Relaxing

Yesterday I biked 31 miles on the Farmington Canal Trail.

Today I needed to relax. Therefor I geared up and biked out to a trout stream! I reached the starting point and then played leapfrog on down stream, jumping from pool to pool and riffle to riffle.

The name of the game for the first few hours was weight and a good drift. I managed some small fish in shallow pocket water, although I snubbed a fair sized brown. With a move to a large deep hole I got into some better fish. The first was a brown. The next was my largest brook trout in a good while. Both ate in adjacent seams. Near the head of the pool as a medium sized rock. I could see a Rainbow Trout sitting in front of it. On the third drift he took the Isonychia nymph I had on. He fought well, doing a few jumps and short runs. Meanwhile an enormous brooky was launching into the air for dragon flies. No pattern that I tried worked on him.

By that point some risers were showing, but I wanted a change of scenery. I moved, and there happened to be risers there too. Not seeing what the could be eating, I tied on a size 12 Red Humpy. The first riser ate on the fourth cast, but I missed. The next cast he observed skeptically for a few feet before eating. It was another jumping bow. After landing and photographing, I cast up to the next riser, a smaller brown that decided to jump as well.

On down to the next pool, I couldn't find any risers for a while. The a moth hit the water and a trout came up for it. It wasn't long before he came up for the Humpy.

See that little rocky point bellow the bent tree? After releasing the little brown, I noticed some discrete rises directly up stream of the last rock. The riser happened to be a pretty good char. He took the Humpy with more vigor then he had the naturals. 

Next was a small pool with a fallen tree in it. Hugging the tree was a splashy riser. He too and Elk Hair Caddis, and up land him I noticed that he had managed to survive capture by a bird of pray, probably an osprey. I had already seen a few that day, and watched them catching trout on a few occasions. Although I fished a good hatch late in the day and got a bunch of taker, that was my last fish to hand of the afternoon.

Salmon

I biked out to the Salmon River, partly for exercise, mostly for some chunky trout. The first was nowhere near chunky. I cast a Parachute Adams in an eddy and was rewarded with a dainty sip. The fish was dainty too. I think it might be wild.

Changing to a Caddis Pupa, I was able to get into some better fish, the first being a chunky Rainbow. He wasn't a hog by any means, but put the Wonder Rod through it's paces with a couple good runs (right at the end of the fight, they were what tired him out.) I love it when any fish takes some of my hard earned line. The next Rainbow was better sized but not as strong. The next two fish were browns, the last of the day being the best.

A Familiar Face

Recognize him? I caught the same one on a bucktail on Tuesday. He had the hook holes on the other side. They are healing well. This time he daintily plucked a bleached dear hair popper.

A Short Trip

I need to bike a bit, I'm doing a 30 mile ride on Saturday and need to condition. It just so happens that there are plenty of trout streams in the area. I chose to ride to and fish one loaded with wild trout and salmon par. I fished the bomber, and took plenty of fish. They weren't all that big, but fun none the less. Maybe I'll fish another section of stream tomorrow.

Par, Just About Salt Ready

A Bass Tactic

Yesterday I went bassin'. I fished a bucktail. I like to tie and use these flies because they provide a large range of options to match bait fish. I new I would need a fast retrieve, mid water column. I tie all of my bucktails with a bit of weight, but I prefer to leave a cone or bead head off. When weight is needed, a put a split shot right at the eye of the hook. On this latest trip I did such, and retrieved the fly with both hands, rod tucked in my arm pit. The hits were strong.