Fishing! What else is there!

Naples Trout Derby

2011-04-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

This mornings article in my local paper gives an account of a trout derby close to where I live. Typically I am not a derby fisherman. I have participated in weighing fish at check in stations.

I like to hear the stories of the day's catch. But the thought of 8-9 inch trout being released two days prior and recaptured by treble hooks just gets under my skin. I know there are reasons to keep sportsman active, but I tend toward a more natural approach to fishing.

Here is the link to a summary of the Naples Trout Derby

http://www.mpnnow.com/sports/x1700898694/Trout-and-anglers-aplenty-at-annual-Naples-tournament

Fishing April Waters

2011-04-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Opening day of trout was Friday for most inland streams. The water was very fishable. I prefer not to venture out when hoards of spinners were lining the stream.

My season started Saturday,

I did not leave until noon and went to Avoca, 25 minutes south of Naples to the Cohocton river.

This river is open year round for trout. I caught a 14 inch Brown which most likely was stocked this past Thursday. It took a egg pattern.

(notice the clipped fin). (I had problems with camera)

I fished a lot of water until 4:30 and this was the only bite. I should tie some flies sometime. My eye caught one miller (moth) flying above the water. The water was clear and I saw nothing else. It was a little windy, but what a nice day for seeing into the water.

Walked the river for about a mile.

When can I go Fishing?

2011-02-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

So many days have gone by since I have been fishing. The business of life just too time consuming.

I would be in the stream, but my waders leak and I have no any extra cash to buy new ones.

I've been following the fishing news on television and internet. Maybe I'll have time this weekend after work. It's just not the right time according to the moon phases.

Sound like excuses? Well maybe so.

Somebody get me in a stream!!!

Preserving the Spawn

2010-11-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

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.

More photos of our house

2010-10-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Dude you filmed it at NIGHT!!! it was like the start of a horror film, I was waiting for someone with mask on to jump out and scare me LOL.........

For family to view our new home

2010-10-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-04-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-03-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Click on calendar to view sunrise / sunset for April 2010

Rainbows of the Spring

2010-03-28T14:17:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Angler's Workshop

2010-03-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

Had a good time yesterday attending the Angler's workshop. I met some members of Trout Unlimited and of course Jordon Ross was there winning trophy's for flycasting. Congrat's.

I would have liked to had been in the stream, but had driven to the event without my fly rod in the car. I learned much about my sport and some old tricks I had forgotten. Refreshing new ideas to try out. Mike Simmons of ... http://www.guysfliesandpies.com/ ... was great at helping with the youth. He may have photos on his website soon.

Winter fishing .... Where did the time go.... I'm not finished yet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ76l7xTUik
Check out this video in High def.

Maxwell Creek

2010-03-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today was just a beautiful day to be out in a creek. When a fishing blog starts this way you know that no one caught any fish. Sure the sunshine was nice and the water was the perfect color, but once this spring I'd like to land a nice steelhead before the run is over.

So today I got some great photos and a movie of Maxwell creek in Wayne County. I fished the morning and hooked a good sized Steelhead. It began to strip line downstream, went under a log and broke off. Several fallen trees have blocked the stream so hopefully you can keep your fish from bolting down stream. I hooked another fish in the same fashion and I lost it. After stopping for lunch I went back to the creek and fished below the bridge. I saw two more steelhead but never hooked up.

Like I said before...Today was just a beautiful day to be out in a creek. I saw only a few fish caught. I took time to shoot photos of a stonefly hatch and some red head beadle.

Enjoy the pics

Utica Fly Tying Symposium

2010-03-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended a fly tying symposium in Utica, NY.

I met some fishermen who really know how to tie great looking flies.

The stories of fishing could be heard all day long.

There was fun for all the young fishing enthusiasts.

Some nice fly tying equipment was being used.

There was also a lot of great artwork on display.

Quite the attendance. I had a good time.

Jordon of J.P. Ross Fly Rod Co. teaches young fly tyers.

www.jprossflyrods.com

Trout Unlimited

2010-03-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

I decided to try something new so I went to a TU meeting and it seemed to fit my personality.
We'll see what becomes of it.

Guys, Flies and Pies

2010-02-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

A new year and I realized I had not blogged since October 2009. Most of my winter was spent with family and two new grandchildren. I did get a chance to fish a few times, but not much to write about until today.

I went to a fly tying party this weekend and met some fellow fishermen.

The Guys, Flies and Pies workshop was just what I needed to get back into the swing of a new season of trout fishing. Soon the weather will afford some of the nicer days of fishing. But until then I'll be tying a box full of flies.

Here are some photos of todays event.

The Pizza was really good!

Thanks to Mike for putting on a great party. http://www.guysfliesandpies.com/

Guiding made easy.

2009-10-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today I guided my friend Alan in hopes of landing a Chinook salmon. We had fly fished together several years back for brown trout. But today would be different.

This morning was very cold when we entered the stream around 8:00 am. But there were no signs of fish to be had. The latest run had to have moved upstream. After seeing someone coming downstream we got the clue that there were only a few up ahead of us. We turned back to the truck and traveled 2 or 3 miles upstream.

(The first lesson: Set the hook hard.)

About 9:00 we spotted our first fish. A nice looking female. I gave some tips to Alan and he tempted the fish until it moved into faster water. He then hooked it, the King then left him as the fly popped out.

Brian, whom we met in the stream, hooked up with a male right quick and headed downstream.

He came back and helped teach where to cast to a holding fish.

We soon found a few more fish moving upstream.

(Lesson two:)

(Don't let your friends tie on the leader you fish with)

Alan hooked up 7 or 8 more times. He broke off two leaders after fighting salmon for a while.

He finally landed a female at 33 inches.

He later landed a male at 39 inches, 21 girth, 22 pounds. Allen landed it on 10 pound test

with a #8 pom pom after about 20 minutes.

He said it was the biggest fish he'd ever caught.

He was pleased as punch!

I had a great time guiding him.

(Lesson three: leave your cell phone at home.)

I had my turn.

I just hooked up with a King, when the phone rang. When I finally got it out of my pocket to answer it, the fish began to take line upstream. I'm glad I landed it.

All in all, I successfully guided Alan into a world of unforgettable fly fishing for huge Lake Ontario Chinook Salmon.

What a great day!

2009-10-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

Boy, was it ever raining this morning. The roads were wet all the way to where we would fish. Kim was thinking we would be fishing in the rain. By the time we reached our fishing spot, the wind and rain stopped and the sun came out. There was little time to waste, so into the river we stumbled. Kim spotted the first Salmon running up behind us. We were just getting our feet wet as the last globug was tied on. I ignored the commotion Kim was watching and got us both into an area upstream that would yield fish. We waited for the migrating fish to swim into our ambush. The salmon quickly pasted by Kim and entered the pool in front of me. I splitshot slapped the water a few times and foul hooked a nice King. The fight took a good while but I managed to give the fly rod to Kim. With Kim managing the fish, we landed it successfully.

I took a quick video of some of the fun and as you can hear I'm quite winded.

The rest of the day was beautiful. We only saw one more fish come up through. But there were many other fisherman taking fish today. I was just glad to be out with my honey on a sunny October day.

We also saw one Salmon at Linear Park. What a great day!

First Salmon of the Fall season

2009-10-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

I took off work today and went to Sandy Creek at Rt 19 bridge. I got there about 7:30 and right away I saw four salmon moving upstream. I followed them to a slow section, where they seamed to settle in to rest. I cast to one of them and hooked up right away but I was using 6 pound test and broke off. This happen seven times before I changed my leader to 12 pound test. By this time they had moved upstream.

I only saw one fisherman leaving the stream around 8:00. I was the only one on the stream all day. Maybe because it was windy and raining.

I finally hooked one and fought it for a good 15 minutes. It was 34 inches long. I put it on a rope and right after that I caught another one at 33 inches. I did not weigh these two fresh females full of eggs. I decided to leave at noon. On my way downstream, I landed another female at 35 inches. It was foul hooked on the front fin so I let it go. I saw small males and one monster male.

By 1:00, I had seen two pods of four salmon each and about 6 other fish, plus two still coming up as I was leaving, totaling 16 in all . I hooked up a dozen times or more with 8 or 9 really good fights. I landed three and released one. and I even hooked a small brown about 6 inches.
My legs are tired. and I hope to go again Saturday with Kim.

When I got home, I took pictures on my tailgate. I cleaned and froze the two salmon. I grilled some for dinner.

Late Summer Large Mouth

2009-09-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

September I had a day when I fished near a beaver dam on a slow moving stream. It was one of those spend the day enjoying sunshine. I managed to catch these two 14 inch Large mouth bass on a shad rapala.

2009-08-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend I spent over 16 hours fishing in two days. And what do I have to show for it? Well, I caught one trout.
I'm not really at the top of my game.

After fishing this weekend in new sections of four different trout streams and coming up short. I started seriously thinking I could no longer call my self a fly fisherman. Although I caught fish in streams where no one else was fishing (in summer) I felt I had not given thought to how long I would stay in one spot and where sneaking up on trout was important. I guess I was just looking for that perfect "honey hole". I think I did more scouting out of the streams than anything else.

Saturday:
I entered the Cohocton river in Avoca, New York around 7:00 am. Located along Rte 390 and 15 where Rte 17 and 86 split. Near the southern ends of Keuka and Canandaigua Lakes in Steuben County. I caught one trout in fast riffles as a morning Trico hatch filled the sky. I had another large brown hit my fly before moving upstream under a tree.

I fished until 1:00 when I finally found the honey hole I was looking for. Unfortunately it found me first. I was walking on the bank on the wrong side of the hole when I looked down and saw a 18 inch brook trout. Beautiful Blue and Orange color swimming slowly about 4 inches below the surface in 6 feet of water. The hole consisted of an uprooted tree and about 3 other logs crisscrossing the river. There was only a drift from the opposite side of where I stood. but I tried nymphs for a while and only came up with creek chubs. I saw two other small browns and one 14 inch brown surface under the same logs.
I left there and drove southwest to where I would spent the night.

Sunday:
I got an early start to fish the Ishua river in Franklynville. There was fog thick as rain until about 6:00 am. It never burned of until the sun was high over the hills. The area was recovering from that tornado and flooding. So what was two weeks ago a clear trout infested stream now was high muddy water. I had to fish it like opening day spring run off without success. I found a feeder stream called Gates creek that flows from Case lake into town. It was shallow and I only caught creek chubs.

I went back to another section of the Ishua for the late morning, I found a huge hole but again with everything I tried I came up short. I found weary sunfish, largemouth bass, carp, crappies and trout all holding around a run off slouth half filled with clear water but they were not having lunch.

So about 3:00 I drove to my last destination, the Wiscoy in Pike. I discovered a nice section west of town and walked it about a half mile. The water was too cold to walk in sneakers. I saw three trout about 6 inches long in 4 hours. Plus I spooked up a beaver. But what a beautiful day to be fishing. About 19 hours of fishing in two days. and I hope to get out tonight again after work.

Keep thinking about the game.

Summer Rock Bass

2009-08-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I left a comment on Brian's blog

.....This creek was my boyhood fishing playground for many years. I learned to fly fish on this creek. Summers, in the evening, I'd cast royal coachman to rock bass and sunfish. I will never forget the time I was casting side arm just off the top water and a Rock bass jumped out of the water and caught my fly in mid cast. I would never had believed it, but this little creek holds great secrets known only to NY residents who fish it regularly......

Which got me to thinking about how it. How much I would enjoy some summer fly fishing for rock bass.

Yesterday, I took the day off from work to go to Garnargua Creek. My wife and I were hoping to get out early, but the morning hours passed quickly. We were at the creek about 10:00 am. I waded in shorts, Kim was in breathables and we hiked through the woods to a spot where the creek has plenty of promise. The water was clear and we spotted crayfish and flashes in the creek. We arrived at a fishing hole I remembered had produced in the past. Before long we had both caught a half dozen sunfish and rock bass on wet flies. Kim set up for dry fly fishing and she concentrated on keeping the slack out of the line. It was great to see the rock bass position themselves downstream of the fly and then strike. Kim got a lot of practice time in fishing drys. We used barbless flys and released all. Before the morning ended, we had unhooked 20 or so nice panfish including two smallies. The next thing I'll get her excited about is removing the fish she catches from her own hooks.

The Natural

2009-08-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

I wondered why I am still blogging after a month. I'm not really interested in having anyone read it. It seems I like writing down what happened so I can go back and remember what great fishing enjoyment I had. I think I'm fishing more now just so I can have something to blog. Or maybe I'm just now realizing how much time I spend fishing.

This past week I had the opportunity to introduce another person to fly fishing. I had invited Dan to go fishing and he agreed that I should show him how to fly fish. He had fished before, but never with a flyrod. So I took him to Irondequoit Creek in Penfield in the evening. I really did not think we would do well being it was summer. So I showed him some drifting skills and a simple roll cast. I was amazed at how quickly he picked up on everything I was teaching him. Then I let him practice his technique while I rigged up and drifted a fast riffle. Dan worked some slow back water for a while using his knowledge of Bass fishing to entice the first hit. But I explained that these were trout waters and the fish like oxygen rich water and feed very well along the seam of the riffles.

I could tell he was needing more than a drift cast to prove himself. I then instructed how to cast over head the basic 10,12,2 o'clock technique. After a few minutes he was tossing the fly right on target. I believe Dan to be a natural born flyfisherman. After a couple more instructions on how to manage the stream, I began teaching him how trout feed and their holding habits. We moved into some shallow gravel riffles and drifted wet flys for a while. We continued to find great places to locate fish but nothing was hitting. Dan tied on a dry fly and I had him work a tail out of a deep pool. As we navigated more of the stream we reached my favorite part of this creek: a double pool section where I always find fish holding. And so it was that Dan landed the first Trout. From the markings I determined it was a brown trout fingerling about 4 inches. We continued to get hits and Dan soon learned the difference between hanging up on the bottom and true strike. I connected with a Rainbow about 5 inches. Before we were done we had hooked up with another two fingerlings and Dan held up a 6 inch rainbow. Next year I figure Rainbows will be plentiful in the Spring. Until then, keep fishing!

Ice Fishing on the Fingerlakes

2009-07-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

This is my companion, best friend and fishing buddy. We have been married almost four years now.
We fished for Perch on this cold February day.

2009-07-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

It was mid July '09 and my friend Gary asked me if I'd like to fish a lake near his home. The day was a Sunday and we'd meet around 3:30 pm and drift fish soft shell crabs. Things looked really promising for us. We would have four poles drifting from his boat in about 20 feet of water. The first hour went by and we talked of what we had been doing at work and for fun. But no fish. I had expected to be loosing more bait, but the crabs were out lasting our casts. I remarked we might not be able to use up all the bait at this rate. Another hour pasted and we had to motor back into the deep water. The breeze was slight but moved our drift south parallel with the shore. We spoke of Spiritual life an what we might plan for the future. But no fish. I tried to lure some pike with a few different spoons. The casting lasted a short time and I went back to the crawdads. It was my job to figure out the correct fishing depth. Then finally a hit, and one pan fish was ours for supper. We motored back out to deep water and by now it was 6:00. Our conversation slowed as we were running out of topics, but our patients paid off. Another large blue gill and then another, but my count was still at zero.

I rigged up a chartreuse spoon in front of my bait and tossed it ahead of our drift. I let it fall to the bottom, about 15 feet to the weeds below. Then as we drifted over it, I let more line out until the length of the drift about 30 feet or so. I wanted to be sure it was just above the weeds. Before long I could feel hits with every cast, but no fish. The next time I was sure I had a fish biting, I let more line out and then... "fish on". It was a nice size Perch. Again my tactic was right on and it revealed a 12 inch Large Mouth Bass. Then for a third time, before we ran out of drift, I landed a good size Rock Bass.

What fun! And a good fish dinner was had. Thanks to my friend.

2009-07-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here is something of interest to me. Follow the link.

http://www.gvpennysaver.com/hometown/storydetail.aspx?storyid=749

It's a bit about helping veterans fly fish. Something that has been in my thoughts lately.

Another great weekend of fishing. This time I went alone to my place in Southern New York state. It's not much but I can enjoy the quiet solitude of the woods and some nice clean streams like the Ishua stream that I fished Saturday. I had to drive some hours to get to my destination. I found myself headed for Franklinville Where I stopped and simply fished from shore to some nice size browns. It was after a rain so the water was murky but the trout were rising to feed in the film. I tied on a caddis fly and after my first cast and a miss. I soon hooked up and landed a 14 inch brown which I released promptly. No photos again. Hope some day to put some photos on my blog. I wondered if I would even keep it up. Seems you need time set aside to blog. And Wednesdays are the only days I feel like blogging. I might even include a painting or two.

I painted on canvas Sunday as well as a chalk drawing of an underwater fish scene. There is only two hobbies I have stayed consistent with, hence my handle. Fishing and painting.

2009-07-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend. Saturday I took my friend to Spring Creek and we got there at noon. I knew what would be the outcome of fishing mid day. So I gave the day up thinking no fish. This would be a practice day. Guiding my novice friend to schools of lazy trout resting on the bottom. I set her up with a #20 scud and gave her a few tips. The time passed as we both were contend with spooking them with every cast of the fly. She drifted a run and I was confident that if I left her to work the water, she might just enjoy it better.

I walked down stream to a school of browns stacked so thick You could not see the bottom in a 2 foot area underneath them. Setting right on to of the school was a 12 inch brook trout. The water was so clear that with one cast movement of my arm the school recessed. They all dispersed and found cover in shadowy weed infested lairs. Some moved up stream to where 50 yds away I had left my fly fishing companion. Some time passed when She called with a fish on. I managed to arrive at her side by the time she had landed it.

We were both surprised as we took Photos of a small brown. We fished for a few hours with no results but watched many fish swim by.
As it got more toward 3:30 I managed to hook up with a few fish and landed a fat brown before the day ended at 4:00.

The key to guiding late sleepers is to go after supper!

2009-07-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did get out and fish last weekend. I went to the outlet of a near by lake and fished for a few hours I caught 5 large sunfish and they were delicious.

Then Monday as I drove home from the City I managed to stop at a waterfall and cast for a few minutes. Until I landed a nice sized largemouth bass. Not a keeper. I wasn't on the mood to clean fish anyway. Today I was busy making a sign. I could have taken my boat to the lake, but this sign has been promised a month ago.

I hope to paint a canvas this weekend. Maybe of a park.

2009-07-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. I took my boat to a pond near where I live and rowed across to where I thought I could enter another pond but this year some beavers had dammed up the entrance.

So I fished for several hours and caught a few pan fish. It was nice to get out in the fresh morning air. There were a lot of deer around the pond I saw some button bucks, a four point and six point velvet bucks, a pair of twin fawns and many doe eating on the edge of the pond road. The best thing about being out on the water by yourself is.... being out on the water by yourself.

There was a Great Blue Heron catching frogs on the waters edge. As I fished the cattails a wren was collecting insects in the mud. The lily blossoms had not opened until an hour had past.

Today was a good day.

2009-06-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Another week has past and I have not found myself wading in any trout filled streams. My intention is to go fishing. But I find myself wading in a stream of blogs and internet folly.

I will try to get away from my computer and concentrate on casting a fly line.

This weekend I'm headed for the Catskills. There I may be able to invest some time in trout wrestling

What else can I say.....

2009-06-18T11:37:00.001-07:00

"Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook, or tie down his tongue with a rope?

Can you put a cord through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words?

Will he make an agreement with you, for you to take him as your slave for life?

Can you make a pet of him like a bird, or put him on a leash for your girls?

Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

Can you fill his hide with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears?

If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.

No one is fierce enough to rouse him."

What I do

2009-06-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is what I do. I fish!