Fishing Log

Fishing with midges part 2

I recently had the opportunity to spend a good amount of time on the water. A rare feat indeed...at least for me! The only problem with this opportunity is that it came on the heels of a good bit of rain that left many of our local inland trout streams high and stained. That left me with one really good option, and I was hoping that everyone else wasn't thinking the same thing. But when I arrived at the parking lot at 6:00am, and saw that I was the 5th car in the lineup, I was a little dissapointed. But when you can't pick and choose the best days to fish - you make the most of it!

The first 20 minutes or so of the morning was filled with a torrential down pour. So I hid back in the trees and tied up my rig as I waited out the rain. I was waiting to take a position at a pool that lay a good 150 yards downstream from the trestle, and away from the other fly fishermen who had taken positions at all the other well known holes and runs. The pool is a tricky spot to fish. It is made from a right angle in the stream were the main current slides over the top of another current that runs accross and underneath. To combat this tricky drift my friends and I have found that pulling the fly along - kind of like czech nymphing - allows you to control the drift and put the fly in front of fish. We use long sections of light tippet and a little extra weight under an indicator to get it done. As the fly sinks and starts to drift one way, we slowly pull the indicator and the fly the other way, working it into the zone. This is why more weight is often needed. We need the fly to not only get down fast, but stay in front of the fish in the "zone." And just as I described in my last post about fly fishing with midges, I put the weight about 3 inches from the fly. This worked really well because most of the fish - that held in the heart of the pool - where stationed on the bottom, feeding on small midge larvae. And because the fish werent very active, the take was often very light. Just a short stop or slight dip in the indicator was enough. And if you didn't manage your line well, you missed the fish.

Once the rain stopped and another fisherman, who stopped by to take a few casts left, I took up position and began working my #22 brown midge larvae to a pool filled with trout. This is the great thing about fishing a spring creek - the water is so clean and clear you can see the bottom, even in the deepest of pools. It did not take long and I had my first fish of the morning to hand, a beautiful wild brown trout. I stayed at this section for most of the morning changing flies ever so often and catching a few trout with those new flies. But the #22 brown midge was the fly I always went back to, and caught most of my fish with.

And as I explored just a bit downstream from the pool, I found another section that held a large number of trout. Most of them were on the small side - between 6-10" inches. But there were larger fish mixed in that would range in size from 11"-16" inches. And then just as I was getting ready to make a cast into the run, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. It was huge! At least for a small creek like this. It was a very large brown trout of about 22"-23" long. It had slid out from somewhere hidden and took up position on the far side of the run. I worked my fly to that fish for a little while but most of the smaller fish in the crystal clear run were a bit skittish, and made it hard to get a good drift on the big trout. I never did get the fish to even look at my fly, but I'll be back to try it again.

After a very succesful morning at the spring creek, I headed East to check out some other local trout water nearby. I knew the stream to the East would be high and stained with all the recent rain that we've had, but I really wanted to break out the big rod and streamers. I only had about an hour, so I got my 6 weight rigged and ready to go with a big black 4" inch lead eyed streamer. I worked the main current hard, but it wasn't until I started stripping through some back water near the bank did I start to get some follows. I worked my way upstream getting a few follows here and there, but not one fish made the grab - that is until I made my way to a favorite hole of ours. It was just below the hole in the riffle section that I recieved my first good pull, and then after another miss, I finally got a solid hook up that bent the 6 weight to the cork. It wasn't a big fish, but it put up a great fight in high water. I could see why it couldn't lay off the chance for a big meal, it was a good 14" inches long, but very thin - almost like a pike!

So that is how my day ended. I got to fish solo for the first time in a long time, and got into a bunch of fish. It would have been nice to have some friends for company, but sometimes you just need a day of fly fishing to yourself.

Posted 5 days ago by Brian Bradfield | 0 Comments

Fly Fishing with Midges

Out here in WNY most of our major hatches of large mayflies are done. Yes there are still some fishable hatches here and there that incude: Isonychias, hex's, Yellow drakes, BWO(cool cloudy days), and maybe a few light cahills. But they are sporadic at best, and when the tricos are on, so are the trout - but only to tricos. So what do you do if you can't partake in the morning trico hatch and then the spinner fall. May I suggest fishing midges. These guys are so prolific that they are a staple for trout year round, which is probably why they work so well in between hatch periods. In fact I have a large section of my fly box devoted to these small flies. I have written about them in the past, especailly during the fall, winter, and early spring. But now is perhaps a great time to break out the small midge larvae, pupae and emergers.

I can't always get to the stream when I would like. That means when I do get the chance to fish for a little while, it usually means late morning or sometimes the afternoon. This is not the best time to fish a hatch in the middle of summer, but I make the most out of it. The two streams I fish most often are influenced by springs. In fact one is a spring creek, and the other has springs that seep into the stream bed all year round wich make it a great choice for all year round fishing. This also makes for an excellent opportunity to sight fish, as many trout will hold in deep holes that will have a spring influence. And they will feed consistently all through the day! You can often make out the white of a trout's mouth as it moves just a fraction of an inch to pick up small midge larvae that drift into their feeding lane.

This is technical fishing at it's finest. Small tippets, precise drifts, and small flies are what are needed to consistently catch fish. A long fly rod is a good choice because it will let you keep fly line off the water to detect the smallest of strikes. And some of those strikes are detected more from a gut feeling than watching your strike indicator hesitate only so slightly. In fact,  I remember a time at our local spring creek when the trout where taking the flies so lightly that it required all of my concentration to even detect the take. I was fishing a small midge larvae on 6x tippet under a small indicator. I could see where the trout were holding, and was carefully drifting through them without so much as a look....or so I thought! And on one of those drifts I noticed my indicator slow down ever so slightly. It never went under, hesitated or dragged on the surface, as you might expect. It just slowed ever so slightly from it's normal speed. At first I thought it was just the fact that the current had slowed in the middle of the run, but when I lifted the rod, I found to my delight a nice trout pulling back. This went on for the rest of the afternoon, and I ended up having a pretty good day of catching trout. It was also a great learning experience for me. I learned how delicate a trout can pick up a fly, and how much concentration it took to detect it.

The flies we go to for this kind of fishing are moslty midge larvae in sizes #18-#30. We tie them in red, purple, brown, black, olive, and white. And use a thin layer of thread wrapped onto the hook with micro hollow tubing over that to show segmentation. Then we either add a black thread head or use a black permanent marker to color the thread for a head. It is an incredibly simple fly to tie, and catches a ton of fish.

When fishing with small midge patterns over trout, I like to have a long leader made up of mostly light tippet. For instance I will have a 4 or 5 foot tappered butt section and then add 4 to 5 feet of tippet. This will allow the small fly to get down more quickly with less weight, and be more sensitive to light strikes. I use a small split shot at first and add more weight as needed. But becuase I use mostly 6x and 7x, I rarely need to use a lot of weight. I also place the split shot about 3 inches from the fly to start, and then adjust if I think the fly needs to drift closer to the bottom or up higher in the water. Because the trout will often take the fly so lightly, It is important to manage your fly line well. And that means less line on the water and holding the rod higher(which will also allow you to extend your drift, by dropping the rod towards the end.) Summer trout that are taking midges, will not usually move great distances for a fly, and position themselves in a single spot and stay there, allowing food to funnel right to them. It may take numerous drifts to get the fly in front of the fish, and then several more before the fish takes. If you feel the fly is in the right place, but the trout aren't interested - try a different color. Once you find the right fly, you should have a blast catching fish after fish on that one pattern.

I will also provide some photos and step by step instruction for the pattern we use out here in WNY, and maybe you can adapt it to your local waters. I will also include a link to Lucas Carrolls flickr page where you can see a real midge larvae next to the fake one. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

Posted July 20th, 2010 by Brian Bradfield | 3 Comments

Strategies for Selective Trout

Two friends and I recently enjoyed fishing a quality sulpher and blue winged olive hatch on the West Branch of the Delaware River.  There was a good flow (600 plus cfs) and stable water temperature (50 degrees).  With this heat spell, the Upper West Branch has been one of the more trout friendly fishing venues in New York State.  Even better, it is the most consistent option to enjoy surface mayfly fishing.  You may find blue winged olives any month of the year and the sulpher hatch generally lasts from late May to September.  That said, you are hard pressed to find more selective trout.  With so many naturals, those WBD fish become conditioned to and capable of discriminating against flies.

We arrived on the river at 11 am and immediately spotted rising fish.  Only  yards from our car,  I noticed a nice snout feeding.  Claiming that fish, I eagerly crossed a side channel, crept through tall grasses and positioned myself above the trout.  I stayed low, crept closer to the fish and stripped out sufficient fly line.  I also noticed a few olives on the surface and observed the feeding pattern of this particular fish.  Then, I tied on a #20 blue winged oliver emerger to 7x and checked my 16' leader.  Again, I observed the feeding patterns of this fish.   Timing my cast, I dropped the fly five feet above the fish and fed out line as it drifted towards the trout.  On my first cast, the trout rose, I saw the white mouth engulf my fly and I gently lifted tight. After some side pressure and patience, a beautiful 18.5" brown was led  head first into my net.

It's not always this easy.  Yet, there are a number of aspects to improve your odds.  Selective trout don't automatically jump on your fly and you need to maximize your chances.  Here are hints that should help you land wily summertime trout:

1. Try staying out of the water and slooowly move into position.  If you have to enter the water, avoid sending a wake and spooking fish.  I prefer an upstream location that allows me to present my fly first, then the leader.  It's all about the presentation and your stealthy approach helps.
2. Your first few casts are usually your best shot.  Strip out your line in advance and avoid lining (casting over) the fish.
3. Lengthen your leader.  If you can cast a 16' or longer leader, there are advantages.
4. Mend and continually control your line.
5. If you manage half a dozen more drag free casts that were clearly in the fish's window and didn't earn a take, change flies.  Again, observe the water, seine the surface and ascertain what the fish might be consuming.  The rise form, combined with an observation of the surface film should help unlock some of the guessing game.
6. Your next fly should be distinctly different over the past imitation.  Ensure that you are giving the trout something new.  Spinners and cripples always take their share of summertime trout.  Or, sometimes movement is a key trigger.
7. Sometimes the fish are so focused on naturals that you can't compete.  Consider throwing a tiny attractor (wulff/stimulator/terrestrial) or something beefy to get their attention (streamer/chernobyl/isonychia/drake).  The majority of fish won't vary, but now and then an opportunistic fish pounces on something different.
8. Patience is a virtue, but know when to leave a fish to find another.  If you have an aggressive fish downstream that is gulping down insects steadily, go for it.  There is great reward in finally hooking that super selective fish.  At the same time, there is  merit in taking a break and restoring your confidence with a fresh fish.
9. Consider fishing until you can't see any more.  During this last trip to the WBD, I hooked three quality fish between 9:20 pm and 9:40 pm.  Position yourself with the best possible light and cast minimal line.  Lift up when you hear, see or feel anything promising.  Your instincts will guide you.  During the heat of the summer, the best surface fishing may occur the final twenty minutes.  You should be able to get away with an over sized fly at this time.  Surface feeders may also be observed in low light, early morning conditions.
10. Had enough of super selective trout?   No problem, we all need variety now and then.  Head to your local farm pond for some bluegills on poppers or throw some foam/deerhair sliders at  bass!

Posted July 13th, 2010 by Craig Dennison | 0 Comments

Trico pattern

I found some time to sit down at the vise and tie a few of my most successful trico patterns. They could be considered more of an emerger pattern than an adult/dun pattern, but I have found great success using them throughout the hatch. The spinner fall, however, is a different story, and you may need a downed winged spinner pattern to better match the naturals. But when I get the chance to get on the stream, which is more often than not a good bit before the sun rises, I usually find a hatch already in progress. And in that time, when the light is low, you can often see the female duns emerging and/or floating downstream. And if you watch long enough, you will see them disappear from the surface as the trout feed. It is in this time that I go to the pattern I have sown you here. It is easy to tie and can be modified to fit the many different materials you may already have.

So here it goes

Hook - #18-#26 standard dry fly hook (with #20-#22 being the most successful)

Thread – black 8/0 or 70 denier

Tail – white or cream hackle barbs (you can use micro fibers or even paint brush fibers)

Abdomen – super fine dubbing (black for the males/PMD for the females)

Wing – light dun snow shoe rabbits foot fibers (you can use z-lon, poly yarn, or very thin packing foam)

Thorax – black super fine tied in thick just like the natural

Head – black tying thread

I have also included a photo of a double winged pattern ( #16 dry fly hook) that represents two flies that would rest very close together on the water during the peak of the hatch and/or spinner fall. And again you can modify this pattern very easily to accommodate the materials you have at home. So if you don’t want to try the small stuff just yet, give this a try. It would also be a good idea to have a few Griffith’s gnats in sizes #18-#22. This pattern was designed to look like a small cluster of midges, but it will also work in the same manner during the trico hatch.

I fish these patterns on a long leader. I start with a standard 9 foot tapered leader down to 5x and then add about two feet of 6x to that. If I am having trouble getting fish to take, I may add another foot or two of 7x, but I rarely have to do this. Another good thing to do is approach fish very carefully. Moving slowly when wading is critical, and if you can stay out of the water...even better! Casting down to fish is preferable, as the fish will see the fly first, and not your fly line. And if you can't do that, try to get into a position where you can cast accross to fish. Casting up to fish should be a last resort, unless you are fishing over broken water.

I enjoy using a lighter fly rod for this kind of fishing because they tend to handle the light line, flies, and tippet much better than the standard 5 weight fly rods. My rods of choice would be a 4 weight for bigger streams and longer casts, and then a 3 or a 2 weight for smaller streams where shorter casts are necessary.

I hope you all can get out there for the trico hatch. It is one of the biggest mayfly hatches of the year, even though they are one of the smallest of all the mayfly species.

Posted July 12th, 2010 by Brian Bradfield | 0 Comments

Family fishing in Inlet

We recently made the three and a half hour trip to my parents place on fourth lake in the Adirondacks for the 4th of July weekend. The weather was perfect, and everyone had a great time. It was also a busy weekend, filled with lots of people and kids who needed to do things. Things like swimming, visiting Old Forge, boat rides, fireworks, and of course a little fishing. In fact the very first thing my kids wanted to do when we got there on Saturday evening was.....fishing. My oldest son wanted to know where the worms were and how soon I could get my act together for fishing. The only problem with this whole idea is, that he doesn't quite understand that asking dad every second if he can go fishing won't make it happen any faster. In fact it tends to slow the process down. The good thing is that he's eight years old. And when I explained this to him, he seemed to understand. So, after what seemed like hours to him, we finally made it out to the walkway that spans the water and began to fish. Of course we had to use the fly rod because the worms at this point weren't bought. This troubled my son a little, and as he explained..."you don't catch as many fish with flies Dad!" Being a dedicated fly fisherman, I had to quickly point out that much of his fishing success has come in the form of casting a fly to fish. Being satisfied with the answer, he and the other kids had fun casting and catching a few fish before it was time for them to go to bed. I guess fly fishing wasn't so bad after all!!! The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch, with lots more fish for everyone. In fact a few of the other kids who were there, enjoyed catching a fish for the very first time!

Before the weekend ended we all went for a boat ride with the kids, and as we were cruising around the lake I noticed something sitting underneath a handrail on the boat. I got closer and soon realized it has a large mayfly - a Hex! And as soon as we got back to camp I ran in and got the camera to take a few shots. As I was taking some photos I got the idea that I could try and put it on my hand for a better look and perhaps a better photo. This ended poorly as the giant hex took off in the air and dissapeared. I only wish I could say that this was not my last encounter, and that there was a big hatch that fish rose to for hours. But that really never happened, and I was left to day dream of such things on my way home.

On other news - Tricos should be getting underway out here on our WNY streams, along with the tail end of some light cahills and small sulphers. The trico fishing can be great, even though you need to fish small flies. It is one of the best hatches of the year, and can last well into September if the temperature is right. Small balck flies with a light wing tied on #20-#26 hook should match the male tricos well enough - the females will have a pale to light olive abdomen. Flies tied in a dun, emerger, and spinner imitation will work well to match the hatch. But also remember to tie up some Griffith's gnats in #18-#22 and other larger patterns that may give the trout the idea that they may get a bunch of those little guys in one bite. You can tie a double fly pattern on a larger hook (up to a #16), that will make it look as though there are two flies laying right together. This makes it easier for the angler to tie on and track in the water when you are fishing. In the past few years I have had great success with a snow shoe rabbits foot emerger pattern in size #20-#22. I will post some photos along with tying instructions in my next post.

Stay cool!

Posted July 11th, 2010 by Brian Bradfield | 1 Comments