High Water Tips From A Guide

With more rain in the forecast, it's looking like the local streams are well above normal flows for the near future. The East Branch is particularly blown out (see above). But maybe there's still hope. Jeff Wilkins has just posted some excellent tips and I recommend reading his post before you write off fishing this week. The most valuable part of his post is the informative visual guide to reading the water- even in regular conditions. This is the kind of insight that comes from experience and it's precious information for us novices. Also a reminder that hiring a guide is a great investment, they can teach you a lot in an afternoon.

Rained Out

After two solid days of rain the streams are a wash. I decided to take advantage of the break and put in some time tying. It's a bit overdue- I've been donating flies to the stream beds for about a month now and stocks are dwindling.

I tied a dozen size 16 pheasant tails, which is about as small as I can get with any kind of quality control. Also some Caddis nymphs with some cool new black tungsten beads. Also tried a new pattern- a sulphur emerger. I think this could be a real producer in the coming weeks- especially as a dropper in the film. There's only one way to find out, but it looks like a few more days before the flows get back to normal.

A Full Day: The Amawalk and West Branch

 I spent a good part of the day at the Amawalk yesterday, it was a nice overcast kind of day to fish and walk the stream. My plan was to work my way down from the bridge to Muscoot at the end of the stream, but by midday it was getting hot and I was barely halfway there so I turned around. I was pretty far off the beaten path by then and had found some nice little spots to float a nymph through. The Amawalk really has a way of making you feel like you're the first person to ever fish there. I got hung up on something at one point and reached down to pull up a large stick with my nymph embedded in the soggy wood. There were green caddis larvae crawling all over it. I recovered my nymph and found two other flies stuck to it as well. They weren't even rusty- so much for being the first person to fish this little run. Nevertheless, I was grateful for the hint and tied on a size 20 caddis nymph which picked up a few small trout on my way back upstream. They were so tiny I thought they were brookies at first, but they were brown trout parr. Beautiful little wild fish. I released them as gently as I could.




After a quick lunch, I headed over to the West Branch for another late afternoon session. The fishing was just as great as it was the day before. I brought the 3 weight I had used at the Amawalk and it made catching these smallish browns even more fun. Nothing larger than 12 inches or so, but I'm not complaining. The dry dropper was the ticket again- a size 16 elk hair caddis and a 20 pheasant tail dropper provided almost constant action. Though there were tons of rising fish, almost all of the takers went for the nymph. I did catch a couple on the dry, but so rarely it was startling when it happened. Evidently, emergers were on the menu. Around dusk there were some sulphurs here and there, but not the big hatch I was waiting for. Won't be long now though.

Sulphurs Are Here

I put in another afternoon at West Branch and this time everything just clicked. I must have landed over 20 fish, maybe more. I didn't bother taking pictures, they were standard stockies, but I did catch a larger one that was around 15 or 16 inches that jumped out of the net before I could get a photo. Almost all of them took a size 20 pheasant tail- which has become my go to nymph this season. One fish I caught was spitting up some type of larvae that was the exact size and color of my nymph. I took that as confirmation that I was onto something.

But, the best part was that when the sun was setting there was an amazing Caddis and Sulphur hatch. Mostly caddis, I think. And the trout reacted accordingly. Rising fish everywhere. I rigged up a dry dropper rig (light Cahill and pheasant tail dropper) and the action was just nonstop. After it got dark the big guys started to show up. I saw a good 20" brown just smashing the surface repeatedly and rolling around. As I tried to get in position to cast to it I got hopelessly tangled somehow and it was just too dark to fix that kind of mess. When I went for my headlamp and found it hooked solidly to a stray fly in my bag I knew it was time to call it a night. Still, a great day on the water. I think I know where I'm going tomorrow night... And this time I'll have my gear prepared for dark.

Branches

I couldn't decide where to fish today, so I went to both the East and West Branch for a full eight hours on the water. The East Branch was pretty uneventful- though I did lose what I think was a monster brown. When I set the hook I thought I had snagged a rock- but then the rock decided to make an unexpected break for the downed tree branches across the stream. My tippet snapped immediately. I don't think I would have been able to land whatever this was on 6x even if I'd been prepared for that run. I'd sure like to try again though.



That seemed to be the theme of the day- I missed a lot of fish. I must have hooked at least ten that got off within a minute or so. Maybe my hook sets need a little more conviction. I did land a few too, including this one at the West Branch which fought like a much bigger fish. I was very relieved to bring this one to hand after a good five minute battle.

Also saw a lot of risers today- there was a bit of a Caddis hatch for a while and the trout were paying attention. It felt great to ditch the nymph rig for a while and do some actual casting. In keeping with the theme of the day, I didn't land any on dries- but I had some takes and even managed to hook a few. All in all, a long day, but the fish I was able to get in the net made it all worthwhile.

Cicadas Emerging

It's looking like there is an epic hatch happening any day now…. The legendary cicada. I hadn't seriously considered what this is going to mean for trout fishing until I read this excellent post from Gink and Gasoline, which I highly recommend reading. Maybe this quote will entice you:

"The amount of food that a periodic cicada hatch provides an ecosystem is insane. Some scholars claim that the food value of a periodic cicada hatch is equivalent to an Alaskan salmon run. Have no doubts, the cicada has the power to convince the smartest and biggest fish to drop their guard and come out and feed for several weeks with total recklessness 24 hours a day."


There is also an online tracker, which is showing signs of emerging cicadas in the NY area already. I think I need to buy some new fly patterns for this season. Big ones.

Snookered in Florida

This is the best time of the year for fishing in most parts of the country, especially Florida, which seems to always be a good place to fish. It's also the time of year that snook start patrolling the beaches in search of food. I was recently down there to spend some time with family and I was really looking forward to breaking out a fly rod in the surf and sight fishing for these aggressive fighters. I'd read many accounts of their powerful runs and the beating they can put on an 8 weight. Unfortunately, even though I fished for three days like it was my job, I just couldn't hook one of these fish. I did have a couple takes that were surprisingly delicate, but couldn't close the deal. It became maddening to see these huge fish swim by just within reach, one after another, and then completely ignore my fly. Or worse, they'd take off immediately when I got close enough to cast. They are as spooky as bonefish, from what I've read. I tried spotting them from a distance on their approach, running up ahead, and getting  my fly right into the zone that they were lazily swimming towards. This really got the heart rate up - but no takers. I suppose I should have picked a less challenging fish to hone in on, but I did spend a lot of time fishing on a gorgeous uncrowded beach- so I really can't complain one bit. And I saw some amazing creatures- a manatee, a huge cluster of rays, and a mammoth tarpon that broke the surface about twenty feet from me. The wildlife and scenery down there is just incredible.


One evening, I took a break from the fly rod frustration and did a little fishing with live shrimp. I  just had to feel something on the end of my line for a change. I caught a powerful little jack (not sure what type) that just made me wish I had battled it on a fly rod instead. I may have to save up and spring for a guide next time- not catching a snook on the fly made me more determined than ever to catch one. And clearly it's not easy for an amateur like me to get results. Maybe next time.

Back To The West Branch

I had a little free time this afternoon so I took the opportunity to visit the West Branch and check up on those stockies. I tried all my favorite spots, but wasn't having any success. Saw lots of bug life, midges everywhere and even a few early sulphurs. Unfortunately, the trout seemed uninterested in eating anything- real or not. And no rises anywhere, which was surprising. I thought about packing it in. Then the sun started going down and it was a totally different situation...

The spot I was fishing started producing trout after trout. The first one was a nice brown- a good 14 inches and feisty for his size. I hooked a few more of these new residents and then I set the hook on what I immediately knew was a nice fish. This guy ran up and down four times and gave my new reel the test I've been waiting for. I finally got him to net and breathed a sigh of relief. He was a beautiful orange yellow, with a pronounced kype. I managed to get a couple photos in the low light and sent him back to the stream that has been his home for a while now. And to think I almost left.