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.

Top Water Caddis Action

Here in the east we're experiencing a very mild and dry spring. I'm concerned with low water and rising temperatures, that our waters will heat up and stress the trout.  This is normally not a problem for this time of year because the we usually get a fair amount if rain keeping our waters at good levels.  Only time will tell how the rest of the spring will play out, but for now the fishing is hot.

Since the spring opener bugs are popping and the trout are on them.  Mainly caddis, Grannoms to be exact are all over and the trout are looking up.  Several of my last outings I've be dry fly fishing, not once did I set-up a nymph rig.  The two main patterns I've been fishing are my CDC UV Caddis (with and with out an egg sack) and Craig Mathew's of Blue Ribbon Flies, Iris Caddis (Check out Matt Grobert video Tying the Iris Caddis produced by Tim Flagler aka Tightline Productions).

I usually present the fly with a down stream reach cast and dead drift it over holding water and feeding lies, at the end of the drift I'll dance the caddis across the surface mimicking a caddis breaking through the film or a egg-layer depositing her eggs.  Most of the time I'm fishing to rising fish, but I do just as well prospecting and inducing a rise.

The result is some of the best dry fly fishing I've had in years, in fact it's been HOT!

Here are some photos (trout porn) from my outings, enjoy.

One well chewed fly.

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

Winter Fishing So Far...

This winter is great, if you don't like snow. We've started this winter with a charged river system, which translates into higher than normal river levels. Since this fall and early winter the amount of rain and snow is off, resulting now in lower than normal steam levels. Historically, my home river, the South Branch of Raritan, should be at 110 to 140 cubic feet per second. Now the river is at 83 cubic feet per second. Here in the east we don't rely on the snow pack, but in the west it's still important. It's important for many of the same reasons anywhere else in the world. The main reason is the slow and steady release of cold-water help charges ground water without massive runoff.

Why, you might ask, is this important. Well in one word - hatches. These levels, coupled with the warm spring-like weather we've been having in the east, are likely to affect the spring hatches. It may only mean a day or two, but when you're trying to time your day on the water, it means a lot. Since the spring hatches are some time off it many not matter much if we get our normal spring rain.

For right now I've been enjoying the spring-like weather in the middle of the winter. February is usually our coldest month and everyone has a bad case of cabin fever. Not this February, here are some shots from this winter's outings.

Let's see if March marches in like a Lion, so far it's more like a YouTube kitten.
Here are some of the fish I've taken this winter.

Rainbow taken on the my Anchor Caddis

Fat Brown...

Ice Pheasant Tail Jig...

Happy Angler!

Winter Brown...

Ice Pheasant Tail Jig strikes again...

Nice Brown...

Long and lean...

Scuds and Belated Happy New Year

Belated Happy New Year!!!

Scuds have nothing to do with the New Year.  I just fish them more in the winter when not much else is happening hatch-wise.

Scuds are found in most waters. Most are herbivores and scavengers feeding on the detritus (leaf litter and dead stuff). They're light sensitive and prefer low-light conditions - dawn, dusk and cloudy days. I've found them to be a great searching pattern when nothing much is going on. Now who wouldn't like a shrimp cocktail before your main course?  Unless of course you have a food allergy. Lucky trout don't.

My K.I.S.S. Scud is my go-to-pattern, but you can use any imitation. Remember they're fast movers with seven pair of legs, so trout don't have time to inspect your fly.

Typical Scud, notice the detritus.

K.I.S.S. Scud in the lip.

Let's see that Brown.

Rainbows large,

and small love scuds.

 K.I.S.S. Scud

Happy Holiday Egg...

The holidays for me are filled with rushing around and dealing with crowds.  Something I don't like. Fortunately the weather and fishing are still good. Fewer anglers makes winter fishing some of the best. I try to get out before the holiday rush and chaotic family time. Eggs were the ticket the last time I was out, and these eggs delivered a pre-holiday treat. 

Eggs are on the menu.

My tungsten egg.

20" hog of a Rainbow

Egg in the face.

One phat Bow.

Happy Holidays!!!

Signs of Fishing Pressure...

No matter where you go, there's always fishing pressure on our streams. We all want the rivers to ourselves.  Let’s face it, that doesn’t always happen. We have to share. While out fishing last week, I had a good day Czech nymphing.  However, I did come upon signs of another fisher working the water ahead of me.

This very stealthy character should have been heading south. Yet, like the geese, it's now a resident fisher in NJ. You might have guessed by now. I'm referring to a Great Blue Heron. I'm seeing more and more these days, well into the winter. It seems they'll stay as long as there's open water and food.

The Great Blue Heron is a marvelous fisher and we can all learn from them. You can increase your catches if you simply wade and dress like them. While they are great fishers, they do miss some from time to time. Here's a freshly wounded rainbow (ouch!). Maybe too big or too deep...but this one got away. Mind you, it kept on feeding and took my anchor fly.

Freshly wounded Rainbow.

Looks like it just happened (less than a day).

Fishing With My Two Unique Boys - What's a Dad to do?

Even though it was cold out, my older son still wanted to go fishing.  My younger son wasn't wholeheartedly into the idea.  What's a Dad to do?

I put on my thermals. The boys dressed in layers and packed a spare set of cloths, just in case.  While no one went for a swim, there where cold feet and hands.  This put a limit on the time we could fish, but as long as there was action, no one asked to go home.

With rain levels spiked, the 100cfs streams were at 300cfs.  At 300cfs, my home stream is  challenging to fish and next to impossible for the boys. We ended up fishing the banks - no stream crossings.  While it was cold and high, the fishing was good.  Together we netted 6 rainbows, 1 brown...long line released a monster.

Both boys were happy in varying degrees, and I'm sure we'll be heading out again soon.

One happy lad.

Boy my hands are cold.

Cold + Egg = Rainbow

Bow on a rock worm.

They liked the rock worms.