36 Degrees, perfect for winter steelheading

When the air temp is below 32 it is tolerable, however water freezes on all your gear. The guides on my rod are usually the first thing to freeze, and then ice forms on the fly line, I've even found my fly frozen in a small block of ice. When gear starts to get iced up, it's almost impossible to make an effective presentation to the fish. So I can bundle up and deal with temps below freezing, but it's difficult to fish effectively so I tend to stay home and tie flies. No reason to stand outside and freeze my but off if my effort to catch fish is going to be hampered by ice on my gear, right? Yesterday was the only day this weekend that the air temps were forecasted to be above freezing. So I hit the river mid-afternoon, about 3:30ish. The air was about 36 degrees, a perfect winter temperature. The water was stained; it had about 12 inches of visibility and was in the mid 30s. There was ice on the bank. I saw two other anglers on the river yesterday, that said, I had the river to myself for the most part. I fished all types of water, fast water, mid pool, eddies, the gut of the pool, and tail outs. I fished hard with no success. I did spend a nice winter afternoon on the river peacefully communing with nature. I saw deer, birds and squirrels running around all over the place. It was nice to get out. Unfortunately, I got smacked with the skunk. Here's a nice winter pic as a consolation prize.

It’s winter steelhead season…

It was 25 degrees this morning when I first looked at the outside temperature.  By the time I went fishing it had warmed up to a balmy 34 degrees.  This was the first time this year that it was so cold outside that I had to wear a hat and gloves while fishing.  It was sunny and nice despite the cold.  When I got to the river there were three other cars full of anglers in the parking lot.  Two of the three groups got out ahead of me.  As I hiked in I decided to go up river past all the fools who had just gotten there.  I probably hiked about a mile up river from the last angler I past before I put a line in.  There was a small amount of ice on the bank and in small pools left behind after the water receded from the last high water event.  The water was in good shape.  The flow was at about 200 CFS, and there was a nice stain to the water.  I looked like “normal” for steelhead season.  It was much better than the low and clear river conditions we had all fall.  I fished through a couple of runs, nothing.  I fished a deep hole near a downed tree, again, nothing.  I moved up river and started to fish a spot where the current was broken by some underwater rocks.  Usually this kind of current break is productive; today it was not.  I began to fish the bubble line on the far side of the underwater rocks.  On the second pass I had a very subtle strike.  I set the hook and it was fish on!  The fish fought to stay deep in the run; eventually it surfaced and shook its head a few times before taking off on the run.  A couple of long runs and I worked the fish in for a picture (posted below).  I fished a little while longer before I ran into a buddy down river.  We chatted for a while and I headed back to the parking lot so I could make it to dinner on time.  It was a nice afternoon of winter steelheading.  After the unusually warm fall, it took a little getting used to the cold; now it feels like steelhead season.

Happy fish make happy anglers

I got out early yesterday morning and hit the river at sunrise. I fished hard all morning before going to class to take a test. I heard from the guys at the fly shop that fish have pushed up into the upper reaches of the river and are now well distributed. I had been fishing lower down all fall because the fish hadn’t made their way up to the upper part of the river I prefer to fish. I like the upper section of the river mainly because it is more wooded. The lower river runs right through town which makes for more anglers and poor scenery. I like the wooded areas on the upper river and prefer to have the river to myself, if possible. The area I fish on the upper stretch is also 20 minutes closer to home than the areas I fish on the lower river; that’s nice too. The water was a little low with excellent visibility up to 30” I would guess. Still there was more water and more color than there was the last time I fished. The fish were happier and were holding in places you’d expect to find fish. The air temperature started off in the low 40s and reached the mid 50s by the time I hiked out. Shortly after getting there, I caught a decent sized buck at the head of a short run. It leaped out of the water several times and went on a few strong runs before being brought to hand. It hit my point fly, an orange glow bug. It completely trashed my rig in the fight; the dropper fly got ripped off and the orange glow bug was coated in river muck. That fish caused so much commotion fighting that I decided to move up river rather than continue to fish the same run. I figured any other fish in that run would have been spooked. I worked my way up to a riffle that is more like a small waterfall. The river is dammed by boulders here and dumps water into a deep run below the riffle. I fished the fast water just below the riffle and hooked a brute. This fish went nose down into the current at first. As I applied pressure from the rod to work the fish in, it took off running. It ripped line of the reel so quickly I thought the reel was going to start smoking from the friction. I ran down stream chasing the fish. I worked the rod in the opposite direction turning the fish when it shot out of the water violently shaking its head in an amazing aerial display. It jumped several more times before I worked it in for a picture. One of the guys I saw while I was on the river was the guy at the fly shop who I got the report from the day before. He said he had caught one fish upstream of where I saw him; it’s good to know his reports are first hand. It was an excellent morning out on the river, beautiful weather, only a small handful of other anglers, and a couple of nice fish. I headed to class a happy man. I posted pics of both fish below; they are posted in order that they were caught. The second fish was larger, I made sure my foot was in the picture for scale (I wear a size 9).

Tough going, but got the skunk out of the bag!

I took the day off of work for my birthday and fished the entire lower section of the river.  I caught one steelhead in the morning.  That fish got the skunk out of the bag.  Conditions were tough at best.  The water was low, ultra clear, and the flow was only at 8o CFS.  It was a gorgeous day.  With the water so low I was able to see the bottom of the river very well and did a lot of scouting for later in the season.  In the afternoon I came across a pod of steelhead that were holding mid-pool, my presence made them nervous and they started circling the pool looking to avoid me.  I was standing on the bank 20-30 feet from where the fish were holding!  At one point, I had hiked up hill where I could look down on the river from above to see if there were fish and to see what the bottom looked like.  It was a steep hill and I slipped on my way down.  I broke my fall with my hand.  As I did this I continued to slid down hill.  I skinned the tip of one finger and sliced the tip of another.  There was a pricker bush on the rock I grabbed at leaving several thorns in my hand as well.  I made a trip back to the car for the first aid kit.  I put a bunch of band aids on my bleeding fingers and headed back to catch more fish!  I wasn't going to let a couple of small wounds ruin my day.  I worked all the way down river to as close as I could wade o the mouth of the river.  I walked back to the car and drove up river and fished another section of stream that I expected might hold fish under such tough conditions.  I didn't catch any other fish yesterday, but I caught the one that mattered most; the skunk killer!  The day was beautiful, I had most of the river to myself (unusual this time of year) and I caught a good size steelhead buck.  It was a great day.  Afterward, I headed home, cleaned up and went to dinner with my family to celebrate my birthday.  It was a wonderful dinner and a great end to a great day!

Yesterday's fish

      

Fall chrome

I hit the river earlier in the week.  The flow was decent about 200 CFS, the water had stain to it, with about 24”+ visibility.  I caught two fish while I was out.  The first fish was caught in a medium fast run below some boulders.  This fish was HOT, HOT, HOT!  It went airborne several times and ripped line off the reel making it sound like a screaming banshee.  The fish ran me down into the pool below.  The first few times I brought this fish in, it decided it wasn’t done yet and went on another run.  This fish was the kind of fish steelheaders dream of.  The second fish that day was caught in a fast chute in the broken water.  It was runner not a jumper.  The fish went nose down in the current in its effort to get away.  It fought a hell of a fight.  I eventually brought the fish in and was able to take a decent picture of it.  I caught the first fish on a steelhead prince and the other on an orange glow bug.  Pics of both fish are posted below, the first fish is on top.  I also have a close up of the first fish showing the fly in its mouth. 

(Fishy is smiling for the pic!)

The hot fly of the season has been the steelhead prince. That fly has accounted for more than half of the steelies I have caught this season.  The rubber legs on the fly give it great movement in the water that the fish find irresistible.  I posted a pic of the fly too.  Thanks to Dan at Chagrin River Outfitters for recommending the fly.  The fly works so well I started tying them myself.

I was on the river yesterday and the day before too.  Yesterday was no good.  Really low clear water, too many anglers, and no steel for me.  If it weren't for a shiner I caught, I would have ben completely skunked.

The day before yesterday was better.  I caught a skipper in a chute. It was too small for a photo so I don't take a pic.  I caught the little skipper on an orange glow bug.  I also caught a sucker fish that afternoon.  On the way out I decided to make a few casts into run that usually holds fish in a popular spot.  The fish get so pounded there and it's always too crowded for my liking so I usually don't fish in that location.  Since I was on my way out and didn't want to leave until I had to, I gave it a few casts.  On the fourth or fifth cast I hooked a monster!  It ran and ran, ripping line off the reel as if there was no drag!  I was fighting the fish in, after a long fight, the fish mamaged to throw the hook with no warning at all. The tug was just gone.  I didn't even get a look atthe fish.  It must have been a monster because the guy accross the current from me is the one who gave this fish the title.  He was an impartial third party not the guy telling the fish story.

Wishin I could be fishin…

The last two opportunities I had to get out and fish, I only had an hour or so to fish before dark. In that time I only managed one hook up due to the low, clear water, and the pressured fish. The few fish in the system at that time had really taken a pounding by all of the anglers out there, making them very weary of the fly. Each of those fish I hooked up with the last couple of times out was lost. One was a quick “on and off” and the other was a real fighter, jumping several times and eventually fighting its way free (see my last entry). It has been a couple of weeks since I have landed a steelhead. I have been in class everyday this past week, and all evening on Tuesday and Thursday. The only chance I had to get out and fish was Wednesday night and that was ruined by all of the rain we received Tuesday night and Wednesday morning blowing out the rivers. Yesterday (Thursday) was a gorgeous October day, the sun was shining and it was about 65 degrees. All I could do was stare out the classroom window and wish I were out there on the river somewhere hooking into the red hot fresh run steelhead I know came in during the last rain we received. This weekend is going to be spent in class as well. Responsibility sucks… I just wish I could go out and fish.

Beautiful fall afternoon on the river

I woke up, looked at how beautiful is was outside and wished I could go fishing. Sadly, responsibility called. I went and did home work all morning and then went to class at 1:00pm. I got to class and it was canceled for the day. The fishing gods heard my prayers and answered them! I drove home, grabbed my gear as fast as I could and headed for the river. I was on the water within an hour of leaving class. It was a gorgeous day. The trees looked amazing in their fall colors, temps in the 60’s, and the river was in good shape to fish; it was as close to perfect as you get this time of year. The river was still a little low and clear, but the rain we got Friday brought the flow up some. I fished through a good stretch of water and nothing. I found a sexy looking run and started at the head of the run and worked my way down. About half way down the run, I saw a steelhead porpoise. I thought to myself, I’m in the right place. Next cast, fish on! This fish ran right, leaped out of the water, ran left leaped out of the water again, and then it charged at me! I tried to pick line up as quickly as I could, the fish leaped out of the water a third time; this time it was right in my face!! After the fish landed in the water the tension in my line was gone. I saw the fish jump one last time, free from my hook, and splash down a few feet down river from where I was standing. I lost that steelhead :(. I saw a couple of other fish porpoise in that run, I fished it until I had to pack up and leave with no more success. Sadly, that was going to be my excitement for the day. Losing fish is so frustrating. Either way, just being out on the river instead of sitting in class was plenty to be happy about. I decided that it was a great afternoon even if that fish got away.

Low and clear water makes for tough fishing

I have been out a few times since my last post with out much luck. The low and clear water conditions have made it extremely difficult to catch steelhead and I haven’t seen any smallmouth for a few weeks now. The guy at the local fly shop says this is a great time of year to catch BIG bass, so I’m sure they are still biting for now. In fact, he suggested I forget about steelhead yesterday, since it was 70 degrees, and head up river in search of big smallies. I had to be in a town on the lower section of the river for work, so I headed to the closest park afterward and fished for both smallies and steelhead. The nice thing about the low water is that you get to see the bottom contour and find good holding locations for later in the steelhead season. The only thing I managed to catch yesterday was sucker fish; at least I didn’t go home skunked! It was one of the nicest days we have had in October making it a pleasure just to be outside. The only thing I caught when I was out on Sunday evening was a beautiful sunset. Friday when I was out with a buddy, it was raining lightly all day. Not enough to bring the rivers up, just enough to make it cold and wet. The water was still very low. I managed to hookup with a steelhead and didn’t land it. My buddy didn’t have any luck at all. The fishing has been tough since we haven’t had much rain or the rain we had wasn’t enough to make an impact. I’m ready to start doing the rain dance… The five day forecast is calling for rain on at least three of those days and chances of rain on the other two. I hope the forecast holds up.

Hot Cleveland Steel

I went out steelhead fishing on Monday, and Wednesday of this week. The water has been low and clear, the river has been flowing at around 100 CFM. There was about 36” of vis, maybe more. Both days were pretty good for me. Monday was better than Wednesday. Monday I went 3 for 5. Two of the fish were on the small end and the third was a nice fat chromer! All fish fought hard and went airborne several times. It is awesome to have a fish like that on the end of your line and see it leap two to three feet out of the water, cart wheel, tail dance and head shake in an effort to get free. It is even better when you bring that fish to hand! The big fish I caught on Monday was the biggest this season for me so far. It’s nice because each time I was out last week, until Sunday I had hooked up and lost the fish each time. It’s good to actually bring the fish in. I think I was over anxious to catch my first steelhead of the season and tried to force the fish in causing me to lose them. Wednesday, I went 1 for 2. Nobody else on the river was catching fish either day; making me one proud angler. I only took pics of two of Monday’s fish; the first small fish and the fat fish. The close up head shot is of the larger fish.  I didn’t bother taking a picture of Wednesday’s fish as it was not photo worthy in my opinion. So far this fall has been a pretty good one for Steelhead. Now we just need some more rain to bring in more fish and to allow them to move up river and spread out throughout the river system. We are expecting rain today, snow / rain tomorrow and Saturday. That’s a real good thing in my opinion.

First steelhead of the season...

I went to the river today at about 10:30. I seemed I was late to the game; there were about twenty other anglers at the park when I arrived. I couldn’t find a decent spot to fish near the “honey hole” so I walked down river and fell into line. I fished a run that was just downstream from one of the deeper holes in this area. I did manage to catch a sucker fish. At least I wasn’t going home completely skunked. I decided to walk further down river to see what things were like around the bend. Before I made it around the bend, I slipped and fell in. Sadly, it was in about 12” of water. My boots are shot; the felt is worn away on the bottoms. When I fell, I wound up on my side and water got into my waders. To add insult to injury, these were new waders and now I have green stains all over the side and the butt. I was trying to be careful with the new waders since it was the first time I wore them on the river; so much for that. At that point I started walking back towards the parking lot since my entire right side of my body was soaked, from my shoulder to my toes. As I was walking back I decided it was tolerable to stay and fish for a while since the temperature was at about 50 degrees. Had it been much colder and I would have had to get into dry clothes as soon as I could. As I was walking back up river towards the parking lot, I noticed an opening at the “honey hole” and stepped in and began to fish. On the second or third cast I had a fish and off. Damn! That is so frustrating. I continued to fish this spot for a while with no success. I saw a guy I have seen at the fly shop several times. We chatted for a minute before I had another fish on! This steelhead I was able to bring to hand. The first fish of the season; woo hoo! It was not the largest steelhead, it wasn’t even a big steelhead; it was a small fish coming in at about 14”, a “skipper”. After losing 6 fish over three separate outings; I was very happy to bring this fish to hand, regardless of its size. At least my streak of losing fish was over! As I beached the fish and got hold of it, the fish flopped around in an effort to get away. While it was thrashing, I got hooked by the dropper fly. So there I was soaking wet, bleeding, with fish and hook in hand. It was a tough day for this angler. As tough as it was, I still went home happy because I caught my first steelhead of the season!  I didn't get a picture of the fish i caught today.  I am posting a picture of a fish that was about the same size from last season.

Burned by hot steel...

I hit the rive rafter work this evening.  I was there for about an hour and a half.  In that time I hooked into 4 fish, 3 of them were confirmed steelhead.  The unconfirmed fish threw the hook before I could get a look at it.  The first fish was about 30" and was a hot, hot fish!  It took me into the backing and leaped out of the water several times.  It was a great fish.  The other two steelhead were on the smaller end, one "skipper", and one average sized steelehead.  Sadly, I didn't land any of them or I would have had pictures.  The first fish threw the hook after a lengthy fight.  The second steelhead was on and off (a bad hook set I believe), and the third steelhead broke off.  It just wasn't my day.  The thrill of hooking steel was well worth the time on the water.  These were the first steelhead of the season for me and left me wanting more.  it started raining as I was driving to dinner after fishing.  I hope the rivers don't blow out overnight so I can head back out tomorrow

Wild NY trout

I was in the Finger Lakes area of New York this past weekend and had the chance to fish a tributary of one f the lakes. I was hopping for lake run browns or landlocked salmon. It was too early for the fall runs from the lake. Fortunately for me there were resident trout in the creek. The trout were small and selective. The water was gin clear and the creek was small, about as wide as one lane on a road at the widest and about a foot wide at its narrowest point. The banks were over grown and there was a lot of wood in the water requiring precision casting. The only fly that was attractive to the fish was a small muddler minnow. here are pictures of the two trout I caught.

Bass before the rain

I went out this morning and hit the river a little later than I hoped.  I got there at about 8:15.  The sky was gray, the water was low and clear; I thought it would be a decent outing.  I fished down river from where I walked in.  I fished through about three quarters of the water accessible on this section of stream and I only had one fish bite.  Sadly, I lost the fish due to a dull hook point.  I had gotten hung up on a rock moments before I lost the fish and failed to inspect the hook point after I snagged.  Needless to say I had a fish on and lost it because of my negligence.  At this point I started to wonder why the fishing was so bad, cold front coming in, dropping pressure, low clear water; who knows.  Places that normally hold fish were not producing anything this morning.  I started swinging through a faster run and bam, fish on.  This fish pulled hard making it clear that this was a sizable fish. I worked the fish in and brought it to hand.  It was a very nice smallmouth, a large fish for this area.  At this point I felt like the slow morning was worth the wait.  This was the fish of the day, a picture is below.  I caught another smallie that was slight larger than average and a small rock bass to finish out the morning.  Just after releasing the rock bass, noticed a slight drizzle.  At this point I thought to myself, I need to get back to the car before it rains.  I didn't bring a rain jacket because I thought it was supposed to rain this afternoon, not this morning.  As I walked back to the car it started raining and progressively came down harder and harder.  I got my gear in the car and jumped in with my waders and boots on because had I waited a moment longer I would have gotten drenched.  Just as I closed the door it went from a rain to an out right downpour.  I made it to the car just in time to avoid getting completely soaked and I caught a good size bass; I felt like I had a lucky morning.

   

Sight casting to carp

Wednesday night after work I went down to an area I fish a lot during steelhead season, but not often during the warmer months. The water was low (about 65 CFM) and extremely clear. There was about four feet of visibility in some places, the best I’ve seen. I started catching fish as soon as I got there. I caught an average sized bass after a cast or two. I worked my way up river and caught another smallie hanging out near a rock pile. I continued to move up river and was standing in a sandy bottom pool that was three or four feet deep casting down river to a rock pile below me when I saw a carp cruising the around the bottom of the pool off to the side of where I was standing. I cast my fly to the carp and striped the fly very slowly, nothing. I decided to give it a second try before going back to the rock pile I was working before I saw the carp. I cast a little bit further out and started with the same slow stripping action and this time the carp took the fly. It was less of a smacking hit like a bass and more of a slow steady pull; but, the fish was on. The carp went on a couple of slow steady runs. Finally after a brief struggle, the fish was brought to hand. It was an average sized carp for this river. Nothing really special; but, it was the largest fish I caught that day. I have a picture below. It’s not the best picture because of how I held the fish to take the picture. I guess I should have taken the picture of the fish in the water rather than holding it. Oh well, live and learn. As I continued to fish up river, I caught another averaged size small mouth bass, and two very large shiners that were the size of an average sized bass! All together I caught six fish Wednesday night in the two and a half hours I was on the river. It was a good outing. Some strange things happened on my way out. As I was walking down river to the path that goes back to the parking lot, I heard some huge splashes in the water! It sounded like someone throwing bowling balls into the water from twenty feet up. I don’t know what made those splashes; the way it sounded was as if it were very large fish jumping out of the water. The splashing sounds were not made by ducks or anything like that and I didn’t see another person the whole time I was on the water. If those splashes were made by fish, they had to be huge! It got dark before I started walking out. The area I was at is a 15 minute walk through the woods from the river to the car. I saw several deer as I walked out through the woods in the dark. The deer were spooky looking when my head lamp lit up their eyes. The light made their eyes glow like the cat in Pet Cemetery. Needless to say I was happy to get to the car and out of the woods.

Looking for silver, I got bronze

I fished Friday after work and Saturday morning (yesterday). I caught a few really nice river smallies on these last outings. The first one bass came from way up river on Friday, where the fish are usually a lot smaller. The other two I caught on Saturday were from much lower down, about a mile from the lake. When I got to the river on Friday, the water was as low and clear as I have ever seen. I could clearly see the bottom in place where it is normally not visible. Friday’s big bass was one of several fish caught that day, but the large bass was the only noteworthy fish. I caught this bass on a small crayfish fly that was dead drifted through a run next to the bank that had under cut the bank just below a tree exposing its roots. This was a prime place for a bass to call home. I have fished this spot before without much success because of the overhanging tree. It is very difficult to cast the fly to the proper place without getting hung up in the trees. I think I’ve tried so many times and failed, that I gained enough experience to make the perfect cast this time around. On the second or third drift I hooked up and this fish fought a very sporting fight. The overhanging tree again became a problem as I was fighting the fish. With my rod high, the tip and line got caught up in the tree again giving the bass an unfair advantage. Eventually I untangled the rod tip, and used side pressure by positioning the rod parallel to the stream, keeping the tip low, to fight the fish and bring it to hand. I did get a picture with my cell phone camera which is posted below. The way the fish is lying in my hand its head and tail hang lower than its body making it look smaller in the picture than it really was. Regardless, you can tell by the picture that it was a chunky bass!

 

Saturday’s outing was an attempt to get into some early season steelhead.  I drove North (down river) to the location closest to the mouth of the river where you can actually wade.  I got there and there were a handful of other fisherman, no one had caught anything.  I started out by drifting an egg pattern with a stone fly trailer.  That was worthless.  I next attempted to swing a streamer.  I figured that I could catch bass or steelhead this way.  Sure enough I was right.  I didn’t catch the steelhead I was after.  I did catch a broad shouldered bass shortly after I started swing the streamer fly.  I moved down river continuing to pursue the elusive steelhead.  I didn’t catch anything as I moved down.  I waded back up a bit and eventually hooked into another nice bass.  The bass lower down are always larger than their counterparts up river, so the fish I caught near the moth were of average size for where I was at.  As they were average fish, I didn’t take a picture.

While I was fishing on Saturday, I talked to a guy who said he has seen steelhead chasing shad around in the area where we were fishing.  I have also heard and read reports of the rare chromer being caught here or there.  I do believe there are a couple of early arrivals that have made it into the river systems.  I personally have not seen anyone catch a steelhead, nor have I caught one myself yet this season.  We need rain and some cooler weather to bring in the first real run of steelhead.  The next week or two should bring in the first run of fish.  I have been tying up egg and stonefly patterns getting ready for the run!     

Scouting Trip

Monday night I was out scouting a section of river for steelhead season.  I’ve fished this area before, but only once.  I was surprised by how much of the bottom was flat solid rock in this stretch of river.  I thought this section offered more gravel bottom than it has.  I managed to catch a handful of fish while I was out.  The first fish I caught was a good size creek chub that hit a fly that was being stripped through a fast run.  This fish hit like a bass, I was really surprised to find a chub on the end of my leader.  I also caught a rock bass and a couple of smallies too. One of the smallies was a decent size, a picture of that fish is below.  The larger smallie was caught along side a downed tree in faster current.  The other smallmouth was caught just behind a long stone pillar that was stuck in the stream bed on its side.  I cast to the end of the pillar that was deeper and as soon as the fly hit the water the bass crushed it.  If I had to judge the fish by its strike, I would have told you this was a 3 pounder.  I covered a lot of water in a short time since I was really out to scout. I would have liked to spend more time fishing some of these spots.  I guess that will have to wait till later when steelhead season gets into full swing.

  

Leaky waders...

I went out fishing early this morning. The air temp was about 60 degrees at my house, it's usually a little cooler on the river at the bottom of the valley.  I decided to wear waders to be comfortable.  My old pair of waders have been repaired several times, and I found out this morning they are still taking on water.  I already bought a new pair of Simms waders.  I haven't worn them yet because I was saving them for Steelhead season to start.  Basically, I've been trying to get as much wear out of the old pair as possible before I break out the new pair.  Needless to say, the old pair still leak despite several repairs.  I explored a new part of river today and was pretty dissapointed.  I walked about a mile up river from the access point and I found some beautiful looking water, after several casts through a run that should have produced something, I walked down into the run and came to find that the bottom was solid and flat, all shale with no structure of any kind.  There was a lot of this water in the new section I explored today, I found one riffell, run and pool that was littered with bolders on the bottom and caught two smallmouth, one was small and the other was an average sise fish for a resident river fish. The average fish was the big fish of the day.  There is a pic of the of that fish above.  Other than those bass, I also caught a few other smallies, and a blue gill.  It was a decent morning on the river.     

Ripped Off!!!

Last night I went out to the river at about 6:30, sun set is at 7:50 now. It get’s completely dark by 8:35. The water was stained and running a little higher than it has in the last few weeks. I saw a lot of fish feeding on the surface, mostly baitfish I think. I tried casting streamers and poppers to the areas where I saw surface activity with no success. I worked my way across the river to a deep spot near the far bank and stripped a popper across the pool; this effort produced a little smallmouth, nothing exciting. I worked my way down river with no hits. It was dark by this time; I already had the headlamp on. I decided this was going to be the last pool I’d fish before heading back to the car, on the second cast I felt something that felt like a tug and went to set the hook, when I did this my fly was ripped right off. I don’t know if I had hooked a fish or a log or what. I don’t think it was a small mouth, if it was a fish it was probably a carp. Either way my fly got ripped off! I felt robbed. At least I caught the little bass earlier and wasn’t skunked.

Just before the rain

I hit the river just before it started to rain this evening. On the very first cast I caught a small rock bass. Much better than my last few trips to the river. I started to walk down river to the next hole. When I got there, there was some lady and her kids. The kids were swimming in the spot I wanted to fish. I moved on to the next spot. Things slowed down a bit; I fished through around the bend and started to cast at a log jam. A couple of casts at this log jam and I hooked into what I thought was a small mouth. I brought to hand a crappie; it was a beautiful fish, sort of rainbow of colors. The picture of that fish is above. I moved on down and started to strip a tube jig fly through some fast water and caught a small mouth. It was an average sized fish about 12 inches and on the skinny side, not really picture worthy. I worked my way up and around the next bend and started working a deep pocket between boulders in slow moving water. I caught another small rock bass. I gave this pool another effort and hooked a decent sized creek chub, not the bass I was looking for. I continued down river as it was starting to drizzle a little bit. I decided to drift a small crayfish pattern through a pool that has a huge downed tree with the roots facing up river. I drifted the pool a couple of times and got nothing. I thought I'd give it one or two more drifts before heading back to the car to avoid the rain. On the next drift through, I saw a slight hesitation in the drift, I struck to set the hook and felt a nice hard tug on the other end of the line. Fish On!! I could tell by the way this fish was fighting it was of respectable size. I brought the fish to hand and was really surprised by the size of this small mouth relative to the feeling of the take. I would expect a much more vicious take from a bass this size, it was almost undetectable. A picture of the fish is below.

   

After work action...

I left work yesterday and went down to the river for about two hours.  I was way up river from where I fished on Wednesday.  The water was not as muddy as it was the day before, but it was stained with only about 12" of visibility.  Maybe the water was all muddy on Wednesday from the rain not road construction?  At this point I'm not sure.  It was a nice afternoon to be out on the river, it was about 73 degrees, and was sunny.  I fished an area that I fish pretty frequently and found the fishing to be slow.  I only caught two smallies, and one creek chub.  One of the smallies was average size, the other was small, the creek chub was tiny.  The larger smallie was taken on a popper.  I saw a fish break the surface near where I was dead drifting a crayfish so I tied on the popper and cast just above where I saw the disturbance in the water a moment before.  It took a few casts but the bass could not resist the tasty looking popper.  I caught this bass on the same blue gill popper I had great success with a little while back, there is a photo of the fly in the entry titled Top Water Action.  A picture of the bass I caught yesterday is below.    

Muddy muddy water

I went down the river today, not too far from the lake.  I heard some guys are starting to catch steelhead off the breakwalls and near the mouth of the river.  I was too far up river for steelhead. I figured I'd scout out some of the areas I like to fish for steelhead.  When I got near the water I was shocked at out how muddy the water was.  It rained really hard for a few days, but the last two or three days have been without rain.  There is some construction on a bridge just up river from where I was, maybe that was the cause.  I moved up river and again, the water was really muddy.  Again, there was a construction just up river from where I was at.  I did manage to catch one small mouth, it was about 10", a small fish.  I hope the finish the brdge work soon.  Muddy water ruins the fishing.

Top Water Action!!

I had the chance to fish Monday night and tonight (Wednesday night). Monday was not so good. The only thing biting was the mosquitoes. Finally just after sunset I hooked a fish. This fish bent the rod over fully indicating to me that it must have been of respectable size. A second or two of fighting this fish and it was gone. I continued to fish hard despite the darkness setting in. Just when I decided to cast one last time before hitting the road, I hooked into another small mouth bass. This fish was on the smaller side, but kept me from going home skunked.

Tonight was a much different experience. It started slow. The water was low and slightly stained, with about 12"-18" of visibility. I started swinging streamers with no luck. I decided to give the hair bugs a try. Now I have never had any success fishing top water flies for bass before. I've read about it, I have some poppers, hair bugs, and divers in my box. I've fished them all before with no luck at all. I tied on a blue and orange hair bug that is meant to be a blue gill imitation. I cast it a few times and striped it in over some boulders, nothing. I moved down stream and cast the fly right below the boulders I had been fishing just before. I stripped the fly in as it swung down stream and wham! In a splash of furry I had a smallie on the line. Now it was a small fish, surprisingly small for the size of the fly. Size didn't matter, I was thrilled to catch this fish on a top water fly. Here is a picture of the fish with a huge fly hanging out of its mouth.

















On the very next cast, I caught a chunky rock bass on the same top water bug. Here is the picture of that fish.















I moved up river and around the bend and began to fish a faster tail out and just missed a good size bass, I know it was a good size because it fully breached the water as it went for the fly! I was too quick to strike and pulled the fly from the bass before it was hooked. I moved up river again to a nice slow moving section that was covered with rocks and boulders on the bottom, the bigger boulders created shallower places and the voids between them created deeper pockets. I cast the same blue gill hair bug down and across and stripped it in. Bam! Another bass! This one was bigger than the last two... The night just kept getting better. Here is a picture of that fish.

















I began to move back towards the access point as it was about 10 minutes until sunset. I saved the hole near the access path for last so I could fish until it was too dark to fish any more and still walk out easily. This time I had a tube jig fly that Jerry Darkes showed me how to tie. I cast the fly into some slack water between two faster currents coming into the channel from opposite directions, just below some large rocks visible from where I was standing. after a strip or two, it was fish on! This was a nice fish, about 15" with big shoulders, it was probably a 2 lb fish, maybe larger. The best fish of the day anyhow. The picture of that fish is below.

















Here is a good shot of the fly of the day, the blue gill hair bug.

Low and clear

I have never seen the river as low as it was today. I checked the USGS flow gauge and it was running at 59 CFM. You could see bottom in even the deepest parts of the river. I expected the fishing to be really tough. I had about an hour to fish, it was between 5:00 and 6:00 so it was still bright and hot out. I started stripping streamers and caught a hefty rock bass. There is a picture below, it's the short and stocky fish. As I continued to fish down river, I started drifting crayfish patterns through a tailout and caught two other rock bass, two creek chubs, and two small mouth bass, one of which was a very respectable fish. There is a pictuire of the smallie below as well. Seven fish in an hours time was some great fishing. A lot better than I expected based on the conditions. It was a surprisingly good outing.

I hit the river Thursday after work and fished until it was too dark to see my line. I went to a usually secluded spot to find a guy fishing with a spinning rod like he was in the bassmaster series. I walked up river past him and politely said hello. I was sort of bummed out to find this guy there, I enjoy the peace and quiet of this spot on the river. I fished all evening to catch only one average sized bass (not picture worthy). Just as I was about to leave, I fished the last riffle near the access trail and caught a nice bass, 16 inches and probably 2.5-3 lbs. I took a picture, it came out reasonably well for being taken in the dark. After releasing the fish I put the headlamp on and walked back to my car. I will post the pic later due to some technical difficulties.

Saturday I helped my sisters move. We finished at about 3:00pm. My special lady was out with her parents so I was sitting around with some time on my hands. Even though it was in the middle of the day, I hit the river. I figured a few hours on the river was better than a few hours sitting at home watching TV. I may have been wrong, it was so hot and muggy outside. The heat was oppressive, but the fishing was awesome, to my surprise. I caught a nice bass on the first or second cast of the day. I thought to myself; it's going to be a great day on the river. I fished up river and caught an awesome fish like an hour or two later. This fish was 17-18 inches and an easy 3 lbs. I took a few pictures of the fish and knelt down in the water to release the fish (unharmed of course) and kerplunk! My camera fell out of my pocket into the water! I grabbed it as soon as it went in, but it was soaked. I took out the battery and opened all trap doors to let water out and air in. So those pics won't be available for a little while, if ever. This camera has gotten soaked before (I fell into the grand last spring) and worked fine after it dried out the last time, we'll see if I get that lucky again.

Yesterday (Sunday) I went out mid day after having brunch with my special lady. Much like Saturday it was really hot and sticky. I was constantly sweating and being beaten down by the sun. I have some funny looking tan lines from my shirt sleeves and gravel guards. I hit a new section of river, it was hard to access and the bottom and long with the water was pretty muddy. I fished hard and hooked one average sized bass below a riffle, I fought the fish, brought it in near shore where the fish wrapped my line around a dead fall near shore, it was just enough leverage to allow the fish to throw the hook. The fish was gone. It was a sporting fight, this time the fish won. I moved by car up river to a better location. I fished all afternoon without so much as a bite. Finally I changed flies and started drifting a small crayfish fly through some medium fast water. I hooked a creek chub or two and kept fishing since this was the most action I'd seen for hours. I thought I snagged and pulled the line to free it, the line pulled back, fish on! This fish fought an awesome fight, it was a beautiful aerial display. I wish someone was with me to take photos of the fight as it was spectacular. I brought the fish to hand and took a good picture with my cell phone's camera. The picture is posted below.

From the river it was time to clean up and head down to Little Italy for lots of pasta and fine Italian deserts at the Feast. It was a hot busy day, but it was a great day filled with awesome bass and the best Italian food in town!

Out with a buddy

I usually fish alone. Yesterday I hit the river with a buddy I met while I was out fishing one day last spring. It was a really nice outing. It was great to have someone to talk to while walking in. We fished about 100 yards apart so it was like fishing alone in that regard. I thought it was nice because I didn't feel distracted like I have in the past when I was out fishing with other people. I actually got to focus on fishing. Now the funny part is that I never seem to do well while out with others, I guess it's some sort of performance anxiety. I hooked and lost two bass, one was of respectable size, the other was a smaller fish. The larger of the two was lost because the hook point on the fly was bent by snagging on something prior to hooking the fish. That made me angry because I usually inspect my flies after a snag and change them if they have been damaged. My buddy, who is a very accomplished fly fisher, caught several fish, a few small bass and a chub or two. I think we both had a great time and expect we'll fish together again sometime. I hope I do a little more catching the next time we hit the water together.

Playing hookie...

I left work a little early yesterday afternoon and headed to the river. I had about two hours to fish, so I was trying to cover the water quickly. I came across a productive spot where I caught a couple of very large chubs (in the 14 inch range), a small mouth, a nice sized rock bass, and a carp. I have pictures of the carp and the rock bass below. For a quick afternoon outing, I was very happy with the fish I caught. The carp put up a hell of a fight. It went on several drag screaming runs and tried to get me all tangled up in the rip rap. I had to run down river after the fish and fight it out into open water to prevent getting all tangled in the rip rap and broken off. This fish was determined not be caught, still running in water so shallow half its body was above the surface. The fly of the day was a small crayfish fly. The same fly caught every fish I caught yesterday.

Could have been better...

I was on the river just as the sun set this evening. There were fish feeding on the surface everywhere around me. I thought it would be a great evening for sure. I caught one creek chub. not too exciting. I thought to my self it will get better. I tried every fly in the box. I stripped streamers and I tried dead drifting crayfish and nymphs. Nothing. Finally just as it got dark, I hooked a nice small mouth. The fish jumped out of the water, looked me in the eye, basically said screw you, and spit the hook at me. That was it for the evening. I hadn't been out in a few days, and may not get out again for a while. Needless to say this was a real disappointing outing.

Reassessment

Ok... I went back to the same spot I fished most recently where I caught a lot of fish, all be it a lot of small fish. This time I arrived just before sundown and things were a lot different. As noted in my last entry, there were a ton of little bass and chubs. I expected much of the same, fast action and small fish. Today I only caught two fish, however they were very large fish for this river. The first was a small mouth, a very fat 14 incher. The second was a stocky rock bass that weighed more than the smallie despite being shorter in length. I caught the smallie on a cray fish pattern dead drifted through an eddy. I caught the rock bass on a bait fish pattern that I designed that has yet to be named. I didn't take the camera so I don't have pictures to share. These fish were caught in a stretch of stream less than 20 feet wide. It was a lot like trout fishing on a Colorado spring creek. These bass I caught in this small branch of the river were as big as any fish I have ever caught in the main channel of the river. Lesson of the day; smaller water does not always mean smaller fish! This is a great place to fish that does not get much angling pressure and it is less than a ten minute drive from my home. What more could a fly guy ask for?

New Water

I have been eyeballing a new fishing spot for some time that is at the headwaters of the stream I usually fish. I've seen the river from the road as drive, and I noticed a pull off where I could park. So after passing this place for years, I decided to fish it today. I went out more to scout the area than I did to fish. I left late, around 11:oo am. I got there and did not have much luck at first, but as I moved up and down river from where I accessed the river, the fishing got red hot! I caught 9 small mouth bass, 3 large creek chubs (13 inches), I caught a rock bass, a shiner, and I had a carp that broke off. This was all between 11:00 and 2:00. That is usually a horrible time to be on the river. This spot was awesome. The fish must get no angling pressure. They were eager to take all sorts of flies. I used several different bait fish patters swung and striped, and a Small cray fish dead drifted through a run were the ticket. I saw tone of cray fish everywhere. This was some of the best fishing on this river I have ever had. The only down side was all the bass were smaller, 12-14 inches (a skinny 14 inches); I guess that's how it is on smaller water. The where I was these were large fish. What the smallies lacked in size they made up for in attitude. One bass tried to attack another bass I had caught while I was bringing the fish in. The fish that tried to eat the other fish that I had on the line were the same size, aggressive little suckers!! There was lots of jumping, leaping, running into down trees and other tangles, it was an awesome afternoon on the river. I finished up and went into town to get a sandwich; all that fishing made me hungry. It was a very satisfying end to a fantastic day on the river.

Since I haven't posted a picture in a while, I took one of this small mouth. I thought to myself, the first two fish were too small too take pictures of. After the third fish was small too, I knew they were not going to get any bigger, so I took the picture. I caught a couple a little larger than the one pictured, but not much bigger.

Greenhorn

I saw a friend last weekend and took him fly fishing. He's fly fished once before so he was somewhat comfortable with a fly rod. We went to a local stream near his house, we accessed the river at a park that the guy at the local fly shop recommended. I set him up just above a riffle and had him strip the fly down and through the riffle. He had been at it for a while when he hooked a fish! he was pretty surprised when the fish leaped out of the water, the look on his face was priceless. He struggled with inexperience to bring that fish in. After a short fight the fish was gone. He caught that bass, that's all that matters. We both saw it jump out of the water. I was witness. My friend was thrilled with the experience. I'm glad he caught a fish, I think it helps encourage him to fly fish. I think he's caught the bug, in fact he just bought his first fly rod. I think I've created a monster...

Bewitching Hour

The last few times I've fished at sunset have been awesome! Being on the river at dusk has produced some of the best action I've seen all summer. Two days ago I was on the river all day. The day was slow, I caught a small shiner, and a rock bass. that was it for the whole day... Dusk settles in and I catch two bass and lose a third. I finally packed it in when it got too dark to see my line. I could have stayed, I was still getting strikes when I decided to leave. Tonight was just as hot. I hit the river at dusk and started fishing just as it started getting a little dark out. Things started slowly with a missed strike. Shortly after I missed that strike, I had a fish on. It was a respectable fish at about 13". I quickly release the first fish and make my next cast. Boom fish on! This fish jumped and fought hard. It was another nice fish about the same size as the first fish. I cast in the the same area I caught the first two fish and things get quiet for a moment. I decide to fish a spot where two currents come together and create a nice current break. On the third or forth cast I hook up, this is another good size fish I can tell as I bring it in. This was about a 14" fish. None of tonight's fish were as big as the fish I posted from Saturday- they were nice fish, but they weren't big enough to photograph. After I released the third fish, it was pretty dark and I had great catch so I decided to call it a night. I've fished at dawn, at dusk, and all through the day. I would say the morning is better than mid-day, and that dusk is the best time of day to catch bass. If you have to limit your time on the water, try to be there an hour before dark until an hour after dark. You will have the best fishing of the day at that time. Just remember your flash light for the walk out!

Slow day turned fast and furious at sunset

I was on the river yesterday for most of the day. I first went out in the morning and caught one rock bass (about 8"). Shortly after I caught the rock bass, I left the river; that was about 10:00 am. We got a pretty hard rain around 11:00. I expected that the rain to blow the river out. To my surprise, it did not. The flow was a up a little, but the water was still clear with about 36" of visibility. I was back on the water by 2:00. The water was so low and clear that the fishing was very tough. I only had one strike all afternoon and was beginning to get discouraged. I don't usually catch many fish mid-afternoon, but I always manage to find a few. At about 8:00 the sun had gone behind the trees casting shadows all over the water. The water came alive with fish begining to feed in the comfort of the shadows. When I noticed this, I knew the fishing was going to be good in the last hour or so before it got too dark to walk out (another story all together). I found a nice spot where a feeder creek comes into the main channel of the river, the bottom of the river was strewn with rocks. I began to see baitfish jumping out of the water, I knew there would be an aggressive, hungry bass just below where I saw the bait jump. I made sure to keep my distance as I didn't want to spook these actively feeding fish. I cast about ten feet upstream from the action let my fly sink and started striping it in with a quick motion. On the second or third cast, there was a violent strike and a splash; fish on! When I brought the fish to hand I was a little dissapointed because it was smaller than I expected based on the jolting strike and all the splashing and jumping the fish had done when hooked. I quickly released the fish and got my fly back in the water looking to capitalize on the feeding frenzy going on in front of me. Next cast I missed a strike. Shortly after that I hooked up again, with a bigger fish (I got a good look at it when it jumped near me). After a breif fight, that fish spit the hook and was an "early release". At this point it was basically dark out, I was beginning to have a hard time seeing my line on the water. I knew I only had a couple of minutes left before I had to walk out. The fish were still on a feeding frenzy, so it was worth a few more casts. Just to the left of where I hooked the fish that spit the hook, I saw a fish breaching the water repeatedly ambushing baitfish just beneath the surface. I placed the perfect cast just upstream of the action, waited, waited, and started to strip the fly with a slower more erradic retreive. Just as I was stripping the fly through the targeted area it felt as if I had snagged bottom. I set the hook and saw a hog of a smallmouth bass breach the water in a high flying acrobatic display of resistance. This fish put up an exciting fight jumping several times, charging this way and that way. Finally I brought the fish to hand. This was one of the largest smallmouth bass I have ever caught in a river, possibly the largest. The fish was no longer than other large bass I have caught in the past, but it was thick! This fish ate really well, and was probably very old. I took a couple of picture of this fish which are below.

Why fish?

People always ask me; why fish? The answer is simple. To catch fish! I get a lot out of fishing, but ultimately I'm out there to catch fish. Someone once said: "fishing is fun, but catching fish is a lot more fun". Whoever made that statement was absolutely right. I enjoy the time outside, escaping from the stress of life, the fresh air, and the exercise. Those benefits are incidental to me. I truly enjoy the challenge of locating and catching fish. I think it's the cave man in me looking for an outlet, my natural hunter instinct. The thrill of hooking a fish and seeing it leap out of the water is addicting. The experience of catching fish has become more thrilling for me as I've learned new ways to fish for larger harder fighting fish. It is this thrill I seek, that is why I fish. Here are a few pictures of some steelhead trout and smallmouth bass I have caught this spring and summer. The picture is the trophy as I release all fish I catch back into the wild unharmed.