caddis

What Are They Bitin’ On?

June 15, 2019 by Leigh 2 Comments

One of the most famous lines from “The Movie”, and often what we ask or secretly want to ask is, “What are they bitin’ on?”

Last night was epic, catching trout after trout from late afternoon until dark. I used mostly dries, but nymphed long enough to catch one (Note: Wanted to prove that I could do it. I’m a lousy nympher.)

So what were they bitin’ on? In between these pics, I’ve included links to some of the recipes I tied and used for last night’s session.

Sulphur Gnat – I started using Jim Misiura’s pattern two summers ago, and will tie it on during a sulphur or any evening hatch. Last night it was slammed so hard that the hackle unraveled.

Sulphur Comparadun – This was my first time using it. Caught the first fish of the evening on it within 3 minutes of hitting the water. The Tightline video series is one of the best I’ve found.

Rusty Spinner – One of my most frequently used flies.

Caddis – Another Tightline video recipe, but there are so many out there. This was the last fly of the night that I tied on (primarily because I could still see it). I picked up 3 hungry trout looking for a meal.

Bonus: This Peacock Caddis Pattern is one of my favorites.

Dry fly season is here! Hope you’re getting out on these long evenings. Enjoy!

Occasional Creek

October 14, 2014 by Leigh 2 Comments

It rained steadily for most of Saturday, soaking autumn’s fallen leaves into a coarse wet mat that covered soft and muddy ground. By Sunday most of the USGS gauges in the area had spiked and were on the way down to seasonal levels. The sun had returned, yet it was looking like an afternoon trip to a big river would be a marginal call at best.

Then I decided to visit a small wild trout stream near my home. Unlike others in the area, it flows intermittently at best. The melting snow of spring provides the infusion necessary for it to be a nursery for wild trout. But by summer it’s reduced to a shallow series of pools connected only by the meager life support of trickling flows.

When I arrived the stream’s surface was littered with leaves, all floating leisurely in a mild current. The rain had overfilled the pools, creating true riffles and runs. I stood on the shaded bank and tied a small caddis dry to the leader of my 7′ 4wt fiberglass rod.

My approach to fall fishing is more cautious. I move slowly among the trees and rocks in an effort not to spook the fish. More time is spent studying water before casting or wading in. Today was no exception.

Standing on the rocks at the head of a narrow run, I watched for signs of active trout. For several minutes I focused on an area just to the left of a partially submerged boulder, 2o feet downstream in ankle-deep water. There had been some movement when I first arrived, but falling leaves often imitate riseforms. I wanted to be sure that it was a feeding fish. In a pool of this size, second casts are rarely well received.

Another set of rings appeared. I cast just short of them and waited. Within a split second a feisty wild brown took the caddis and tore off. He shook his head, then jumped when the line went tight. True to form, he protested all the way to the net. A quick picture and he was back on his way.

This is the first wild brown that I’ve caught in this stream of native brookies. It is also the largest, coming in at a whopping ten inches.

These next few weeks will be some of the best trout fishing in the northeast. Hope you’re giving some consideration to streams that are often overlooked.

Enjoy!

A Weekend on the West Branch of the Delaware

July 2, 2014 by Leigh 4 Comments

Had a chance to join some of the members of Ridge and Valley TU from northwestern NJ for a long weekend on the West Branch of the Delaware River. I had not seen some of them in quite some time, so it was good to catch up and spend some time on the water. I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but we were either fishing or looking for places to fish, so there was little time to take photographs.

The weather cooperated and over the course of the weekend we were all into fish. I caught many that looked like this little guy, but others were able to net much larger fish. They took a mix of nymphs and dries, mostly isos or caddis.

In addition to the Delaware, we also had a chance to fish the Beaverkill, which turned out to be more productive for me. I found fast runs and slow moving pools, with most of my fish coming on a submerged caddis.

We stayed at Dream Catcher Lodge and Cabins. They were clean, comfortable and right on the water. I would recommend them if you are heading to the area.

When the fishing slowed in the late afternoon we stopped in Roscoe to pick up some supplies. It’s amazing how much time you can spend in a fly shop when you’re flanked by your fly fishing buddies.

Next we wandered over to the Prohibition Distillery for an afternoon tasting of Bootlegger vodka and their craft bourbon. The distillery is located in an old firehouse, and they’ve really done a great job transforming the space into a distillery and tasting room. I’m surprised we walked out with only one bottle among the four of us. But then again, we came pretty well stocked.

We spent a fair amount of time on West Branch of the Delaware, since much of the East Branch was blown out and looked like chocolate milk. We fished well into the night on both Friday and Saturday, with mixed results.

All in all it was a great weekend, and we’re already working on a trip for this fall. Enjoy!

In Hot Water

August 5, 2012 by Leigh 1 Comment

As the thermometer climbed above 90 degrees, it became evident that this was not going to be a good day to chase trout – at least not on the river near me.

But all was not lost. It was still a good day to wet wade and practice casting using a 6′ 3 wt and some dry flies. I threw on my old wading boots, shirt, shorts and chestpack and headed down to a new section of river. Looking downriver I saw a nice stretch of small pools, riffles and pocket water, ranging in depth from a few inches to waist deep. The water was warm enough to be comfortable on my bare legs, confirming my earlier assumption.

The river was clear and less than knee deep, leading me to believe that it was going to be an easy wading session. But it turned out to be unusually rocky, making it feel more like a climbing challenge than streamside wading. Oh well, I needed the exercise anyway.

Started out using a Hornberg, but things really picked up when I switched to a size 16 caddis dry. Caught a number of sunfish. Many were surprisingly large given the skinny water where I found them. They were eager to take the caddis, and destroyed it in the process. At one point all I had left was the brown caddis body. It looked like a large brown midge, but still caught fish. Also tied on a caddis with a green body, but it didn’t seem to make a difference – they just wanted bushy flies. Note to self: next time bring some poppers.

Landed a couple of small and feisty bass on the caddis. Here’s the larger of the two, probably around 10″. This guy was really dark and I knew instantly from the way that he fought that he was not a sunfish. Gave the 3 wt a nice bend.

Apparently there are some big fish in there, based on this 3″ lure that I pulled from a tree. I’ll be back for them soon.

The most surprising thing today was how many fish were holding in small shallow pools like this one, as opposed to some of the relatively deeper water. This run was around a foot in depth and 8-10′ in length, but held many fish due to the shade, cover and moving water. There were many areas like this one.

Because this was a relatively narrow stretch of the river, it gave me some great opportunities to fine tune my roll cast and to practice mending in tight areas on short runs. Next time you think it is too hot to fish, leave the waders in the car and try some small stream action. Enjoy!

Bamboo, Braided Leaders, Bream, Bass and ‘Bows

June 23, 2012 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Looks like I’ve got the words starting with “B” covered.

A few times a year I pull out my bamboo rod and look for some dry fly action. Because I use it so infrequently, I have to relearn how to cast each time. The cadence is slower, and I never seem to get the distance that I’m used to with a graphite rod. It could also be the double-tapered line as well.

In order to make things even harder on myself, I added a braided leader to the mix. Braided leaders give a softer presentation and are easy to mend, but I don’t use them regularly, just when I fish the bamboo rod.

Temps were heading into the 80’s, a break from our recent heat wave near 100 degrees, so I hit the water early. As luck would have it, a nice rainbow took the caddis dry shortly after I arrived. I had it on the line until it got close to the net, but then it broke off. I got a good look at it – about 12″. It was the only trout I would catch for the day.

Then I started moving upriver. I soon fell into a school of sunfish that kept me busy for the next hour. The fish were healthy, hit hard and had some beautiful colors. This is a sure sign that the river is getting warmer.

I continued moving upstream until I reached an island. At that point I switched over to a Bloody Mari nymph, added some split shot and headed back downstream. I know some are not fans of nymphing with bamboo rods, but it worked really well. I continued to pick up fish all the way back.

On my return trip I hooked into one bass, also in the 12″ category, but largely encountered more sunfish.

I also caught a chub, but I’ll start on the C’s tomorrow. Enjoy!