I Believe.....

After so many years of fishing small streams I should know that surprises happen. Some come in the form of lots of fish, a brookie or brown taking a fly that it really shouldn't. There are the times when I slip and fall in and find out I did not break a leg. Cold snowy days when the trout are rising to "bombers", and days when coffee from a thermos that really tastes good.

Today, I found out something that I suspected but never experienced. While fishing a blue line I noticed a smaller blue line feeding into the one I was fishing. Looking into it I saw quite a few brookies. It's said as the streams rise this time of year they tend to draw brookies up into them. I think they seek these waters to spawn. Now I'm not one who will not say that's just a stupid idea, I mean what if they dry up. On the other hand these fish have been doing this for centuries and have survived just fine....so what the hell drift a fly, I did just that and once again I was gifted.

Now friends take a good look at this wild brook trout. A spawning male with a hump in his back, orange, blue, yellow, red, black and white colors mixed into his body. An incredibly strong fish who rose to a Ausable Wulff and bent the heck out of my 5' 3wt....a fish that did not surrender and as I lifted him up to take a photo he twisted and freed himself of the fly....moments later he was gone. This is a memory never to be forgotten.

September, Coming Into That Season

Here it is September 2nd, we have turned the page and are entering the meteorological autumn. There have been subtle changes going on like various leaves in color transition, trees are dropping nuts and acorns can be hazardous when they fall on an unsuspecting angler along a small stream. I've noticed pumpkins for sale in the local farm stands and the first fairs of the season will take place this weekend. Sunset is 7:25 today and by the end of the month it will be 6:35.

These next few months will be lovely times to be outdoors, with those wonderful cool mornings when a flannel shirt will be very comforting. The streams will be active with spawning brook trout, and the dry fly will be the fly of choice. I hope you will have the time to enjoy theses days of transition.

A little competition between two of the best small stream dry flies will be taking place this fall on the streams I fish. The Ausable Wulff and the Ausable Bomber will be getting equal time on the water over the next few months and I will keep a tally and post my results on which one performed best. I think I'll check out a new thin blue line today.

The Ausable Wulff, and a Mystery

Dry fly hackle. Brown and grizzly dry fly hackle. This combination of color has produced some of the best dry flies ever cast upon water. This is about one of those best flies.

The Ausable Wulff was created by Fran Betters of Wilmington, N.Y. I'm not sure of the date, but it was perhaps around 1960. It's a fly that has the ability to attract trout, bring them to the surface and take it without hesitation. It's design enables it to float in swift turbulent fast waters and remain highly visible to the angler and fish. I fish this fly so very often on small streams and wild brookies and browns both accept. I like to think Fran created this fly for the small stream angler.

"Ausable Wulff"

The next fly, also a Betters creation is a bit of a mystery, that is to me.

Fran Betters "Mystery Fly"

I picked this fly up at Frans shop. It was there, looked interesting so I picked up a couple. The first time I fished it was the day after Christmas. It was in a small stream with some deep slow pools. Several casts and I was into a fish. I'd like to say that the first fish was a trout, but it was a "chub". I continued to fish the fly that day and had taken a few nice brookies with the fly. I had two of these flies, lost one so I won't fish the last one until I can get some more. Since the shop where I bought the fly is no longer there purchasing some is impossible, and I've never seen such a pattern in other shops or on the internet. Mark, over at "Fishing small streams" who is a wonderful fly tyer has said he would attempt to duplicate the fly.

So if any of the fine readers of this blog happen to know of the name of this fly I would love to know.

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Late June, And A Small Stream

Yesterday was a autumn like day. The air was crisp with a slight breeze and sunshine. We had received some showers the day before and some areas ample amounts were recorded. This was my time to pay a visit to a stream, a wild brookie stream. The last time I was here the water was low, and I decided not to fish. But today it looked OK. I was armed with my 6ft 2wt and a few dry flies. As I approached the stream I could see the dense green canopy. It almost blocked the sun from reaching the ground. There's a special feeling one gets as he walks such places. It's hard to put it into words the sounds and sights of water and forest.

One of the things I do when fishing these streams in summer is to check the water temps. I do this upon reaching the first run, and continue to do it at various intervals along the stream. The stream temp was a constant 60 degrees.

Well it didn't take long to get a response to my offering. As I drifted the fly along a brushy bank a wild brook trout intercepted it and soon was at hand.

I love this type of fishing. A light pack containing water, a Cliff Bar, camera, a fly box and a few accessories is all that's needed. Also wet wading can be refreshing. LL Bean wading shoes.

As continued to fish I was given the chance to bring a few brookies close. The Ausable Wulff did what was needed to bring the fish to the top. As I approached this very likely pool, I said to myself there's got to be a trout in there. Letting the Wulff go I watched as it drifted to the sweet spot, and suddenly a crash took place on the surface and the fly gone. I could feel the trout and the battle that was about to begin, a battle only a wild brook trout give you in such places.

A few moments later and this wonderful work of natural art was at hand.

I love days like this.

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