Thanks to  great response from the Trout Power Campaign so far, we have decided to have a fishing Tournament on the West Canada Creek in June of 2012. 

The Trout Power Tournament will be only outside the Trophy Section and will be open to any type of fishing technique as long as it is single hook artificial and NO BAIT.  The Tournament will also be strictly Catch and Release.

We will need lots of volunteers to Police the river during the tournament.  If you are interested in sponsoring or helping out, please email me at

jpross@jprossflyrods.com

The Tournament will be two days and will have a cash prize of $1000.00 for biggest or most fish is still not decided.  During the Tournament there will be lots of fun things to do with the community and after we will have an old fashioned hootenanny.

The Purpose of the tournament is to bring awareness to the river, the area and the business that surround the river.  It is clearly documented the the Trophy Section up river has been a great success, but we want to focus on the sections of the river around the towns, such as Russia, Poland, Newport and Middleville.

Sign up will start January 1st, and currently there is no plan to limit the number of anglers or assign particular sections or beats.  

Please stay tuned on this web site and on

www.troutpower.com

on 9/11 I was owner of Rising Trout Outfitter fly shop.  I remember sitting in my office that day and watching the news on the PC.  Shortly after the crisis started, people started to come to the fly shop.  Everyone was friends.  If you have a local fly shop, and you like going there, you know what I mean.  You are a friend....   That day I remember going through more coffee than we ever did in a week and we ordered many pizzas.  People just came...  The fly shop was a place of non-reality.  It was a place where people were comfortable. 

About a month after that a proud but startled man walked into my shop.  His name was Rob, and unfortunately I have lost touch with him.  He was a fireman in NY.  He walked in and was greeted by Montana, my Black Lab.   "Howwww ya dooinn" he said to her, with his thick NY accent...   "What the _ _ _ _ is your story, bud"  I asked him. 

Later that night, Steve and I took Rob to Cavallos after fishing the West Canada Creek.  We had a great time and he came up time after time.  One day he actually brought us a piece of the tower.  I still have it, although I have heard it is illegal to own. 

None the less, one day we were tallking to Rob on the bank of the river, because the fishing was slow.  "you seem better" I told him.  Although Rob never told us that he had issues with that day and event, we knew he had a heavy heart. 

"The West Canada Creek saved me", he told us.  "You guys taking me under your wing and sharing this river with me has saved me." 

I miss Rob, and spoke to him last, probably about 5 years ago.  I have tried to call him, but his cell does not work anymore. 

It was the power of the river that helped Rob and many others I have met over the 15 Years in this business. 

Here is a movie about the Boating Captains that saved over 500,000 people on 9-11 by boat.  It has touched me, and I hope it touches you.  Make sure you get to 6 minutes.  I think I started to cry at that point.

The last couple weeks have been great weeks for Trout Power.  As many of you know, I met with Congressman Hanna about Trout Power and its desire to bring more people to the communities in Russia, Poland, Newport and Middleville.  I also spoke with the Governors office and received great support.  I have dropped a line to the Oneida County Tourism Office, but have not heard back.  I hope to catch up with them today. 

Grass Roots efforts included hitting the road and speaking to a few local shops.  One is a co-op shop in Newport.  It is the site of the old West Side Saloon.  They and the West Canada Sport Shop were happy to hear about the idea of a tournament and also enlightened me that there was a meeting in Norway recently discussing the rebuilding of the Grays Reservoir. 

I also recently posted some articles that Mike Shaffer sent over.  These were written in 2004 aqnd 2005. 

After posting these on facebook, I received a message from Morgan Lyle himself.  Perhaps a new updated article, talking about Trout Power is coming soon.

An anonymous supporter is also working on an article explaining the water system and where the water goes from Hinkley Dam to the Mohawk River. 

Next Steps for Trout Power will probably involve me, with Matt Cucci setting up a grass roots town meeting to begin planning for the event in the spring.  Matt had some great ideas, like a Trout Power 5k run and also a Mountain Bike Race. 

Thanks to everyone who has supported this so far.

JP

Fall Fly Fishing in Central New York, especially on the West Canada and Black River can be one of the best times of the year to fly fish.  When the fall season is upon us and everyone is heading to the Salmon River to fish for huge salmon coming out of Lake Ontario, I usually avoid that place and go looking local for big Browns. 

There are a few places in our area that are still open all year:

The Oriskany Creek is open as Catch and Release Water from Deansboro downstream to the Mohawk.

The Mohawk in Rome is open below the dam until Nov 30^th.

Flies: By Far my best fly in the fall is a cone or bead head wooly bugger. I prefer those flies that have an Orange Head. I also have had really good luck on white wooly buggers and bucktail type streamers, but replace the bucktail with marabou. 

Techniques: Most of these big trout are looking to spawn, so the first thing to understand is that it is un-sporting to take these fish, as they are viable stock that is trying to reproduce. Not all stocked trout will make it this far, so it is a good idea to protect those fish. 

Look for any kind of impoundment or dam structure and you usually will find fish that are trying to swim over it. Just fish below it and strip it fast. Look for a flash or any hint of a big fish trying to bite your fly. Keep changing until something works and don’t be afraid to rest the pool every once and a while. 

I recently jumped head first into ultralight fly fishing....I just bought a 6'6" Beaver Meadow 2 weight from JP Ross Fly Rods. I promised to write a review of the rod in an earlier post, so here it is.

At first I was a little nervous calling JP Ross. I have never met anyone at JP Ross and never even heard of them until i started researching ultralight rods. My only other fly rod, my first respectable rod, is a 9' Sage Vantage 5 weight...your standard "beginner rod." I like my Sage but it is not well suited for fishing small overgrown streams, particularly small Pennsylvania streams, for brook trout. JP Ross caught my eye because they have a great website and they bill themselves as ultralight specialists. I was also intrigued by the idea of a "custom" rod after I saw the price of the high end rods from major manufacturers and realized that I could have a custom rod that was just as functional from a small designer for WAY less. Besides, I always thought of fly rods sort of like a work of art and I would rather have a rod from someone who built it for me with my input and that means something to me, as opposed to something that came from a factory just like 10,000 others. By the way, without getting too specific (in case the wife is lurking) I got my rod with tax, shipping, line, backing, a sweet reel, and case all for significantly less than I would have paid for a Sage ZXL rod alone.

Anyway, JP was great to work with. It is nice to deal with someone who obviously takes pride in their work, as opposed to so many business owners who just want to ring the register and move on. I was amazed at how much I could customize my rod. The website has a great "build your own fly rod" feature to help you visualize the rod with different options. I think i would have been overwhelmed without it. JP offers different rods and you can pick the reel seat, the finish and style of hardware, the thread color and design for the ferrules, choose different guides, choose the grip style and color, select engravings, choose an enscription, etc, etc. Short of buying a blank and spending a lot of time in the garage, I don't think you could have a more personal experience. If you have never been to the JP Ross Fly Rods website and are in the market for a rod, you should check it out. You can't miss it on google. They are in southern New York.

After pushing JP to build my rod on annoyingly short notice so I could have it for a fishing trip, i put my rod through its paces all weekend fishing yellow breeches and some very small mountain streams in Michaux State Forest in PA. I can tell this is going to be my "go to" rod. It is light, precise, and beautiful.  The fit and finish is just as good as any major manufacturer.  I caught probably 15-20 fish ranging from between 1.5 inches to 10 inches.  Having a shorter rod (6'6") was a definite advantage in heavily wooded streams...I could actually cast between pools instead of having to sneak up and dab or swing my fly into a pool. 

Even on the bigger streams I did not miss my Sage for a minute. That Beaver Meadow lays a dry fly on the water like a whisper and fishes nymphs like a dream. I can't imagine when I am going to use my Sage again...and I never expected to say that. Maybe i can use it as a sort of ultralight steelhead rod!  Actually, my brother went with me and used my Sage all weekend. On sunday I traded him for about an hour just too feel the difference. It might not be fair to compare a 2 weight to a 5 weight but wow, it felt like stepping out of a ferarri and getting behind the wheel of a truck!

One other observation I will make is that I sprung for the Galvan Rush R3 reel. If you are considering one of these reels, GET IT. You will not be disappointed. The reel on my Sage is an Orvis Battenkill and I have no complaints about it but this Galvan is so smooth and the drag is so easy to use that it was like an epiphany. I know that my Orvis battenkill was less than half the price but they are both "entry level" and let me tell you, this Galvan is definitely more than twice as nice....assuming it is as durable and dependable as my Battenkill. 
 

I recently have come up with a concept to help bring awareness to the West Canada.  I know that many local fisherman are going to hate me for promoting the West canada Creek, but the truth is; if no one knows about the creek, no one will support and fight for the creek.  Below is the meaning of Trout Power.  Let me know via email, if you can help with this movement and if you support the movement.  Talk about it on facebook....  Link to it, support it. 

pdf form, feel free to save and print and promote.

Learn more at TroutPower.com

Trout Power:  growing commerce, community spirit, and industry around the conservation of trout.

Did you know that Trout have the power to…..

·         Bring thousands and even millions of dollars to businesses around the West Canada Creek!

·         Be a metric to determine if the quality of the West Canada Creek water is clean!

·         Monitor flows in the creek to manage hydro power!

·         Bring communities and town together to work for a common goal!

·         Bring jobs and promote commerce to our West Canada Valley Communities!

·         Bring Industry and manufacturing to our West Canada Valley!

·         Attract people from all over the world to fish for them!

Well they can, they will, and they do! 

Trout Power is a movement that I created.  I am JP Ross and I am a business owner and conservationist, and I am passionate about preserving the West Canada Creek and it’s Brown Trout that live in it.  In fact, I am so passionate about it, that I believe one day this creek will be world famous and will attract people from all over the world, and be a source of green power.

Although the Trout do have the power to do all the things mentioned above, it is the water that is the Hero. 

1.       If there is water in the creek, then fish can live in the creek

2.       If there is current in the creek, than trout can live in the creek

3.       If there are trout in the creek, the creek is clean

4.       If there is current in the creek, than there is a source for hydro power

5.       If there are consistent flows in the creek, than insects can thrive in the creek

6.       If insects thrive, there are great hatches

7.       If there are great hatches in the creek, than people will come to fish

8.       If people come to the creek, they will love the creek

9.       If they love the creek, they will tell their friends and they will come back

10.   If they tell their friends and come back, more people will come to the creek

11.   If more people come to the creek, than local businesses will grow

12.   And if we conserve the trout, the trout will replace themselves and we will not have to stock

It all revolves around conservation of the water and using trout as the metric for success.  It’s easy for everyone to love trout.  Trout are associated with clean water, and who does not love clean water. 

If the trout live, we are doing well.  If the numbers of trout grow, we are doing great.  If the trout die, we are doing badly.  It’s a pretty simple concept. 

So what does success look like for the Trout Power Movement?  I have broken down a list of goals we can accomplish.

·         Education. We need to all get behind this program.  That has already started with me talking to groups like the River Keepers and the Fly Fishers Anglers Association.  I also have talked to Congressman Hanna and I look forward to talking to the mayors of Newport, Middleville and Poland.  We all need to work together and we all need to understand what we are fighting for.

·         The Asphalt Plant.  The Trout Power plan suggests that as long as you don’t kill the trout, or hurt the trout, you are doing well.  So this plan is not an Anti-Commerce Plan.  It simply says, if any industry comes to the area and it hurts the trout, it is bad.

·         Commerce.  The first step for commerce is to get the flows in the creek to stabilize and be predictable.  Brookfield Power is doing a great service by providing hydro power, but is doing a bad service by not allowing us to predict the flows in a timely manner to allow people to travel to the creek to fish on the weekend.  We need to have flows that are consistent and predictable.   The second step to promote commerce is to attract people to the area, to Catch The Power.   We need to have a tournament or a get together that will bring people to our towns and villages, and spend some time and spend some money and stay awhile and Catch the power of the creek, the trout, the scenery and the people. 

·         Promote.  Do people drive through Poland, Middleville and Newport like they drive through Manchester Vermont? Do they slow down looking for a bakery, a flower shop, craft store, or an old fashioned hardware store that is famous?  They don’t, but they don’t know they should or can.  People don’t want to drive on Rte 28 to go to Starbucks!  They want to stop at the West Canada Creek Bakery, or Sweetie Pies.  And then we want them to rent a kayak, and then we want them to realize that the day has slipped away and they better stay at a bed and breakfast, and go out to dinner at a local restaurant.  And then at breakfast they will hear about the Mum Festival happening today and they will stay an extra day, and come back next year to do it again.  Promotion starts with something to promote…  we have to work with the communities and the chambers of commerce to determine what our strengths and weaknesses are and improve our weaknesses and promote and grow our strengths.  Right now, the only one we have is the Trout…  but that’s a start. 

I don’t have all the answers, but I know that together with a common theme and a common goal we will do better than if we work alone.  I want to see more of this creek preserved, and I can’t do that unless we put the Creek on the map.  No one wants to protect a Creek they know nothing about. 

I have Caught the Power and I want to Spread and Grow the Power…  how about you?

Learn more at TroutPower.com

yesterday my buddy Kim Ernst and I brought up some benches to the West Canada Creek Trophy Section.  The Benches were made at the last FFAA Symposium and were signed by lots of people.  The benches are a nice addition to the road and were put there for both anglers and for people just passing by.  Land Owners on the Partridge Hill section should be thanked regularly, especially the Adams family that let us walk through their field to access their water.  The owners of Blue Barn Bend are also very nice to let us park near their house and also access the water via their property.  There are many others to mention, and no one should go un-noticed. 

So thank you to everyone that has helped out with preserving the West Canada Creek.  There will be three more benches that Finn is working hard to finish.  These benches will be painted like the cows that used to roam the Partridge Hill Farm.  The benches will be set up in memory of Butch the care taker of the cows.  I hope to see those go up in the next month or so. 

Please keep an eye on these benches and let me know if they get vandalized or stolen.

 Update:  Unfortunately the benches have not been received well by the land owners.  We apologize from the FFAA and my company as we were told by the River Keepers that this was discussed and approved and considered a good gesture from the catch and release anglers that fish here.  We will have these removed right away for you, and hope that there is something else that we can do to show our gratitude.

As the season hits the hottest part of the year, what is left for fly fishing adventures in the Adirondacks.  We all have spent the spring searching for wild Brook Trout to fly fish for in small streams and creeks, but as the water gets warmer and a little lower, what can we do to continue to fly fish and make new adventures. 

I have posted about Lows Lake and Stillwater Reservoir before, but I wanted to do so again.

Stillwater Reservoir, Adirondack Park is a fairly long 30 minute drive down a dirt road past Big Moose Station.  Stillwater is a great lake for Smallmouth Bass Fishing and it starts to get really good the end of May and all the way to the end of the season.  When Sato and I were there it was September, and the Lake had already been drained for the season, but still the fishing was good.  When traveling down the Stillwater Road you will first come to a bay.  You can launch a canoe or flat bottom boat at this bay and have immediate access to the lake.  Stillwater is a shallow lake and just a little wind can make this lake very dangerous.  However if you need shelter, this first bay can provide a lot of good fishing without having to make a dangerous paddle.  However, if you are looking to see more of the Lake, travel a little farther and you will get to the main boat launch.  There you can buy some supplies, get gas and even sign out a camp site.  There are many web sites and resources for explaining how to camp at Stillwater, but lets talk fly fishing.

The lake is full of rocks and the fish can be very scattered.  Sometimes they are apt to take a fly off the surface, sometimes they are deep.  Do not go to this lake without two rods.  One rigged up with a floating line and one with an intermediate or sink tip line.  Simply put, you can fish for hours without a bite, and then your buddy casts off the other side deeper or more shallow and hammers them. 

Make sure you have clouser Minnows in Chartreuse and White, olive and white and gray and white.  You also are going to want to have big dry flies in case you run into a drake hatch and also make sure you have some yellow poppers. 

Map of Stillwater.

Fly fishing with my buddy Sato From Japan on Stillwater and Lows Lake.

 Lowes Lake, Adirondack Park is really just a big Bog.  There is constant controversy over this lake because it is one of the last lakes you can fly into.  I want to make a personal stand and comment on my feelings about this.  It is just terrible that there is even consideration to ban float planes on this lake.  Lows lake is a resource for people to share.  The Adirondacks is not a National Park, it is a state park and it is unique because private land peppers forever wild land within its borders.  I have a number of friends that are handicap and love to fly into this lake.  I also have young nieces that can not make the paddle, nor do I want them to make the paddle.  I am more fearful of the wind picking up over a 3 mile paddle than I am flying into this lake.  This lake needs to stay open to the public.

That being said, back to my first sentence.  Lows Lake is just a bog.  It is a wonderful place littered with beautiful fly traps and pitcher plants.  Loons are everywhere and the lake is just full of bass.  Largemouth bass with bad attitudes and a willingness to take a fly like no other place I have ever visited.  Because it is a BOG, it has huge expanses of floating islands.  When you fly over the lake you can see these bogs and take note of them.  I like to fly fish them with a popper and then go back and hit them again with a deep fly.  The bigger fish hang on the bottom below the little guys.  So if you are fishing the bogs, catching 10 incher's all the time, go deeper.

I work with Blue Mountain Outfitters and Paynes Air Service to go there.  They both have Canoes there and Ernie at BMO is a great guide.  I try to get in as early as I can.  It is about a 30 minute flight from Inlet and I fish all day and fly out at like 6pm.  I always wanted to stay overnight and fish a morning or evening hatch, but no one wants to go with me.

To Fly into Lows Lake call Paynes Air Service

To Hire a Guide on Lows Lake, call Blue Mountain Outfitters in Blue Mountain Lake

Grass Pond. Is my favorite spot on Lows Lake and is at the head of the lake. It is really just a cove or bay on the lake.  However it has deep banks, lots of down trees and is the best habitat for BIG largemouth Bass.  One year Sato and I pulled 70 Bass out of Lows lake and half were caught just in this bay.  If you want to take some fish, take only a few in the spring, otherwise they will be wormy after June when the water gets too warm. 

Bog River Video.

If you have more questions about Lows Lake or Stillwater, call or email me or contact Ernie at Blue Mountain Outfitters.

A customer of mine emailed me and said that the 5 weight Adirondack fly rod he bought loads well at long distances but not as well at 10-15 feet...  what do I do? I wrote him back and said....

"Hi Bill.  The Adirondack is designed around a 5 weight line at 30 feet.  You can try a 5 weight Triangle Taper line, or a SA Headstart 5 weight line...  which technically is a 5.5 weight line.

Also, it might be a good idea to try a 6 weight.  You may just like the way it casts.  I have an ONYX I built that is a 5 weight, but I actually like a 6 weight on it...  except when I am on the lake casting 60-80 feet, then I go back to the 5 weight.  Its all up to you. 

I also have noticed that the leader length and type can make a difference"

I thought I would elaborate on this a bit more. Here is some info from a web site that also may help you a bit.

A fly rod is designed to flex when it is acted upon by resistance.  That resistance is put onto the rod from the weight of the line and the speed in which it is moving.  Force equals mass times acceleration.  The chart here shows the grain weight of a fly line.  A 5 weight fly line is about 1/3 of an oz.  A fly rod weights a couple ounces by comparison.  Now take that 1/3 oz and throw it through the air at say 10 mph.  That increases the weight the tip of the rod feels by 10 fold.  That is why if you cast a rod harder it will load more. 

The trick is to match the resistance of the line, and the typical distance you will cast with your casting stroke.  Someone that casts very slowly and without a lot of force may need a heavier line to make the rod feel like it is loading.  Conversely, a fast casting stroke may even buckle a slow action fly rod, because the line is matched to the rod, but the acceleration of the line in the air is making the resistance coefficient, too heavy. 

Here is another trick.  If you increase the line weight by a factor of 1, the distance that is needed to properly load the rod is divided in 1/2, on average.  So if you have a 7 foot beaver meadow fly rod, and the rod is made for a 4 weight, and you are fishing small streams casting 10 feet.  The rod may feel better with a 5 weight line on it.  Conversely, if you take your 4 weight 7 foot small stream fly rod out on the lake, and you are casting 60 feet, you may try a 3 weight line on it. 

In summary.  We do our best to design our rods to our feel.  However, it is ok to tweak the rod a bit by changing the line you use to cast on it.  If a rod feels like a stiff broom handle, try over compensating by adding one line weight heavier to the rod.  If the rod is bending a lot, and almost buckling on a cast, try backing off a line weight. 

I hope this helps you.  Email me if you have any questions.

Although the great flood of this spring was tremendous, it looks like the hatches are still going to be pretty good.  Looking at a recent blog post by Craig Dennison about March Browns on the West Branch helped me stur up some interest on the West Canada.  The March Brown hatch is one of the biggest hatches on the West Canada Creek, and after talking to Beck Dangler last night, it sounds like the hatch is going on right now on the West Canada.  This hatch is great all the way from the Trophy Section to Herkimer.  Beck said that there were a lot of fish rising there last night and the hatch was strong. 

I ran into the same hatch on the Black River in Forestport last week.  The bugs were coming off strong and the fish were rising. 

So if you are wondering if all hope is lost, do not despair.  There are still fish in the West Canada Creek, and they did not all get washed to Albany.  The next big hatches will be Sulphers and Green Drakes.

Here is some info from Trout Nut on March Browns.

Like some of you, this spring flood has put quite a different spin on the early season hatches. I have been waiting all winter for the Hendrickson hatch and I have been searching for it for the last few weeks. All I could find was a lot of high water, and no rising fish. However this week I went fishing with one of my pals on the Oriskany creek and finally ran into a few very small rising fish. There were no signs of mayflies but there were a couple caddisflies in the air. I could not get them to take a fly, which just proves that I still have a lot of rust from the long winter. But keep in mind that I have been fishing the Mohawk River Valley and not yet the Adirondacks. This means that one of Gods gifts to the fly fisherman is the fact that hatches move. A month ago my friends at REC Components were talking about fishing the Hendricksons. Weeks ago my friends in western NY were talking about Hedricksons before the flood. Now as the tulips begin to make way for the lilacs, so too do the hendricksons get ready to pop in the Adirondacks. At my Cabin Workshop in Utica I have maple leaves open and my tiger lilies are at least 16 inches tall. Yet just one drive up to the West Canada at the base of the Adirondacks and the maple leaves have just popped and the lilies are only 10-12 inches tall. I have always been fond of observing nature and associating its moves with multiple data points or signals. Right now as things begin to heat up in the valley you will find the lilacs in a desperate race with the apple blossoms. Meanwhile this same race is weeks away on the West Canada and even further in Old Forge and Racquette Lake. I am telling you this because all is not lost for those of us that wake up and realize we have mowed the lawn twice so far and have not even caught a fish on a dry fly yet. Or perhaps even worse, you have not even gone fishing yet. Well dont worry. If you are an Adirondack fly fisherman things are just beginning to heat up. Do not despair, take a drive up north and if you don’t see black flies than take a walk. If they bite you than string up your fly rod. I have always found that the early hatch of the Black flies is mostly males, which coincidentally do not bite. It is the females that hatch second, and those are the ones that bite. When the black flies start to bite, the fishing gets really good. We are probably about two weeks away from some of the best fishing of the season. I look forward hearing about your stories. See you on the river.