Exams ARE OVER!

My last exam was Thursday night.  Time to get out and FISH!!! 

I fished all day Friday and again today.  I was rewarded with a beautiful chrome hen on Friday and colored up buck today.  The water was prime, to one day past prime, on Friday.  Today, it was a bit more clear and with a little less water.  Friday, the flow was at 290ish CFS and today it was about 190 cfs.  Friday, there was a good green color and about 2 ft of vis, today it was about 3 feet of vis and some green in the deep spots and clear everywhere else.  Friday's fish was on a y2k egg and today's was on a pheasant tale.  Air temp on Friday was about 50, today was 61.  Water temp on Friday was 38, and today it was 42 degrees.  Friday's fish came from a tailout, up against a rocky bank and today's fish came from the deep center of the pool in the slow water, right on the bubble line.

November: low water and beautiful days

This fall has been marked by low water and warm weather, not exactly the kind of stuff steelhead dreams are made of.  There was one maybe two weeks of good fishing after the rains brought in by the remnants of Sandy, too bad I was trapped in the law library and didn’t have a chance to get out for the fun.

I made sure I got out for a day last weekend as a birthday gift to myself and I also managed to log a few hours of river time Wednesday after work.  The water was low and clear.  The sun was high and bright, the air temps were in the mid to high 50s; it seemed like late September or early September.

I began by swing streamers as I worked my way down stream and indicator fished my way back up to the car.  In two days of fishing I had one grab, but didn’t connect.  That was it.  It was disappointing in the catching department.  The days were absolutely beautiful and I had the water to mostly myself, not bad consolation prizes.

It rained this morning, but not enough.  Later today and tomorrow they’re calling for snow.  Sadly, I don’t see fishing conditions improving before the end of the weekend.    

Morning on the Rock

I fished the Rocky River yesterday morning after dropping off friends at the Airport.  The water was really low and clear, it was flowing at 69 CFS.  The air temp was about 55 degrees, and it bright and sunny.  These were tough steelheading conditions.  I fished a section lower down on the river.  It seemed like every angler West of the Cuyahoga was on the Rock this morning.  Every ford had a dozen or more guys sitting in folding chairs and chucking bait.  No one was catching this morning, not the bait guys, not the hardware guys nor the fly guys.  The fishing was slow, but the beautiful day made up for the lack of catching.

 

 

More of these guys than . . .

 



 

. . . these guys.

 

 

Columbus Day Trout Marathon

I shot out of bed as the alarm rang at 5:40am.  By 6:00am I was on the road headed to central PA.  Three hours and forty-five minutes later I pulled into the fly shop to pick up some flies and get a fishing report.  By 10:15 I was making the first cast.  I began fishing streamers and hooked a few fish.  Then I moved down stream to fish dries.  I saw a sporadic rise or two, but couldn’t get any trout to rise.  I switched tactics and began nymphing and brought a few more trout to the net.  The rest of the day I fished through with streamers to pick off the aggressive fish and then came back with the nymph rig to clean up the rest.  The highlight of the day was the last fish that was hooked just after sunset.  A beast of a fish slammed a small olive slumpbuster that was given to me by one of the guides at the fly shop that morning.  The fish pulled hard and I knew it was the fish of the day.  A few runs up and down stream, I had the fish under control.  Then it went ballistic, the fish shot out of the water like a nuke from a sub.  After a few summersaults and head shakes the line went limp.  The fish was gone.  It was a great trout, a 20 plus incher with big shoulders.  Losing a fish is always a real disappointment.  This was a little different.  I was disappointed, but I had an appreciation for this amazing fish.  It came out to play and it played hard.  I was in awe at this large fish that had just slammed my fly and won the fight.  The take, and the fight were awesome, but the acrobatics were the cherry on top.  That fish jumping out of the water is the stuff fishing stories are made of.

Did someone say there were chromers being caught?

OK, I went on this rant yesterday about how combat fishing for steelhead in low clear water was just not worth the ass ache.  Sometimes the addiction is just too much to take.  I talked to a few people today who were telling stories of catching chrome trout over the weekend.  I couldn't take it any more, I gave in to the urge and headed north in search of fresh runners. 

The water was low and clear as expected.  The river was flowing at a raging 71 CFS and the water temp was 59 degrees.  The air was about 65 degrees and it was a bit overcast, it looked like it was going to rain but never did.

I was the only angler in the lot when I arrived, I was shocked.  I expected a bunch of assholes chucking bait or hardware, rubbing elbows, and crossing lines.  This kind of thing never happens in early fall.  This river is normally a zoo.  I wadered up and rigged the rod.  Before I could tie a fly on, another angler showed up with his spinning rod.  He beat me out of the parking lot, but I got to the water first.  I set up on river left, he crossed the river and fished from the right bank. 

OK no problem, this is a big hole, there was room for both of us.  Plop.  A few seconds later, I hear it again.  Plop.  I saw a small splash to my left just down stream from where I was standing.  That asshole was casting all the was across the river and fishing the water right in front of me!  Who does that?  On his second cast he hooks a bright chrome fish from the run I was fishing just before my rig drifted through.  He robbed me of that fish!  I was so pissed.  I waded out to the middle of the river and began fishing his side of the river.  I positioned my self so he couldn't fish across the stream any more.  This forced him to move down stream to the next hole.  What an asshole!  I've seen some bad etiquette on the river in the past, but this was the worst I ever experienced.

I decided to fish hard after getting robbed of that nice fish.  I picked apart ever section of that run and hooked a good fish.  Hell, it was a great fish.  It was a sweet chrome victory.  This fish was the first steelhead of the fall season for me.  It also gave me a feeling of vindication after chasing that asshole out.

First steelhead of fall 2012

   

       

Fall Bronze Backs

I wanted to fish both days this weekend, but it wasn’t meant to be. I caught a cold on Thursday that kept me on the couch yesterday which was a BEAUTIFUL fall day. I felt a bit better today so I wadered up and hit the stream. Before I left I had some choice to make. Do I head down stream and poke around the lower river for one of the first arrivals? Or, do I hit the upper river in the hope that the bass are still hitting?

A few steelhead have moved into the system and are hanging out in the lower river. Everyone is waiting for a big rain, which should present an opportunity for the first good push of fish. With the river flowing at 88 CFS, I opted for bass fishing. I figured I had a better shot at some bass that are beefing up for winter than a few lonely steelhead that are probably getting pounded on by everyone and their mother. A beautiful Sunday afternoon at the beginning of steelhead season is prime time for all the idiots to come out and flog the water for the few fish that have moved in. Low water, low numbers of steelhead, tons fishing pressure; it just wasn’t worth the drive. The chance of catching a steelhead today under these conditions was not nearly as good as the chance at catching some good bass. It just wasn’t worth the drive down river to rub elbows with all the idiots.

The water was a bit off color. There was about eighteen inches of visibility. The air temp was 57 degrees, and the water temp was about 60 degrees. The leaves have begun changing and bass are getting ready for winter. The fish are holding a bit deeper than in the summer and want a slower retrieve. I had to let the fly sink a bit and then strip it slowly, letting it pause for a long moment after each strip or two. There were a few leaves in the water, but not enough to be too annoying. I fished a black wooly bugger variation all day.

I caught several small bass to start the day off. I lost the first good fish that ate the fly after it leaped out of the water a time or two. Losing that fish was worth the acrobatic display and fight this fish gave. I caught a few other good fish, some rock bass, and a sunfish before I relocated down to another branch of the river where I had some good luck earlier this summer. Fishing on the other branch started off slow but quickly heated up. I caught several really nice bass, one was a real hog!

I had a great afternoon on the water. I love being on the water in early fall. The air is temperate, the trees are taking on fall colors, but things are still green and some of the wild flowers still remain on the banks. Its days like this that remind me how pretty North East Ohio can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Fall Fishing

I fished this past Monday and today.  Fall has definitely arrived bringing cooler temperatures and leaves falling into the water.  Monday (9/17) was OK, the water was low and clear, but I caught a few small bass.  Today, after a few days of solid rain the flow was up and the water was high and muddy, the fishing was pretty lousy today.

I should have driven down river to see if I could get into some chrome, but I fished near home for late season bass.  I don't know that I could have caught anything in the mocha colored water.  I always prefer to catch fish, but today, I was just happy to be out fishing.  This is how it goes in the early fall when you're in law school.