Weekend Camping and Fishing

The weekend before Memorial Day a group of friends and I went out to catch the Sulphur hatch/spinner fall.  Since this required a late night on the stream we decided to camp out.  This was a car camping expedition, so there was no need to keep weight down.  This translates into steaks on the grill with all the fixings, not to mention plenty wine, desert and fishing stories.

Here's a little sample of the weekend.

My accommodation.

First brown of the evening.

Red bellies can't resist Sulphur's.

Sun is dipping and spinners on the water.

Jacklin's spinner was the fly of choice.

Last fish of the evening.

Stories by the fire.

Opening Day 2012

Over the years a tradition has developed around opening day of Trout Season. My boys and many friends have a dinner on the banks of a river and many of us camp out to fish the next morning at the 8:00AM start of the season.

This year we had 30 for dinner with just less than half camping out. The large turn out is in direct proportion to the weather, which this year was fabulous.

I'm the grill master with help from The Jersey Angler, and every one brings some thing to table, whether it's appetizers, sides deserts and adult beverages of one sort or another.

While the season only closes for 3 weeks, this is the first outing for many after a long cold winter. This year we didn't winter, more of an extended Autumn.

For me it's a day where I guide my boys and spend time teaching them the art of angling.

Fish on!

Happy Camper

Nice Brookie

Stream entomology

More bugs

Nice Brown.

Could be the big one.

20" Rainbow

Fishing with Matt

Finally, after juggling our schedules, Matt Grobert and I final got out fishing this past weekend.


You may know Matt from the The Star Ledger's Fly Fishing column.  His work also includes:
Fly Fishing New Jersey Trout Streams, published in 2008; Caddis Chronicles, a blog -  "A celebration of the well-chewed fly."  He's also ties patterns at the International Fly Tiers Symposoum, the Fly Fishing Show (NJ), Shannon's Fly Shop in Califon.  He's also featured on video at Tightline Productions.

Matt chronicled our trip in his Short Report post of December 4th.  I don't have much to add other than the photos and comments below.

It was a cold morning, but warm for December - low to mid 40's.  It always feels colder when your feet are in 42-degree water.  It was even colder for Matt.  He left his thermals home and his waders had a leak.  (It's safe to say Matt's leg and foot never warmed up until he got home.)

The water was high, clear and cold, but fishing was good.  Matt took his fish with a bead head Bird's Nest, LaFontaine Sparkle Emerger, and one on Walt's Worm.  I, on the other hand, was Czech nymphing and took most of my fish on a my "big and ugly" variation of Hans Stephenson's "Bomb".   It was a good day; we both got into fishing.

Matt fishing down and across.

Mat with an nice bow.

Fish on.

To the net.

Czech rig and bow.

"big and ugly"

Good day with Fly and Fin

Henry's Fork Rainbow

Here is a short video from my trip out west this year. It's the first shot with my new GoPro HD camera while using the chest harness. The Rainbow took a double bead black stone fly nymph. The current was moving and the trout used it well.

Enjoy.

Fishing with "The Jersey Angler"

While I haven't been posting regularly this spring, I've managed to get out an wet a line.  Here is a little video I shot on one of the few sunny days we had this spring.  I was fishing across for "The Jersey Angler" so I put down the rod and shot this footage.  Enjoy.

Gone are the Day's of Trout on a Stick

Back-in-the-day the way to document a good day's fishing was to knock them on the head with a priest and keep them cool until the trip home.  I can't be sure that these fish were eaten, but I hope so...

A Day's Catch at Big Lagoon 1908

While I do practice catch and release there are still time's I'll knock one on the head for dinner that night (always a stockies).  It mite be a requirement some parts, like Rockies where the motto is EMBT (Eat more Brook Trout), to help with the recovery of Greenback Cutthroat Trout.  Brook Trout are not a native trout to the Rockies and compete with the Greenback Cutthroat Trout, so removing non-native trout from some streams is necessary so native trout may flourish. 

 

Photographs and videos are a great way to show off your catch. Today with the wide range of underwater camera getting cheaper and easier to document your catch.  With iMovie and YouTube your not limited to sharing with just your friends.  There are plenty of waterproof camera on the market and I sure you'll fine one to fit budget.

Release II

Just having some fun with videos Rick sent me from our last outing. These release shots are the same fish from the Grip and Grin post.

Enjoy.

Grip and Grin

It's not offend that when I'm fishing with a buddy that they are near by to take a shot on a nice fish.  Most of the time it's fumbling with the camera, trying to be a "Trout Whisperer", and warming cold hands to move.  So it's nice to get a shot of myself with an nice "Brown".

I've managed the grip but still need work on the grin.

Now Rick got them both, and yes he was fishing Tenkara.

The normal shot I use when you buddy is up river.

 

It's hard to know when the Trout is out if the scene with out going for a swim.

Break in the weather.

We finally had a break in the weather, a little rain and cooler temperatures (65˚F in the evenings) So I decide to go out see if the water temperature fell as well.

When I got to the stream around dinner time and took temperatures reading and the water was at 71˚F so I sorted my gear had a Cliff Bar which took about an hour. The water temperatures dropped to 70˚ F so it was time to fish.

I was determined to fish on top so I took out my 8' 6" Orvis Super Fine 5 Wt. so I wouldn't be tempted to fish the bottom.

Bloody hell, a nice little native Brown, but water on the lens.

Cleaned the lens and took this bow on a Parachute Adams.

The Release (I had to crop because the camera strap was in the way).

Sawyer's Pheasant Tail Nymph - Strikes again

Frank Sawyer's Pheasant Tail Nymph is simply brilliant!

It imitates so many mayfly of nymphs it a great searching pattern, but when a hatch is on and the fish aren't rising tie one on that matches the size of the natural.  You'll be glad you did.

This Big Boy took a size 14 Sawyer's Pheasant Tail Nymph

Note the Pheasant Tail Nymph

 Close-up

The Release.