary beautiful. I went home to get my camera before I went to visit an aquaintance I have deep into the forest south of where I presently live. Since I had to pass the dirt road that leeds to my favourite still water I figured it would be nice to have a winter photo from there. I took some photos from there since it was sunny and beautiful and just around O degrees centigrade. When I arrived and we had been talking a while at the porch of the house I noticed the first fly alive outdoors for the season. I went back to get my camera and took plenty of photos of the fly sitting on the wall of the house. I don't know what kind of fly it was yet but I'll try to figure it out. It's a sign that the spring isn't far away after all. I really look forward to the coming season of fly fishing. You have inspired me to go for brook trout in tiny streams this summer. I don't know what fly the Bomber is but I'll google it to try to find out.
Have fun fishing for brook trout and cleaning up their habitat,
Mats Olsson