The solution to any problem- work, love, money, whatever,- is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be." John Gierach
I glued a bead to a hook (there was no thread, dubbing or anything placed on the hook by me.) I went to the Swift and caught a couple of rainbows and browns in short order with just the bead. Case closed!!!
The Myth of Fall Feeding
You will see it if you haven't already. Someone will claim that trout will put on the "feed bag" right after spawning so you should have a good supply of big, ugly streamers to get in on the game. Tom Rosenbaurer of Orvis laid this myth to rest when he said that a trout will consume more calories in May and June than October and November. For shear numbers October rules for me. The streams are mostly low and there's lots of insect life of which, the Isonychia, is my favorite. It's big and it moves fast.
My Least Favorite Month
And that month is July for obvious reasons. It's the hottest month of the year (I love freestones but July can be brutal for them) and we have a lot of sunshine right up to 9pm which stalls the Evening Rise which is the best time to fish with dry flies. On the other hand September has darkness falling at about 7pm which means rising trout with no waiting!!!! In fact, one doesn't have to hit the road at 3am unless you are addicted to crowded places.
Flies for Sale
Stock up on Soft Hackles for the Fall. Size 14 through 18 should cover all conditions. The Partridge and Orange and the Partridge and Olive are good bets.
Ken
11 comments:
Ken this is absolutely my favorite time of year to be out on the streams. The water has begun to cool down and fish are looking up ! I noticed what I believe to be iso mayflies on a small stream the other day. I haven't had much experience with this species to be honest but these were big and dark flies and they were concentrated in the faster pocket water areas. I didn't see any fish rising and tried zipping a bigger pt nymph around with no success. My brother Brian took a 22 inch brown the other night in a small stream that is not stocked by the state so don't overlook those blue lines folks, some of our best water won't show up on any lists. My suggestion would be to fish the small Brooks many fish this summer have moved into small tribs trying to escape the warm waters. Tight lines
Paul Fay
The late great Oliver Kite used a nymph called the bare hook nymph, it’s just a small size 18 hook with cooper wire wrapped in the form of a wing case just behind the hook eye. I’ve caught numerous rainbows from the Swift on such the fly.
Anonymous,
The late Edward Ringwood Hewitt, a great fly fisherman and inventor of the early 20th century, claimed to have had trout rise to a bare hook!!!
Ken
Ken, you know those paintings you see in the modern art exhibit, the ones that look like the result of a 2-year-old having a tantrum in an art supply store? Perdigon flies are the fly-tying world’s equivalent- “awful”. I know they are effective BUT to fool a fish with a fly that required such little skill or effort to tie to me seems well, disrespectful to mother nature. And a bare hook? Now that’s downright insulting!
Dean,
I agree! Perdigon "flies" look like something spit out of a computerized molding machine, all encased in plastic! That's why I call them "lures".
Ken
They dropped the Swift yesterday.
Captain,
It's about time! 110 cfs has been running since the middle of June. In my opinion that's way too high for successful spawning which goes through October and November.
Ken
Ken, I hope that the cooler weather enables you to fish more often. How did you deal with leaves and pine needles floating down our beloved rivers and streams in the fall? My flies seem to become leaf and pine needle magnets! Are the fish spooked by "stuff" floating overhead? Thank you
Bruce from Merrimack Valley
Hey Ken,Are you back in western Mass,or are you forever in the of "live free or die"? Cheers,Chet
Chet,
Good question!!!
Ken
Bruce,
Fish are not spooked by leaves and needles but they can ruin the fishing. There is a week and a half long period where they can overwhelm you and that is in October. That's why I favor November.
Ken
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