A very enjoyable first day out. Fall 2015

      It was 30 degrees when I woke up this morning. The moon was still high in the sky and shining brightly over the frosted lawn of my back yard. I had not been fishing yet this fall and was not sure that this day would yield any fish. This was my chance to get out and spend time relieving the stress from my week. I got to the stream just as the sun was coming up. After donning my gear, I walked about a half mile into an area where I had caught an Atlantic salmon last year. The water was high and cloudy but much warmer than the air temp. I began casting into a large pool that allowed me to reconnect to my long distance roll cast. The dried seed filled weeds on the shore behind me prevented a back cast. So a double roll cast extended my tippet to the far side of the stream. I was using a white chenille woolly bugger that worked well on the swing. After about an hour fishing from shore with no hits, I had practiced enough. I went to the top of the pool and some other fishermen walked up into the area where I had just left. Our water movement must have spooked some fish because two well worn salmon moved upstream through a cut in the rapids. I positioned myself to cast that shoot and saw another salmon which I hooked in the dorsal. With a quick flick I let it go and it swam between my legs on its way to free water. A short time later a fourth fish moved into the run. I had two casts and it slipped back into the murky water and never showed again. I stayed there another hour without seeing any more.

    I walked downstream another quarter mile before I came upon a 20 inch brown. My third cast spooked it and goodbye, brown. It was after 10:00 when I began seeing browns in number moving upstream. I was watching two small 18 inch browns chasing each other. That's when I saw a huge brown in a fall away pool. I worked the pool with short drifts and hooked up. She put up a great fight and my line wrapped over the handle on my reel. I thought for sure she would break free, but with quick rod work, by releasing the drag, the line loosened back into position. She went a good 10 yards down stream but I held her in the pool. Then back up stream and into shallow water turned and back into the pool. Finally she got tired and turned on her side where I could take up the line and take photos. She was obviously still full of eggs and I released her with hopes she would spawn a wild brood. Two things about her stood out. The tail was large like a fan. The photos don't show it but her color was gold, almost yellow. I could not get over how perfect she looked. I have caught another that color, years ago, in the winter. If I can find the photo I'll post it. My first trout of the 2015 fall season. This 27 inch pre-spawn female. A very enjoyable first day out.

My first fish of the 2015 fall season.

This 27 inch pre-spawn female.

East Koy Creek

 

There isn't much to tell about the fishing in East Koy. It's a beautiful quiet stream, that has a few bends and deadfalls that hold fish. I found it last year to be thrilling, so I went again this year to have the same experience. I spent the good part of Saturday morning walking along the banks of the lower East Koy Creek.

When I arrived at the foot path the sun was already up for about an hour. The day seemed to promise good weather even though partial cloud cover was expected. I took time to read the regulations kindly posted for my benefit.

I selected an artificial yellow stone fly lure, a size 14 long shank hook. It was about an inch long and weighted. I tied 3 feet of fresh - 3 lb tippet on my leader and secured the stone fly to it.




When I reached the stream I recognized the fishing spot where I had caught a fine trout the year before. With my first cast it fell perfectly into the foaming hole. At that moment the line tugged violently. I set the hook and it snapped the tippet in half leaving 18 inches of my 3 foot tippet.
I never did see the fish under the foam and tried without luck to persuade another fish from the hole. Then moved on knowing I would exit the creek at that spot.

My hopes were high, thinking every hole would yield a large trout. As it turned out the only fish in hand was a small brown.

Several other browns hit my fly and even one broke the water. One was on for several exciting seconds, but they all spit the hooks. They are after all considered sport fish.

When it became clear I was nearing the end of my allotted fishing time. I began taking photos of the creek bed and all it's glory.

I am thankful for the DEC and the work they are doing along this creek fighting the invasive Hogweed plants. Remnants of Hogweed kills are on the islands of this creek bed. Still more plants are rising up so be careful not to touch them.

(The giant hogweed reaches up to 12 feet tall with flowers as big as umbrellas - but it's also dangerous. It's sap can cause third degree burns and blindness. This plant is spreading across the state at an alarming rate. Officials have found 944 sites in New York. The Department of Environmental Conservation has a Hogweed Hotline (845-256-3111) for New Yorkers to call in sightings of the invasive species. Callers are asked to take photos and report site information, but should avoid touching the plant. )*

* credit HUFF POST Aug 18th 2015

Pan Fishing the Seneca/Cayuga Canal

Wow, Summer is almost over and the weather has been great. These past July evenings I found myself wading with sneakers into cool creek beds. And engaging my usual summer task of seeking out rock bass and small mouth. The water has been changing almost hourly. Some days it's high water and cloudy because of storms up stream. Other creeks are low and clear which did not yield a lot of fish. Kim and I also took the boat out and had success with spinning rods.

One evening my brother Marvin and Kim and I went to an old favorite spot. It was difficult at first finding the right fly. Usually, after tossing a few tinsel nymphs, the fish come out of hiding. Before dusk we managed to hook several pan fish. I have no pics of that evening which tells you that they were not worth photographing.

I do have pics of the canal trip my brother Paul and his friends toured. It was late July and we got together on the Seneca/Cayuga canal and traveled to Seneca lake and also up the Erie canal. As rule I do not fish this area, but have been attracted to the Cayuga area since last spring. I always fish rivers to the west of home but now am finding new waters and streams and the lakes East.

Some bass are just not safe around this guy. :)

Kim and I met up with Paul and Frank one night for fly fishing the canal. Kim did really well with a bait casting rod. The rest of us were having fun with top water flies.
It was later that week that the big fish started to be caught and netted.









As July finished up, I realized that most of my free evenings were spent driving home late from fishing.
 










Hopefully this weekend I'll be engaging in midnight fishing.

Opening Day for trout 2015

There is something exhilarating about spring run off in the cooler months of March and April.
I remember as a kid my parents home had a long curved driveway that ran down the side of a hill. And as the snow and ice would melt the downspouts would flood the cellar door entrance. So my concern was to engineer a way to divert the run off. Water trickled by way of a 2" wide crevasse, into a larger drainage ditch, until it flowed freely down the side of the driveway. I took steps to be careful not to let it over flow across the gravel driveway by trimming the ditch with a spade. Until finally it met the culvert at the foot of the hill.

I think every young boy has splashed in a puddle in rain soaked hat and boots. If he has not then take the PS2 away from him and send him out in the rain to experience spring runoff. That way when he is older he'll enjoy standing in a stream in rain soaked hat and vest landing mega trout like this one.

  Monday was above freezing even though we did get some snow flurrys. The ice has now left the rivers. I went to  Webster park and the waves on Lake Ontario were pushing big chunks of ice onto the shore. I did find one rainbow trout in a small creek but could not get it to hit my fly. After about three hours of fishing, I left there and went to Penfield. There the water was high and cloudy with spring run off. I spotted 6 steelhead trout in the rapids and began to cast. Before long I had one hookup. My first of this spring spit the fly and fled downstream. I tried for another fish. A couple of casts and then hooked this 28" 7lb. Steelhead trout.  I had a great day! I fished for 6 hours and only caught one total.
 Unless I catch and release, one steelhead is the limit. Today April 1st is opening day for trout for inland streams. I have to work. So I plan to head for the Catskills this weekend for
more fishing.