Preserving the Spawn

Saturday I had to work in the morning but around 11:30. I decided to head for Penfield for a little hard luck fishing. I wanted to stop at Home depot on the way. As I made my way to the mall, I pasted through Fishers south of Victor. I pulled into the park there and found several redds in the stream bed. I walked the trail and found 3 dead salmon about 35 inches in length. then spotted one lone salmon in shallow water. So I went back to my truck and put on my waders. Hip boots would have worked, for the water was high but still only 2 feet deep. The main pools were 3-4 feet.

I went back down the trail and came upon a spooked salmon. I had several drifts to it but never hooked it. The technique is different at Fishers, cause from the trail you have to navigate the trees, overhanging brush and nasty rose bush thorns which really have grown up around the stream edge. I left that one and went further downstream, only to find a small king about 20 inches long. It was holding in a 3 ft deep pool in clear ice cold water. So I fished to it as if it were a small trout with an egg pattern. I hooked it's tail for a moment, then a few more drifts and hooked its mouth. It was a fun little fight. The fish gave up too quickly.

Next I went to where the water runs deeper and faster. I spotted a nice size salmon under a bush on the opposite side of the stream. I cast into and under the bush from shore and he moved out into the center of the stream and held in the riffle current. This gave me a better swing drift and hooked up after a few casts. this fish fought much harder and I stepped into the stream to land it. The stream is so fragile I never walk it. I checked out a few other spots and did see a pair of salmon but left them alone. I never did go to Penfield or home depot. No photos.

I am so lucky to have a trib only fifteen minutes from my house. It is hard to imagine the trip salmon must take to get so far south of the thruway. All the fish seamed to have strong tails and not really scared up to badly. One had bone showing on its jaw and gills. I could not think that even the small jacks would be returning to the lake. Seeing salmon in such a remote area made me think of Indians, who once used that same stream as their main hunting ground.

We must always remember to preserve some portion of the spawn for future generations. Be mindful of redds and spawning pairs. Make the most of your fishing by improving techniques for drifting and casting. Take notice of your surroundings and watch for creatures underfoot not involved with your fishing. Don't tread on stream bank securing plants.

Catch of the Day

I took Alan and friend Jeff

( X novice ) to Irondequoit Creek and saw 12 salmon, hooked and landed one. I also saw three browns.

I placed Alan in a spot I had success in two days earlier. He saw a few move up. Alan then spent the morning moving downstream.

Jeff was the big winner. I helped him for a few minutes with getting the right drift. He hooked up twice with a salmon, in the tail.

After adjusting our split shot we moved upstream. A male chinook moved within casting reach. Jeff hooked him good, The king ripped up the stream and broke some 6# test. So I tied on some #12 on my 7 wt with a new martin reel and gave it to Jeff. I left him to go find another fish. I was upstream of Jeff for only a few minutes when the water in front of him exploded.

I was shouting instructions to Jeff as I was walking back to him. "Let her take line. Don't hold her back. Palm your reel." as the line screamed off the reel. Soon she was into the backing. I pleaded with Jeff to try to regain some of the line back onto the reel. "Walk forward. Walk backward. Pull back and reel up."

He must have been getting sick of me interfering with his intimate moment with this queen of the stream. I told Jeff that he could not let her rest. I could see he was just holding her steady in the current and He needed to reel her in. I could see his fingers were getting sore and loosing grip. So I helped him by putting pressure on the rod. Jeff said he was afraid the rod would break. I assured him "This rod has caught more large salmon than I could remember." And it would not break.

By walking backward we finally landed a nice fresh 37 inch female King.

Not ten minutes afterward, I looked over to see Jeff landing a 10.5 inch brown trout. We left at 3:00 after fishing to shadows. What a day.

Smoked Salmon

Got out early from work today. I went to the trib about forty minutes from work. The rain was heavy. I fished from about 1:45 till 6:00. I saw a few fish early and then around 4:00 they started coming up steady. I fished the lower section past the bridge and saw at least thirty fish.

I hooked up a dozen or so times and landed four Chinook's. Nothing else.

I tried some timed shots. I was fishing to shadows before I realized how late it got. I left at dusk.

I took one home and smoked it.

October Run

I have waited almost four years to get in on a good run in the creek near my home. I had been traveling an hour plus to a stream that would produce. But today I was sure I could not afford to pass up this creek that once held so much promise.

The usual crowd was hovering over one fish circling frantically in the deepest hole of the creek. And I kid you not: I even saw a J-plug dangling from a young man's spinning rod. That is always my clue to find the place where no one has been harassing fish. It did take me a while being that it was Saturday. I scouted out the upper portion of the creek where the water runs slower. But no fish to be found. So I ventured down stream of the circus hole. And discovered a rocky stretch of water that no one likes to fish. Those who don't fish it, leave it to the fly fishermen.


I walked the bank and was pleased to see my prey. I Chinook jack holding in the tail out of a rapid. In my first anxious casting, I too quickly snagged it tail. And off up stream it went, releasing my fly.
After few more casts and a nice King moved up in front of me. While drifting I clipped his dorsal fin. The fish bucked then settled back in its place. I intentionally dislodged my hook. I added another split shot I made several attempts and pierced his lip with a number 10 glowbug. The fight was quite long before I landed him. A nice chrome king for supper.


Today I hooked seven Salmon and saw three swim by which I had no chance to hook. The second landing was this Big King still not spawned out.
But a little darker than the previous.




















While casting the deep runs, I would also hook these smaller Brown trout
About four all total.















Fishing the fast water was fun today.
I even got this rainbow to hit on a fast swing of my line.

Always Fishing and catching fish is a good day.

But this day seemed extra tranquil.

For family to view our new home

The reason I have not blogged since July is that my summer was filled with moving out of my apartment into a new home. This section is for my family to share my enjoyment of what God has blessed Kim and I with this year.

I will try to limit the photos but if there are comments I can post more.

Maxwell Creek

I went to Maxwell for a look-see. The water is still too low for a possible run of salmon. But downstream, where the water is deep and slow, the sounds of splashing could be heard. Could it be anxious Salmonoids lerking beneath the suface. Or just a carp.

Back in the Water

So much water, so little time.

I had a chance to return to blogging. and wanted to record my fishing with my friend Allen.

We had a great day of fishing before the rain Wednesday.

We fished from 6:00 till 11:00 and I caught four ..... One 11 inches and one 12 inches

Alan hooked up twice using 6x tippet and broke his fly off both times. He also caught a 15" Brown

We fish a hatch for about an hour with no luck. So I switched from my #20 trico emerger to a #18 adams which yielded me two 9 inch trout. They sipped it from the top of the water.

I tried some larger sulfers with no luck.

Then Allen's water started to boil with rising trout but he was not hooking up.

So I reverted back to the #20 trico and put on the smallest split shot in my case. I positioned it (black plastic coated lead) onto the line about 3 inches above the fly. Then put a strike indicator about 20" above that.

I cast one time into his water and hooked up.

I moved downstream into a run and hooked up again using the same setup. I had Allen move into my run with the same 3" drop emerger and he hooked the last fish.

After 10:00 the fishing dropped off to nothing and they rested on the bottom of the hole.

Doing Everything Right.

Today was not what I expected. Maybe my goals are set to high. For the most part I think I'm doing everything right. I'm going to all the right streams. I'm using the correct tackle. I'm where the fish are early and stay late. But my numbers of fish are down. One or two per day is not going to get me into the pros.

Today I had time around 2:30 to go to Oatka creek. When I entered the stream a hatch of Hendricksons were in full flight. Browns were nipping the tops of riffles and rising in the flats. I tossed my first cast in fast water and my #14 dry rocked over the riffles into a feeding fish. It was on and off again, for I was not prepared to set the hook on my first cast. But my expectations increased. I threw my second cast and another roll of a fish and another miss. Now every time I think I'm going to score, It seems I find a tree with my back cast. So I lost my dry. I tied on another but the fish stopped rising. I retied a #14 hares ear nymph and fished the same run and again I got two hits with no result. The fish would spit it out as soon as he took it.

The sun was warm and the hatch continued. I moved down stream, thinking these fish have seen to much action already. I came across a rise near the creek bank. I slowly snuggled up against a large tree and began presenting a dry to the hungry trout. No strike came after placing a few nice casts dead nuts in the drift. I then tossed one outside the drift and swung it to the trout. He took the fly and I could see he was writhing with torment. He rolled and I held him back realing in my slackline. I was sure to land this one because he was pulling the rod tip hard. But my excitement soon ended as he rolled again and came off. This is how my luck has been going. When moving around the tree I was resting against I realized how bad my luck is. Poison ivy vines as big as my arms were clinging to where I had been leaning.

Five Streams in Five Days

Well, it's been a week since my last post. What have I been doing you ask. What else.... Fishing!

Did you ever binge fish? That's what I like to do on my vacation. I took the week off to relax, but I can really get bushed traveling to my favorite places.

To bad the weather turned sour Friday. I got a late start leaving from Bloomfield. Arrived in Roscoe at 2:00 and found a motel right on the Beaver kill. A fisherman was there who filled me in on the motel, also the local events happening this weekend. He had already caught five trout that were just stocked that morning. I unloaded my stuff and was in the stream by 3:00. The temp was about 44 and the water temp around 48. The wind made it difficult to fish dry flies. Junction pool seemed to be the place everyone was coming to.

I fished until dusk, learning a new section of this stream. I only saw two fish landed. So where did the 160 stockies go? A local hatchery stocked the 16 inch browns.

Saturday I was at it again at 6:00 AM. Entering the Willowmoc was cold and the snow was falling for a spell. The wind had gotten worse. I managed steady fishing till 11:00 AM. I only saw one angler pull four or five out. There were plenty of lines in the water. I packed in my gear and drove to the no kill area hoping to even see something. But all I saw were hundreds of thousands of caddisfly larvae cases and stonefly nymphs doing summersaults over top of the caddis. I fished till 11:00 without a hookup. Did not fish the evening.

Sunday I returned to the Beaver kill for an hour and tried a new spot. No Luck! Then spent the day with my new grand daughters. In the afternoon I traveled back home, not knowing why fly fishing had failed to produce fish. I had developed a toothache.

Monday I went to the dentist to stop the pain. So I got a late start again getting to my next stream. I traveled to Siho, NY, hometown of Jason L. Dunham Medal of Honor recipient.

http://ourmilitaryheroes.defense.gov/profiles/dunhamJ.html

http://www.jasonsmemorial.org/about.html

"sometimes toothaches seem very minor in comparison to what others go through."

I fished the Genesee River south of Belmont for about two hours and saw fish rising to a caddisfly hatch. I caught my first brown of the week. A 14 inch on a #10 black stonefly in fast moving water. I left there to go to my cabin in the woods. There is great satisfaction knowing my favorite spot in the southern tier is dependable.

Tuesday, this morning, I got to the Genesee River about 7:00 AM. I started a little further upstream from where I was Monday. I fished nymphs and woolly buggers. I landed two more nice 14 inch browns. These were all stocked fish. From there I went to my afternoon spot which I thought would be a heavy producer. But instead I had to really work the Ischua Creek in Franklinville. I ended up walking a good mile of creek and hooked two fish on wet flys. I was surprised... the creek seamed as if it were barren. I left the Ischua at 6:00. On the way home I stopped at Wiscoy Creek in Pike. Just before dark I landed the best wild brown of the week. 10 inches, casting to a rise, #12 henrickson wet fly.

Wednesday I hope to get some rainbows out of Sandy Creek before I go back to work. I saw a lot of water, and plenty of wildlife and insect hatches. That's what I did on my spring vacation.

What's for supper?

When I tell people I have been fishing, they always ask, "do you eat the fish you catch?"
My standard answer is "Not always."
Many fishermen practice catch and release exclusively. Solely because they do not like to or do not know how to clean fish. Others prefer beef or chicken over the taste. Still others are convinced they will die from heavy metal poisoning if they eat fish out of Lake Ontario or the canal.

I have different theories on catch and eat vs. catch and release. I practice both depending on where I am fishing, how much time I have to clean fish and whether the law prohibits it. As for the dirty fish scenario, consider where your Easter ham slept for the past two years as apposed to living in fresh water all your life. I do not know of one person going insane from to much mercury in their blood. I do know many people who have allergies to processed foods or suffer from high cholesterol.

Yesterday I picked up some Codfish and a farm raised rainbow trout. I got home from the market and melted 2 tbps of butter in a fry pan, washed the Cod fillet and tossed it dripping wet into the hot butter. I sauteed it gently so as not to burn the butter for 3 minutes. Salt and pepper. Placed two sprigs of asparagrass along side the Cod and flipped the fillet for another 3 minutes. Served with rice and the pan drippings makes for a nice Monday meal.

Tonight I scrapped and washed the Rainbow. I floured it and seared it in olive oil covered for 4 minutes. Flipped it for 2 minutes, turned off the heat and left covered till I was ready to eat.
Served with green salad and baked potato.

I like to eat fish, including fish I have caught. That was the reason fish were invented was to catch and eat. Even Jesus knew how to cook fish for breakfast. [John 21:9] I also understand that if all the fish are harvested, there will be none left to reproduce. But I think the survival of the fittest best applies to nature caring for its self. I do try to always release the first fish I catch. I'm more concerned with land development around streams.
Don't ask me to return a fish, when you are satisfied to eat beef, fed by corn, grown in fields that drain mud into the stream bed.

The rainbow trout cost me $3.05. It cost me much more than that for fishing tackle and gas to get to and from the nearest trout stream. Certainly it pays to eat farm raised trout. But they are not fresh as the day I fish for them. Consider the farmed salmon sea lice plight....

....We should just fish and not worry our minds about things we can't control.
Be happy... eat fish. I invite your comments

I decided to volunteer for the Canandaigua Lake Trout Unlimited Chapter - Project Healing Waters (PHW) program. We will launch the first PHW program on Tuesday April 27^th at 7:00 PM. It will be held at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, Building #5, 400 Fort Hill Ave., Canandaigua, NY.

The VA Hospital and the Veterans Outreach Center are now recruiting veterans for this first evening of fly tying and casting instruction given by us. This first evening will consist of working with the veterans to tie a wooly bugger and receive casting instruction from 7:00 – 8:30 PM, followed by a brief volunteer organizational meeting.

We now have everything we need to begin our PHW program.

I'm Looking forward to a new venture into the healing waters program.

http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/

Opening Day of Trout

April 1st traditionally marks the start of the trout season in the Finger Lakes. We who brave the elements have already caught our fair share of fish in 2010. But "Opening Day of Trout" still is a good excuse for some time off from work. I had planned to go to Avoca even before signing up for trout stocking. (see pevious blog). Having fished low waters of the Cohocton last summer, I determined then to spy it out during the early spring.

My plan was that while most fishermen would head for the Naples Trout Derby, I would fish in Avoca before sunrise and go in to work by noon. This morning, about 6:00 am, I drove through Naples. The streets and creeks and back allies were already filled with waders and spinning rods. I did not stop, was certain of, and proceeded to my destination in Avoca. About sunrise I pulled into the parking area where I'd been one day earlier. Not a fisherman in sight!


I wanted to explore a section of creek I had never walked. This may have been a mistake because I walked more than I landed fish. But I do enjoy just being out. Catching is not the most important part of the game. Sort of like playing hockey and not scoring a goal. It's still invigorating.

The air was biting crisp. Frost lay on the ground waiting for the suns rays to hinder it. The burdock stickies sparkled like sugar candy. Soon the fog would lift off the stream and reveal its hidden secrets.

While casting to the first large pool of the morning I noticed a beaver though the fog. He paddled against the current, along the far edge of the stream. The first dabs of sunlight cast shadows on the shore above him. Silently he would disappear beneath the surface and reappear in front of a wake created by his tail.




Sometimes
it really is fun to score a goal!


...one in the net.
Prince, water temp 42, 12 inch, 5x











What I planned all along.


About 11:30 I passed through Naples again. The creek there was teaming with about 500 hardy boys still after the illusive rainbow trout.


To be continued...

Southern Tier Float Stocking

Today I went to Cohocton and met up with members of the TU Canandaigua Chapter, the Trout Unlimited Cohocton Chapter and the Southern Tier Float Stocking organization, a group of volunteer youth and the Bath Hatchery. It was my first time ever to stock Brown trout. We float stocked yearlings and two year old browns.


The group I am with, from Canandaigua TU, floated in rafts. The rafts were furnished by the Southern Tier Float Stocking. Roy from that group has been doing this for 14 years. Some of the TU members have stock the past six years. Being my first time I found this day to be very informative. The Bath Hatchery stocked the same amount as last year. And plan to stock again later in the Spring. All together 3300 fish were placed in the Cohocton today and 2000 yesterday.

I had chance to stock the lower section below Avoca. It gave me an idea of what the stream looks like in areas I have not fished. I will return to these places in the summer when the walking will be easier.

The Cohocton is open to fishing all year round. There were many fishermen taking fish I had just stocked 20 minutes earlier. But I guess that is what they are for. All of us had a nice day to catch Sunshine. below are some TU photos from the day.

Click on calendar to view sunrise / sunset for April 2010

Rainbows of the Spring

Saturday morning brought more time to fish. I checked the brook in Fishers and saw nothing, I stopped and explored the upper part of Irondequoit in Victor still nothing. And when I got to Penfield, still I did not see any sign of a steelhead run. I guess my information was as reliable as the internet. Met a guy in the parking lot who said when Linear is filled with suckers he heads to Sandy.
I managed to hook a few suckers and snag a few overhanging trees. Until wham.... I brought in a nice 16 inch rainbow. This got me hyped for more fishing. I worked my way downstream and landed a cute 10 inch rainbow. Catch and release was the order of the day. Snagged a few more suckers and that's my weekend.

10:00, sunny, 29 degrees, white woolly bugger, 16"R
12:30, water temp about 50, white pompom, 10"R

Some things I tied for my fly box... prince, caddis pupa, bubble caddis...

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml

Webster Park Steelhead

Today I met up with a bro and we fished a clear water spring fed creek. There was plenty of sunshine which made for nice photography. Brian hooked up with 6 or 7 browns. I settled for one, before I changed gears and headed for some Steelhead water.
Brian suggested Webster park, I agreed that Irondequoit and Sandy might be blown out. But later spoke with someone who had fished Irondequoit last week and said it was filled with Steelhead of superior poundage.


watercolor crop.



When I got to Webster I stopped at Dicks Sporting goods and purchased a new St. Croix 5wt.
I figured the reason I was in a "landing fish slump" was because my regular 6wt rod was all used up. So I pulled out some backing material and line I had in the car. Then... set up a small Martin reel and before long I was casting to riffles in the stream. I fished for some time before I found a small pool that had foam covering the surface of a backwater. A few casts at the edge of the foam and the fish hit my white wooly bugger. He faught well... then down stream... but as I always say never let them into your backing. I purchased this gem of a rod pictured below about 3:00 pm and had broken it in by 5:30 pm with this 23 inch steely. He lies in the parking lot on the last snow pile of winter. I brought this one home on ice and had fish for supper.




Get out there and fish the high water cause the fish are in the Lake Ontario tributaries. Maxwell is still doing great with caramel colored water. Fish the lower section just below the bridge, as log jams are plentiful upstream.

Before the rain, Irondequoit creek in Penfield, was full of steels and suckers. Many fish were being caught last week. Expect tomorrow and Friday to produce heavy fishing again and upstream toward Victor.



Webster at Mill Creek is very fishable.
Some new Steelhead are coming in off the lake.

Eight more days before all inland streams are open for taking fish.

Hint... Fish responsibly... I was checked by the DEC for the second time this year.







I took time out today, to visit an old familiar friend. This photo is very sad for me because I remember during the the winter months how dependable Slater creek at Russel station was. Warm, clear water flowed freely melting the ice flows through the Winter months. Now friend is sickly looking and barely can push the beach out of it's own way. This is not snow along the banks but oodles of dead zebra mussel shells. Maybe the DEC engineers can find a way to enhance this well known fishery before it fills into a swamp.

Check out the nice photo series on google maps to remember days past.