"Angling is extremely time consuming. That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane
The flies pictured to the left (McClane's New Standard Fishing Encyclopedia, circa 1965) is a very timely snapshot of how things used to be. The WET FLY ruled the day and everybody fished these little complicated toys. They caught TONS of brookies and hatchery dummies and people swore that the predominant fixed wing was an important part of the fly even though hardly any mayflies have such stout and sturdy wings. Back in the day the "experts" insisted that the standard wet fly, either with a solid quill wing or a rolled wing of duck fibers, represented a "drowned" adult insect and trout liked those. The fact is the natural wing of a mayfly has very little presence underwater. The body of the fly is the trigger for the trout and that's what the trout wanted. That's why sparsely dressed soft hackles work so well. Thin fibers sway in the current and the body, also sparse, is in full view.
Partridge And Orange
A funny thing about that 1965 McClane's book: it has photos of 52 classic wet flies but only 28 photos of nymphs (and some of those were laughable. Today it's hard to find a classic fixed wing wet fly in any catalog. That's all for the better.
The Rivers
We had a good late afternoon/early evening on the Millers but it is getting very low. A good thunderstorm will wake things up. Fish at sundown if your smart. The Swift has been great and we have had the place to ourselves. I'd like to see some rain on the EB and the Ware.
Fly Shops
Evening Sun Fly Shop and the Deerfield Fly Shop are open for business. Deerfield is open Noon to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday. Call Charlie on his hours.
Happy Fathers Day Guys!!!
Ken
13 comments:
The Moby Dick with it's rolled Wood Duck Wing is one of my favorites on the Millers and EB for trout, haven't fished any other fixed wing wets. Just my 2 cents worth.
Hi Ken- the drought is here! I have been stuck to the Swift of the past 5 trips. I had some luck on a Spruce moth. i frankly got bored and decided to to try it even though I haven’t seen the moths around much. I took 2 aggressive Rainbows right off the bat. If it is anything like last year, they’ll be moths all over the place. I am sure i am not the only one who has watched an impressive giant Brown Trout right downstream from the Rte 9 bridge. i caught a small brook trout (on a Little Brook Trout Streamer) and this big Brown moved on him. He crusaded around for a while . I might go back one night at 9 -10 o’clock with a giant streamer. :).
Very packed today in the high traffic zones. Fish are everywhere.
Falsecast,
I heard that some young guy landed a big brown right around the Rt 9 bridge this week. Maybe it was your fish. I've seen two big ones on the lower river in the last week, well over 24 inches long.
Anonymous 3:51,
The Moby Dick is a good fly but I can't bring myself to tie or fish it. It seems to be more of a nymph than a wet fly. Years ago I changed the style of the fly and made it a traditional wet. It did well but then I forgot about it.
Ken
Flymphs, nymphs and wet flies... Funny how those all sort of can be fished the same way. Even streamers. Some times a dead drifted streamer is what the fish doc ordered.
Likewise, some patterns are awesome, like... wait for it... have to name drop Ken... the Picket Pin :)... But many, just have fun at the bench if you tie. What color and size live on X river? just mess with that and come up with something. It may be original, hybrid or an existing pattern you change colors on or sub a material. There are no "rules" here, really... So it's fun to do.
I think I had that mega brown on at about 8:45 one day last week. I'd fished down stream on my way out, and had a heavy take on a size 18 sulfur emerger. the very heavy fish spun for the bridge and proceeded to snap 5x flouro. In fairness, I'd not retied after several fish, so the line or my knot could have finally failed... But I'm going with a 6-8# brown. It's a more enjoyable memory than a 15" bow :) ha ha ha!
Falsecast has a strong point though. With the browns on there, the idea of grabbing a 6wt and swinging 6" long streamers in there has an appeal similar to catching fish on #6 chernobyl's with long rubber legs when everyone else is cautiously drifting #26's on a 2wt! Happy to test that theory, and frankly, I think the next time I go, Ill give it a shot. It's the non-conformist in me talking :)
Ken,
Since I suspect everyone who reads this blog is a conscientious fly fisherman (maybe some women, too), I was wondering: at what flow level should we not be fishing in the Millers because of the stress catching a fish causes on the trout? At this point, I have gone to heavier tippets so I can get them to the net quicker, but in your experience, is there a flow rate that even that doesn't work for our fish?
Thanks,
Charles
I landed and Released, that Brown. Got into a Pack, of Browns. Chasing, six Inch Brookies. Quick, fly switch. Spooked Brown #1. But got, Brown #2 to Chase. What a, full on visual strike. Keep up, the good work Ken.
Best
Anonymous
Ken, Thanks to your advice on using comparadun style flies, hit several nice Bows in the Bubbler Arm this week on 2 days. Sulfur size 16 - the hatch was sparse, and lasted maybe an hour, but the Bows came up fairly willingly and was a blast on a 3 wt. Your advice is superb, appreciate all you share.
The Swift was quite crowded both days, but you could find a spot to have semi-solitude. Still, after those fun days I will be looking for deeper solitude in the Swift downstream. But enjoyed the action on comparaduns while it lasted. Thanks for all the sharing!
Jim M
Charles,
As long as the fish are feeding they they are healthy and are fair game. I always use 5X which brings in Millers trout in summer waters quickly and a barbless hook which almost always falls into the net. Trout are released quickly and swim away quickly.
When they stop feeding because of temperature of the water the game stops automatically.
Hibernation,
The Dette's and Darbee's of Catskill fame fished light and dark Edson Tigers as nymphs to imitate stoneflies. So much for streamers imitating bait fish.
Anonymous 2:08,
In the land of browns and brookies!!!!!
Ken
Jim M,
I was on the Swift 3 days this week and basically fished alone and caught fish. The Swift is not crowded, only certain spots.
Glad you did well!!
Ken
I had complete solitude on the swift yesterday and had one of my best days yet catching the trifecta browns, rainbows and brook trout all the brook trout averaged over 6 inches with a few being 10 plus quite enjoyable on the 4wt glass rod and once again didn’t see a single person it was a good day!
I lost a fly box yesterday at the Swift, just above the rt.9 bridge. It's large, clear plastic lid, foam inside, and a bunch of dry flies (sulfurs, cahills, olives) in it and soft hackles too. If anyone finds it please let me know: david.wester1@gmail.com
Anonymous 8:02 am
I bet that beats waiting for a tee time above route 9!!!! You know how it's done. Good Work!!!
dewey61,
It's posted at the top of this blog posr.
Ken
Ken
Happy Fathers Day to you and all the fly fisherman out there who follow this blog. I’m grateful for my family to celebrate today, all my flyfishing opportunities this spring and this blog. I’m an avid reader, 365 and occasional contributor, its the first thing I read everyday.
I’m fortunate to have a son who loves flyfishing and this blog has put us in the right place numerous times.
Keep up the great contributions.
Mike
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