The New Year, 2018

New Years Eve. The usual routine here at our house has been the same for years. We choose a restaurant, that has been the "Ninety Nine" for years. A good meal is enjoyed and then its back home. I will put on a couple of discs, Bennett, Martino and a few others and listen until the late hour of 10. Then it's lights out and another year closes and a new one begins. New Years Day also holds a tradition...it's our annual 1st day fishing meet. In years past we have been fortunate to have a great group get together and try to put ourselves on the board for the New Year.

RKM Photo

This years meet will take place here. The weather will be cold, predicted temps in the 9 degree range. So I hope your New Years Eve traditions hold, and I wish you the very best for a safe, prosperous and healthy 2018.

A 2018 Challenge

My old box, every type of fly...not any more.

2018 is knocking at the door, many of us have out New Years resolutions written down, and most of them will be abandoned by the time St. Patrick's Day is here. I have a few of my own and I too will be in the St. Patrick's Day group, with the exception of one resolution....and that resolution is to fish with nothing but soft-hackled flies.

Part of my inspiration came from Yvon Chouinard who used one style of fly, the pheasant tail soft hackle in many variations for one year. That was quite a challenge and I hope to do the same only I'll use variations of soft hackles to create dries, wets, and streamers.

This is my new fly box...I'll start filling it with soft hackles and begin fishing them New Years Day.

One of the first flies is this "Snake Stonefly" the pattern was found in Allen McGee's book "Fly Fishing Soft Hackles.

The "Minimalist Nymph" also a pattern from McGee's book....pretty simple.

A pattern of my own...scruffy, I love it.

A soft hackle dry fly, also a pattern of mine.

It should be an interesting year for me.

Winter Wonderland In Brook Trout Forest

The day before Christmas eve we experienced a rain event which turned into an ice event. The icing while challenging to drivers and walkers also proved to be so very beautiful to those who were able to be outdoors. Christmas eve I was fortunate to be able to visit a small stream and to take advantage of one of natures most beautiful spectacles...like a carving from a block of ice the woods were turned into an ice wonderland.

Every where I looked the scene created by the ice seemed to be more enchanting than I can put into words. I took countless photos of the crystal landscape that was before me.

With all the beauty before me it seemed that fishing was not in the forefront...

But that all changed with with the wild brook trout that came to hand on the third cast of the day. The native was in prime condition.

The fish seemed to everywhere, including the runs and riffles as well as the pools.

This guy came right at the head of the riffle...he was in about six inches of water. Notice the rod...it's a favorite of mine that I named my "band aid" rod.

The frozen guardian...the hemlock.

My last brookie of the day. Quick pic, and off he went.

A couple of photos of what I saw on my walk back to the car.

"Thank you"......

Christmas Morning

We woke this morning to find a beautiful snow falling. A Christmas so dear and so simple. Do enjoy yours.

Christmas Greetings 2017

I would sincerely like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

In A Few Hours..Mission Accomplished

There was a short window of time Wednesday where I was able to get out and visit a stream. When I say short I mean perhaps two hours including drive time to and back from the stream. The weather was cloudy and cold but the "weather man" said it was going to get sunny and the temps were to go into the mid-forties. Five steps into the stream and the snow started to fall. Within a minute I was faced with a white out. Luckily it was short lived and within a half hour the sun was poking through.

I had pinkie tied on and fished in some well known trout hang outs, and the fish showed it no love. I tied on a soft-hackle dry and worked several other areas. I became encouraged by a couple of brookies that took swipes at the fly.

My first fish of the day to the SHDF just below the plunge. Pretty fish with lots of fight.

Late December brook trout on a dry fly.

I came upon an area of the stream that featured a sandy bottom. Looking down I saw several brookies holding close to the bottom. These fish were very light in color and I attempted to take a photo of them...can't see them, "well adapted to their habitat"...

Just downstream of that pine branch along a sandy flat I took this fine wild jewel.

So beautiful.

Electra-Glide in blue... They took this just under the surface.

I wish I had a little more time...they were very eager.

Christmas Memories

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. The week leading up to the day has always been an exciting one for me. I can remember as a youngster the preparations for a family gathering on Christmas eve, and in my later years sharing these with my new family. Being from an Italian-Polish family there was a variety of foods at each gathering, some of those I would like to share with you.

A short time ago a follower of this blog, Steve Hynes who hails from Australia suggested that we as a group should post a memory or two of Christmas foods that we are fond of. So if you like we would all love to see you chip in with some of yours.

Eggplant Parmaigiana , a dish served on Christmas eve.

Stuffed breads....eggplant, broccoli, peppers, and cheese.

Lasagna...a Christmas day dinner star...there was turkey, ham, and the fixings that go with it, but it was the Lasagna that always went first.

So please take a few minutes and post your favorite food dish and memory.

Sylvester Nemes...He Got It Started

Sylvester Nemes, The Soft Hackle Fly Addict..he is responsible for many of us turning to fishing and tying soft-hackle flies. I had in my possession his books long before I ever bought a tying vise. These books were valuable to the fly fisher as well as the tyer and put the value of simple flies into the minds and fly boxes of myself and many others. I don't know if Nemes ever recieved the proper acclaim that is due him, but I hold his ideas close.

A couple of years ago at the fly fishing show in Marlboro I came across these hooks. I purchased several packages of them in 2 sizes, 14 and 13. The hooks are hand made and are strong wire. The soft-hackle patterns tie beautifully on them. Below are a few patterns from his book, they are tied on the Syl Nemes hooks.

"Greensleeves"

"Little Winter Brown"

"Orange And Starling"

The Winners Are.....

Thank all of you.

The winners are.

The "Badger" Streamer is Brad Basehore

The soft-hackles and fly box is srtilis

I would like these two winners to contact me at uppahdam@aol.com I'll need your shipping address.

I Have Been Fishing......

It has been some time since I've given a fishing report. It's not that I haven't been fishing it's just that I had a few other matters I wanted to offer you. So lets go.

I have been out a couple of times in the last week or so on different streams, each one was a good one in terms of beauty, simplicity, and in the mix a fish or two.

A small stream after a fresh snow. It was cold and snow light and fluffy, which makes for an easy walk.

We had fished for a few hours, for me it was slow in terms of hook-ups but there is so much more to winter angling than just fish to hand. Simplicity a wonderful factor in small stream angling and in the winter that's a term I call "super simplicity"....most times I fish one fly, or two, this day it was two a dry and pinkie.

I approached this little bend in the stream. It has an undercut with a good flow of water leading to it. I was armed with the pinkie so I let it drift. As it neared the undercut a fish hit and it hard. I could feel that the fish was on and soon the little section of stream exploded. I saw the fish move every where it could it was really testing the little glass rod. I was finally able to gain control and swung the fish along towards my hand.

Low and behold a rainbow, this is a big fish for this little stream. I was impressed by its dark color and orange gill plate. This stream is not stocked but the pond below it is and once in awhile one of these rainbows get adventurous and moves upstream.

A Christmas Gift To........

In the spirit of giving at Christmas I would like to offer the readers of Small Stream Reflections a chance to receive a couple of gifts as a thank you for following SSR's. All that is required is for you to comment here. Your name will be put into a box and Jeanette will draw the winners names. The drawing will be on Saturday morning at 9am. I will post the winners on Saturday.

"Badger" the winners name will be added to the streamer. Example, "Joe's Badger"..... This Rangeley Streamer tied by me features a beautiful Badger/Furnace wing feather.

29 flies tied by me featuring soft hackles, spiders, and flymphs. These flies come in a 2 sided waterproof fly box.

Merry Christmas