My Universe

Limited by only my imagination and my skills (our imagination and our skills) we can create wonderful flies out of ordinary objects, it for hours all winter long churning out almost exact replicas of proven patterns. Only to open our fly box on the river (any river does it matter) to find we haven't the right fly. So short of pulling out the vise right there and then and tie up the winner or just carry every fly known to man. my universe is very complicated.

My Favorite Fly and Why?

Mmmm, tough question? Whatever works at the moment! OK, my favorite fly is pheasant tail for nymph. Seems to always work and size can be adjusted to fit needs. Runner up is the hares ear. Wet fly is easy lead wing coachman, streamer muddler minnow and dry or emerger that's a tough call. RS2 and a tan caddis made with coastal deer hair. Maybe a bubble gum usual as an attractor fly?

Got any favorites, put them right in the comment box and I will start using them next time out.

Calendar Says Spring, Feels like Winter

Another cold weekend, raw wind and some weak afternoon sun. Seems like spring is taking it's time again.
Tough to get any hatches if everyday is a struggle to get over 60 and on the water it seems like mission impossible.

Making up Fish Stories

Let's see some pictures of this seasons catch! I had a ok day three brook trout and a dozen on and lost. More importantly no flies in trees, a first!

Catching Tiny Trout and Rationalizing It

Or not catching any trout and pretending to love it. Admittedly slow fishing walked almost the entire length of the river from the dam to the railroad tracks and had two fish flash a grin at me. The bait guys were holding firm on the dam and upstream a couple of guys in kayaks carrying spinning rods claimed when they bought their permits no one informed them of the rules. Sounds fishy to me, but I asked them to look at the sign on the boathouse as the rules are posted. So where are the fish? Not a complicated problem! Last years dredging took it's time to impact the lower river in the form of increased sediment, algae blooms never flushed away over the winter (the upper river is coated), the stocked fish didn't hold because of the decreased cover (the bottom was scoured and coated with sand thus fish stand out from the air), predators have had a field day and the brook trout while still present and still great at hiding only come out to feed when their is something to feed on. A small BWO hatch upstream yesterday revealed a few feeding and for a half hour I stood their and got a few fish to rise to my fly and reject my offerings.

I believe that it may take a few seasons for the river to recover from the last dredging, some increased weed growth and insect activity will draw the fish out of the lake back upstream into the holes. The brook trout will be coaxed out of the safety of the tangled underbrush when there is something worth the effort. But, all this tinkering and studying May have changed the river forever and only time will tell how.

One sign of life was the sole tan caddis I saw yesterday, buzzing around and dipping to lay eggs, the BWO's were tiny 26 and abundant in that isolated pool. The trout were greedily and regularly feeding, then darting back to cover. My appearance sent 5or 6 egrets away from the pool where they were stalking the trout. So as a positive my presence allowed the trout to feed uninterrupted. The one fish I hooked quickly shook off my offering. I made a dozen cast before it decided to try my fly.

Speaking of kayaker and make no mistake about it I own a few and enjoy a paddle now and again and believe firmly in the concept of multiple use and sharing the river etc. the Town of Brookhaven in their greed is responsible for the sudden increase in boat traffic. They closed off access to the tidal section when they granted a concessioner to replace Glacier Bay. This has sent a few folks to put in around the railroad tracks and go thru the gate below lower lake. Since the park pretty much runs on the honor system not much anyone can do. Free access to the tidal section needs to be enhanced the DEC fishing access is unworkable for most people and the Town needs to gettheir concessioner  to allow free access as a sign of good will to the community which supports their existence.

Reclaiming Ponds for Brook Trout

Back in the early 70's I discovered the Adirondacks and pond fishing. My favorite was Black Pond ( hundreds of black ponds). Seems I could catch dozen fish in an hour of fishing, the size limit was 12" and every fish was 11 7/8", I did eventually catch a 12" fish which I ate. That pond and dozens were systematically   Poisoned with rotenone, the trash fish, insect life, crustaceans were killed and labrador strain of brook trout were stocked. Eventually they all stunted to a 5 or 6" size after a dozen years algae bloomed and the process was repeated using windfall strain grown form a nearby untouched and un-fished pond on the nearby Rockefeller estate. They had been growing their own trout for their pleasure to stock their various ponds on the property. Today it is not uncommon for a careful fisherman to catch a four pounder.

By the way when I was ten, my interest in trout and fishing was peaked by an article in the Conservationist magazine titled " The Monster Rainbows of Whey Pond". They described catching 5,6,8,10 pounders. Later as an adult and a father I took my son fishing on Whey Pond and indeed I hooked into a very larger 24"+ rainbow which I lost at the side of the canoe. As we put the canoe back on top of the car I spotted a sign it said" no fishing till date? Lake treated and restocked with brook trout" well the date had well passed so I didn't think I was in trouble, but obviously the rotenone didn't kill the big rainbow that cruised beneath the thermocline. I did come across another story regarding reclaiming lakes particularly Whey Pond and it described the huge number of dead fresh water claims, crustacean and tadpoles right after the treatment. I fished Whey Pond on and off for nearly 40 years and have always caught a nice rainbow but never a brook trout!

Windfall Pond Strain Brook Trout and Adirondack Lakes

Heritage Lakes
To learn more about adirondack ponds and heritage brook trout Click on above link

We Can all Sleep Better....

......Doug has caught a fish! Which Doug? Does it matter? Think about it what would you rather catch a stunted 8, maybe 9 1/4" brook trout or a rather robust 14"+ brown? I know what I like to catch and baby, sardines is not on the menu. Give me a big old fat sloppy extended belly brown any day, unless your talking Little Tupper or Windfall strain of brookie. Then maybe a nice three or four pound, yes pound fish is doable. Our little tiny brook trout would be a snack by comparison. I'm packing my stuff, loading my canoe and heading up north now! I hope the ice is out!

Going Green

Caught the tail end of a news report about bio fuels made of corn are worse for the environment than gasoline. Tinker, tinker I wonder why we love to tinker!

Wasting Time

Since it appears that we all will have some extra time (unless the fish reappear) consider a few new hobbies

Here Fishy, Fishy Part 2

Painfully obvious that whatever fish were stocked in the last few weeks have vanished! Aside from alien abduction I am at a lose for an explanation. I did observe a few bait guys with big coolers but I doubt they have carried off 1000 + fish. Nor do I believe that those three osprey ate them all, their bellies would be dragging. Did those alewives tempt the trout into following them out to sea? Possible, then there should be a hell of a sea run next year! Or did the fish ladder allow some larger predators access to the river, maybe!

The bottom line is very poor early action. Aside from some anemic brook trout the prognosis seems poor. Did we tinker with this ecosystem too much considering the dredging of upper lake ( originally only eradication of the camboa). On a brighter note the bugs are back. Maybe this is just an anomaly and maybe rainbows are not the best fish to put in and expect to hold over.

Bashing browns now appears to mean less fish. And I know this is sacroligious but my opinion is that the brookie's present are marginally hold on and any type of environmental pressure will cause the population ( which I believe is dramatically smaller) to crash.

So we will see what happens now, suddenly those ponds look better and the stripers should be nice targets in a few weeks. A few more weeks Adirondacks ponds should be full of cooperative trout, the west branch (pick one) ready for my fly!

A Foot and Afloat

Sunrise Service

There will be a special sunrise service this week at #5, for those who will attend please remember to bring your waders.Happy Easter

Fling Flies With Reckless Abandon!

A Gimme!

Losing My Touch

Permit? Who needs a stinking permit?

Losing Touch with Reality or Relativity Part 3

Hatchery trucks attract fisherman and birds, the river comes to life with osprey,  herons, and other fish eating birds every spring. Like clockwork we all gather as new fish are introduced to the world of eat or be eaten. Natural predation is part of life and those pellet feed tame fish better learn quick what's up or they are a meal. Those that survive and reproduce pass those facts to the next generation. The brook trout hide and until more cover grows, more food shows up they stay hidden despite the birds and the fisherman. Those wily old browns that were dumped in and survived the onslaught do the same until it's safe. Feeding mostly when most of us are home watching TV or in bed. So what do you think is the survival ratio for a stocked fish? One hour,one day, one week? By the end of the season 80%, 2% or zero? My next question is is catch and release valid for a stocked fish? Are we catching only the very stupid or just the very hungry? And finally what can we do as a group to improve the chances of fish to "hold over" and survive that first season and become those wary trout that legends are made of?

Casting Clinic

Fly vs. Tree

The tree reached out and grabbed my fly, both flies. I really liked those flies, caught my first two trout of the season with them. But a careless moment and next thing I knew they were stuck, really stuck!Fly saver. Mmm, maybe this would have helped!

As Strange as it Seems....

Trout season is now nine days old and finally caught my first fish!  

Leaky Waders

Nothing beats a pair of leaky waders, that damp feeling you get when you push an old pair one too many times. Oh well, that's what they make sealer for.

Relativity and the Universe Part 2

One must agree rivers are a special place! Consider this when you look at a River the water is moving sometimes in a chaotic mix, sometimes in an orderly flow. That the water is never the same water, constantly changing with the flow, season after season, year after year for a lifetime, ten lifetimes, ten thousand lifetimes! And yet more!
By float or afoot the powers of that ancient water has a pull that is powerful and goes to our very being. Yet some look at those waters and see a sewer disposal system, a source of raw energy, someone else's problem and show no respect for what it is or what it represents. I have paddled many a river, waded many others and the lack of respect and responsibility for the care and use of those waters is fairly wide spread.
They say" no man ever fishes the same river twice", " he's never the same man, nor is it the same river"! Think about that the next time your out on it.

Saturday in the Park

Here Fishy, Fishy?

Seems that the hatchery trout don't care for the Carmen's and immediately tried to swim back home. I'm sure the natives encouraged them by exaggerating stories of those guys flinging stinging bugs around and not being able to tell real food from that fake artifical stuff. Hopefully they'll have a change of heart and maybe a few will stick around.
Seriously it's been cold, and swimming for better holding water is built in to their genetics. Warmer days, a few bugs and the fish will show themselves, ask your self " it's 29 outside how active would I be?"
It was a fun, but windy day at Belmont yesterday. As soon as I sat down at the vise I drew a small crowd of little kids looking to see what was up. Showed a six and four year old how to cast ( kind of fit my present skill level), they were cute and tried really hard. Public outreach is one thing this chapter does really well. Thanks to George, George, Ron, Gary, Tony, Bill and Chuck.

My New Rod

I bought a kit rod a couple of winters ago, figure I would give rod building a try. The package arrived and I opened it up staring at the various components, guides, cork handle I promptly put it aside for a more convenient  time. The next year came and went a myriad of health issues, work issues came up and again I shelved the project.
That rod laid quietly and patiently for me, winter again came and went and with the spring amongst all the talk of clear wraps, ferrule this and that my brain suddenly remembered the poor rod that I've been neglecting. So pulling it out of the cardboard tube, I took a long  hard look and assembled the components. Making sure the guides lined up ( as best a guy with an astigmatism can), carefully glueing up the handle, reel set and wrapping the guides (and yes rewrapping again and again) a beautiful rod emerged. Next it was the flex coat, two coats and not bad for the first time, I gazed at the beautiful rod and thought what's so hard about that!
Today I took the first cast, smooth as silk nice and light.  I'm going to let my wife use this one, she'll enjoy the light feel and touch. Will I build another maybe or maybe not?

Nervous Anticipation

Sometimes you take things, people, places and events without a second thought. " Oh! Next time I'll fish upstream or maybe go to the Croton". What if next time never comes? I faced that last fall as my next time looked like it could be cancelled forever. That's a very long time! For some of our deceased members, friends and colleagues forever was cancelled. No worrying about which fly or do I really need a new rod? I'm grateful that this morning I woke, I loaded my gear in my car and I am going fishing for the first time in months. I doesn't matter if I catch fish what matters is that I can.

Fishing Diary

So far reports of fish hard to find in the park, the spin guys are cleaning out upper lake like a run of free groceries. This morning I went out for the 1st time and we'll see what happens, maybe over to Belmont and help out.

Any Fishing Reports Out There

Come on share the wealth, let me know who's catching, what and when?

Take Me to the River

So I may feel the water, see the riffles and hear the slurping of juicy mayflies! It's been a long winter and I need to feel the water and pick up my rod and tie on my favorite fly. One more cast, and another and another, I will not leave until I have drunk my fill!

Plain and Simple I Need a Good Day of Fishing

Finally

Hook em' up!