Another One Bites the Dust - 2 new states in 2 months!

Last week I needed to go to Missouri for meetings.  When I checked the flights into my destination a few weeks before, the prices were astronomical.  I don't care if it's company money or my money - I HATE getting fleeced by airlines.  So , I looked at a few alternatives.  One of the alternatives was Little Rock.  Hmmm - I could stop and visit with an old friend who just happens to be a potential OEM vendor for us.

Who just happens to be a fly fishing fanatic.

Who just happens to have a family place on the Little Red River.

That, my friends, is how plans are born!  And this one came off without a hitch.

I met James at our pre-arranged spot in Heber Springs and we were quickly off on my first ever Arkansas fishing adventure.  This trip, unlike any other I can recall, was a TRUE joy - I used James' rods / reels (he's a fellow Winston devotee), used his flies (ALWAYS defer to local knowledge), went in his boat, and, best of all, we wear the same size waders and wading shoes, so I used those as well.  It would be really easy to get used to this kind of treatment, but I really don't expect it to happen again very often in the foreseeable future.  However, if there are any volunteers out there, feel free to email me!

                                                         The Little Red River

We launched his "White River Jonboat" - not sure if that is a recognized boat style or just a local term - and started down the Little Red River, in the tailwaters of Greer's Ferry Lake.  There was virtually no water being generated so it was very low and clear.  It also didn't take long before I started seeing fish, either spooking in front of the boat or rising up ahead.  The river is really a series of long, deep pools connected by shallow rocky stretches.  This river is (was) home to the former world record brown trout, a 40 pound, 4 ounce behemoth landed in 1992 by Rip Collins.  The pools are deep (20'?) and there is a LOT of downed timber in water - perfect habitat for giant brown trout.  There are a ton of rainbow trout in these waters, too - nice snacks for the big browns.

Even though it was mid-afternoon under a clear blue sky and bright sun, there were periodic rises along the river.  We saw a few caddis flitting about but attributed most of the surface activity to midges.  With little current, we opted to fish the deep pools.

This brought another new technique to my repertoire - sinking flylines.  In all the years  I've flyfished, I have NEVER fished with full sinking lines.  I have done very little stillwater flyfishing - the places most sinking line fishing is done - and when I have fished stillwaters, Intermediate sink lines sufficed.  I've fished sink tip lines in heavy currents for trout, and thrown ridiculously heavy sink tips for stripers along the Massachusetts coast, but never full sink lines.

                                                          A small-ish rainbow

Since I haven't fly fished for over a year for anything , picking up a full sink line was not the ideal way to start, unless you want to look stupid.   Which I did in dramatic fashion.  After working the kinks out of the casting stroke and getting used to the line, the casts were pretty easy.  And, after a few pools, we got dialed into a pattern with a moderate retrieve of a local version of an Olive Wooly Bugger about 10' - 12' down.  It resulted in nearly a fish (or at least a hit) every cast.  Cookie cutter rainbows - all between 12" - 15".  Some stockies, a few wild fish, and some that James ID'd as McCloud strain - beautiful, bright stripes on their sides.  All in all, I believe I landed about 45 rainbows that afternoon.  There were times that I would hook a fish every cast for maybe 20 minutes.  Oh yeah - got 1 little wild brown while nymphing, too.

The fisheries in northern Arkansas may not be the first words out of every fly fisherman's mouth when asked to name the best fisheries in North America, but they certainly ought to be on everyone's short list.  They are certainly different - bait fishermen and lure slingers float alongside the fly fisherman, and many trout become dinner.  But the shear quantity and size of the fish in these waters is truly astounding.   When the power generating turbines are running and the river rises, the big fish from these deep holes move up to feed.  And, of course, the brown trout spawn in November, which I understand offers combat fishing for giant fish at it's finest.  James' best brown to date is a fish he got last year that he estimated at 23-24 pounds.  He has taken numerous 10-15 pounders.  Somehow I see a trip to Little Rock in my future, maybe in the mid-November timeframe ...

                                                 Tippet the Fishing Dog.  Note the clear water

Day 2 - Middle Fork of the Boise River

Day 2 of our adventure shaped up a little differently than the first day. I would be on my own for the first half of the day - Rebecca had some things that needed to be attended to. The plan was for me to drive up the Middle Fork valley, fish wherever I felt like fishing, and meet up with her in mid-afternoon. This was fine by me since, as I've stated before, I usually fly fish alone anyway.



Middle Fork of the Boise


The Middle Fork is a beautiful river that cuts through the steep mountains northeast of Boise. It is not an undiscovered piece of water by any means - when I talked to a biologist in the DNR, he recommended I fish this water as well. It is crystal clear and full of rainbow trout, redbands, some cut-bows, and some bull trout. The 'bows and redbands tend to be small, so I think that puts most of the more serious flyfishermen on the highly touted South Fork of the Boise. That's all right with me - more room for me!

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I love small waters and the fish they hold. But my version of small trout water and the biologists version of small trout water are 2 very different things! I brought my small water gear for this one - a 2 wt. rod. In retrospect, the water was too big for that outfit, and I would have been better off with a longer 4 wt. But - I got by, and had fun doing so.

The drive in is, umm - interesting. It contains 2 distinct components. First is the seemingly never-ending , winding , shoreline hugging route that parallels the 2 reservoirs you drive past. Then comes the never-ending, washboarded, dusty, long dirt road that parallels the river. Its not a long drive on the odometer, but it feels like it takes forever. It's even more fun coming out at night!

This river is, to me, a classic, beautiful western mountain stream. Fast water, gin clear, beautiful setting. I loved it from the minute I laid eyes on it. I decided to go upstream a few miles before I picked out a piece of water to start fishing. This day I would be wet wading in the refreshingly cool waters.



First spot I fished

I decided to stick to my usual array of small fish, small water bugs. Throughout the day I used: Humpy, Lime Trude, Elk Hair Caddis, Godlike Caddis, Parachute Madame X, and a H&L Variant. THE fly to use here is the Royal Wulff, but I'm stubborn. And, it didn't really seem to matter.




First trout - a tiny, spunky wild rainbow

I know this fish is tiny , but believe me when I say they put a bend in a 2 wt. they ARE spunky. The river was crystal clear, but these 'bows are tough to see in the water.



Clear water.

The hits came frequently, but the fish are both small and quick, so I missed a lot of hits. My next fish felt bigger, and showed the throat markings and spotting pattern of a cutthroat. It also had an underlying rainbow to it. I don't know which type of cuts are in these drainages, but I'm pretty sure this fish is a cut-bow.



Cut-bow

I moved up to a different spot where a couple of trees had fallen across the river. The currents running through the branches made for some great seams and current breaks, and I picked up 7 or 8 small rainbows in this stretch.



Lots of fish below this tree

I met up with the Outdooress and her husband about 3 pm. Since they know the river, I followed them downstream to some areas they like. It continued to produce these beautiful rainbows, and I got to do some more photography. Hope you enjoy the shots.



Beautiful water



the Outdooress and the Fish Cruiser




Rebecca and Banyon




Which fly, which fly???




Got the right one!




Another rainbow coming in




Love these little fish!




The Outdooress and her dog, in their element


We caught lots of fish, missed lots of fish, and ended up spending the last hour of daylight sitting by the river talking. It was another memorable day fly fishing, one that will stay with me forever.

So, you might wonder how I could enjoy a day catching little rainbows as much as I enjoy a day catching big browns. I don't know why, but I TRULY do enjoy them equally. I'm in awe of big fish, regardless of the species. But I love wild fish in small streams, too. And a foot-long bow or cut on the 2 wt. felt just as good as the 20" browns on a 5 wt. from the day before. I guess it's actually a blessing - I'm VERY easily amused!

The only thing left to do is make return plans to this great area of the world. And I might do that sooner rather than later. The Fall fishery on River X might just be something I HAVE TO experience! I'll leave you with a picture of me and my new found Idaho friend, Rebecca the Outdooress.

Finally, some trout.

The morning after my meeting with Troutrageous, I had plans to meet up with one of my best friends and do some trout fishing for a few hours.

Now, at least on the surface, this was hardly the time to be out fly fishing for trout. Pennsylvania, like most of the country, has been wrapped up in a nasty heat wave, and hasn't had much rain, either. That usually means stream temps push into the upper limits of a trout's tolerance. Even if you an find trout in these water temps it is often advised to leave them alone and not stress them out.

All this is true. At least it is for most waters. But I wasn't going to "most waters". I was going to spend the morning on some special waters.

The Tulpehocken Creek, or Tully as it is locally known, is well known among fly fishermen throughout PA and NJ. The primary area of interest is the area below Blue March Lake, known as the tailrace. It has a well known, consistent trico hatch and receives heavy fishing pressure. I've fished these waters in the past, but not on this short trip. I was fishing the private headwaters.

The stream originates as the outflow pumped from a limestone quarry. The initial mile or so of the creek is a long standing private club with a hatchery license. The wait list to get into the club can be measured in lifetimes. The water is constant temperature and flow and supports the lush weed and aquatic growth prevalent in other PA limestoners. The stream is never wider than 20'. There is quite a bit of natural reproduction on this section, from both browns and rainbows. That's right - wild rainbows in PA. I know Falling Spring has some natural rainbow reproduction, and I believe there are a few others, but not many at all. The stream is stocked as well.

There are a LOT of fish in these waters.

The rule of thumb here is: if you want to catch a lot of fish, use tandem nymphs. Sow bugs, scuds, and pheasant tails are the order of the day. I always throw in my own wrinkle - usually a San Juan worm. And, I rationalize, if a plain SJW is good, a bead-head SJW with some crystal flash in it must be even better. You know - a stripper pole worm. You can pound some fish up on crickets, ants and beetles, but the action is far slower.

Our morning started after a hard rain at 8 am. It was about 84 out, and had to be 100% humidity. I decided to go straight after the numbers and used the stripper pole bright red flashy worm. And immediately got into rainbows. I landed 5, hooked and lost 2, and missed numerous strikes in the first run I fished. The first trout was a stockie rainbow; the others from this run were BEAUTIFUL natives.

And, (probably because I didn't check the camera settings before I started shooting pics) the pics are not very good. They are not focused well. Sorry.

I moved upstream, picking up fish pretty consistently. I added a second fly below the SJW - a bead head sow bug - and started picking up small, wild browns. Beautiful fish. Finally, toward the end of the trip, I picked up a big brown on a Pheasant Tail'

This water is always great, and very private. I certainly don't always fish private water, but I don't pass up the opportunity to do so when it presents itself, either. Especially when I have a very short amount of time to fish.

Again, I apologize for the picture quality, but the fish were so colorful that it shows even with the crappy photos.

Finally, next week I should have another posting on fly fishing for trout, as I plan to be out West. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it comes together!





A nice fish on




A wild rainbow in the water





Stream bred rainbow






Another wild 'bow coming in





Beautiful wild rainbow. The color on the gill plate, brightness of the band, white tips on the fins - just beautiful fish





Nice streambred brown trout

55 degrees today - gotta fish

The lower pond in November


It was 55 today with a southerly breeze. I know there won't be many of these days left, so I went out to the old reliable pond over lunch today. The pond was stocked with trout a few weeks ago, so even if none of the other residents are cooperative, I figure I should be able to catch some trout.


Mepps Aglia Streamer


I started off fishing for the trout. I used the Mepps Aglia Streamer spinner pictured. Its become a favorite of mine, even though it is a little bit longer than I would call ideal. After 5 visible hits from trout, and no hookups, I decided i needed to go smaller. I went to the old reliable 1/16 oz. jighead with a 2" grub, and started after them. My grubs were Lindy Munchie, and I started with a watermelon color. the pond was very clear.


November crappie


All the trout were about this size


The fishing was a little slow, but I was only there for 45 minutes. Final tally - 4 trout brought to hand (and a few others hooked and lost), 2 gills caught, and 1 crappie. All were on the Munchie grubs, and all were on subtle colors. I threw a chartreuse grub, but found no takers. The watermelon and copper colors caught everything.


Good colors today


Not a day for the record books by any means, but a day on the pond catching trout ove lunch beats the hell out of the usual lunch alternatives!

I FINALLY catch some fish in 2009, and all is right with the world!

We finally had a few days in a row of nice, warming weather. That means, of course, lots to do around the house. And, finally, a chance to get out on the water locally. Northern IL has been slow to warm, and I've been going more stir crazy than usual for this time of year. It's an annual occurrence, but seems like a more acute case this year than usual.


Sat. and Sun. were beautiful days, and both days found us with some time between 5 and 7 pm. We went to a property where I have access to their 2 ponds and tried to start out the year on a good note. Like every year, the warm air belies the VERY cold water and lethargic fish below. I've done this enough to know that early season trips mean slow presentations, shallow, dark bottoms that warm quickly, and often small baits.


Well, things played out like they were scheduled. Fishing was slow, but enough fish hit to keep things interesting. I wanted my son to get in some practice with his gear, because we're going to Alabama in a couple of weeks for a few days of bass and brim fishing.




My son with our first largemouth of 2009









Saturday found 1 nice largemouth willing to bite, and enough smallish gills to keep us occupied. NOTE: there are 2 ponds on this property. One - the first one we fished - is shallow, about 8 acres, and full of bass to 4 pounds, and gills. the second - maybe 10 acres - is deeper. Max depth is around 15 feet. Lots of wood cover. Largemouth, bluegill, crappie, walleye, channel cat (to 15#) and rainbow trout. The rainbow trout are certainly not your typical fare in Illinois ponds. They are stocked in this pond in October and winter over. When the ice melts and spring emerges, these 'bows are in great shape and are great sport in the spring. They're also pretty big - 14 - 20". I've fished for wild rainbows all over the country, and, all things considered, prefer them over the stockies, but these are a viable substitute. They bite, and they pull hard, so in this instance, I like them!

Nice rainbow trout from the lower pond

Next we tried our luck on the lower pond for the trout or anything else that might be awake. It was the expected slow fishing, but we did hook and land 2 trout, 1 pretty nice one. Pheasants were cackling in the fields as the sun set, and deer made their evening trips to the fields.

Sunday we did the same routine. No large bass fell for our offerings, but the bluegills were more active after another day of the sun warming their water. My son and I had a "bet" to see who could catch the most, and we lost count. The lower pond yielded its first walleye of the year to me, and one more nice trout to my son.


Our lures on these trips were primarily Cubby Mini-Mites suspended under a weighted bobber. I wrote about them in my "Favorite things" post last year. I don't know what it is about these little nondescript plastic baits, but they flat-out catch fish - everything! They are effective fished dead slow under a bobber , with the only movement imparted by wave action, and they work with a fairly aggressive retrieve. I learned long ago how to fish a Blakemore Roadrunner (another great springtime bait) - you can't fish it wrong, as long as you fish it slow. The same applies with Cubby's.


A great overall weekend and , hopefully, a harbinger of a terrific season of fishing on the horizon.

Joey fishing on the upper pond

Thanks for reading!

Wolfy