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.
