how to fish

Fall Colors and the Switch

October 19, 2013 by Leigh 1 Comment

Lately I’ve spent more time with a rake in my hand than a fly rod. For the past four weekends I’ve diligently wrangled leaves, only to have more arrive the next day, completely obscuring my earlier work in a blanket of gold, orange and red. The raking season is in full swing.

Country road in early fall. — Leaves along the road. The first signs of fall and the raking season.

Several tarps full of leaves have been lugged up the hill and into the woods. Often I’m trudging through the prior weeks’ waist-deep piles in order to release the new arrivals. My only consolation is that the weather has been absolutely perfect, and I have been reasonably successful in cajoling my wife and daughters into helping, albeit under protest and subject to prenegotiated breaks that are consistent with recognized labor practices.

Tonight I put down the rake and made a brief appearance at the local pond. The glassy water provided a vivid reflection of the fall colors found on the trees along the bank, and reminded me of why I truly enjoy autumn in New England.

Trees along the bank of the local pond in full color

There is also one other reminder of the change in seasons that isn’t as noticeable, but nonetheless very important. The switch from poppers to dry flies.

Fall fly fishing, bream, pond fishing — Darker colors are more common. They now prefer flies over poppers.

For most of the year, the bass, crappie and bream in this pond indiscriminately accept poppers of all shapes, sizes and colors. But tonight was different. As I fished in under the muted light of dusk, there wasn’t so much as a refusal for a popper. Switching to streamers was equally ineffective.

Then I decided to tie on a small blue-winged olive parachute. My luck changed. There were quite a few strikes (and misses). The water that had been covered unsuccessfully with a popper only minutes before now held fish that rose and hammered the dry fly. For about an hour, I cast within 20 ft. of the bank and retrieved eager bream.

It was a brief but fun evening. As the air cooled near dark, I was reminded that more changes are coming. Trees, soon to be bare and grey with thin outstretched branches, serve as a stark silhouette against the evening sky. Temperatures fall to a point where neoprene, layers of clothing and a small flask or thermos are essential for fishing. Lakes and ponds freeze over and small holes appear as ice fishing takes hold. My thoughts turn to the possibilities of spring on local lakes and rivers.

Hope you’re taking advantage of these last few weeks of autumn. Put down the rake and pick up a fly rod for some of the best fishing of the year. Enjoy!

Rooster weather vane at dusk — He knows winter is coming.

How Not To Fish A Trout Park

September 27, 2013 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Day 1

Take kayak and 4wt fly rod to local lake designated as trout park.
Fish the entire perimeter of the lake. Catch plenty of bream but do not hook or spot any trout.
Return to boat launch.
Begin speaking with local spin fishermen who mention that hundreds of trout have been dumped right by the boat launch, less than 50 feet from where you’re standing.
Stow kayak and tie on olive wooly bugger.
Begin fishing next to boat launch. Proceed to catch three nice 14″ browns while your new spin fishing buddies catch nothing. They commend you, but refer to your fish as small. They also begin to whisper between themselves.
Leave camera and phone in the car so there is no proof of the fish caught.
After the 3rd fish, your new friends kindly suggest that you leave. Thank them and take their advice.
Walk backwards to the car. Hastily stow gear and jump in the driver’s seat.
Drive off slowly. Wave to new friends on departure.

Day 2:

Return to lake with flies, streamers and fly rod used for distance casting.
Spend almost 3 hours pitching at the water.
Produce only a few tugs and nothing brought to hand. Spin casters look on in disbelief or amusement. Do not verify which.
Try every streamer and dry fly you own with no luck.
Watch fish continue to rise all around you.
Break down rod and begin trek back to car.
To save face, approach spin caster and share with him how well you did yesterday. Tell him that you know what they’re biting on, but you don’t have anything that small in your box.
Quickly walk away, stow gear and drive off.

Mill Pond Morning

September 24, 2013 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Sometimes the best fishing can be found in your own back yard. No extra packing, planning or plane trips. Just pure and simple fun.

This morning I got up early and secured the kayak on the rack using 2 bungees. The one-mile trip on backroads to the local mill pond would be quick and the speedometer would never reach 30 mph. I had not visited the pond since the spring, and was eager to see how it would fish.

My weapon of choice was the 7′ 4″ fiberglass 4wt that I built earlier this year. You can’t beat the flexibility of fiberglass, and the softer presentation helps smoothe the delivery of otherwise clumsy poppers. The close maneuvering to the kayak that is needed during the release is also more comfortable with fiberglass.

When I arrived the sun was not yet over the trees. There was plenty of glassy water, most of it covered in shade, with just enough vegetation to form some interesting fishable pockets.

mill pond in the morning, September 2013 — Water like glass, with plenty of cover and opportunities to cast into the shadows

I was told that there were bass in this pond, but up until today I had yet to catch one. Early on I hooked this guy, who circled the kayak and pulled hard enough to remind me that he was not a bluegill.

bass caught on a popper with a fiberglass fly rod, Mill Pond 2013 — He put up a great fight – kept the fiberglass 4wt bent

There were also a number of healthy bream caught, most of them larger than my hand. Almost all were found in water not more than 4 feet from the bank. This was one of the more colorful characters.

mill pond bream caught on a fiberglass fly rod, September 2013, — Caught a few of these in their fall colors

If you’re like me and often just have a couple of hours to spare, use Google maps to explore some local blue lines and shapes. Enjoy!

Pondwork

August 16, 2013 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Spent an hour on the local pond, picking up bream with small balsa poppers. Almost every cast yielded a fish, including some small bass. Today’s preferred color was black.

Bream caught on popper fly fishing — This one was caught while standing on the fallen tree casting platform

bream, popper, fly fishing — I’m always amazed at the range of colors on these fish.

Most of my casting is made from the steep side of the shoreline, carefully avoiding the grass and surface cover, not to mention the branches and brush behind me.

There is one rather unique opportunity to move away from the shoreline and extend my casting range. A fallen tree that reaches past the lily pads out into the pond. It has proven on more than one occasion to be a reliable casting platform.

Measuring 18″ wide in most places and worn down over time by the feet of other anglers, it allows me to cast from a spot that is 15 feet from shore, providing access to open water and often bigger fish.

I’ve learned to walk slowly and deliberately to the end, place my feet firmly and launch a progressive series of casts across the glassy surface. Often the popper is struck before the first twitch.

This time I also used the fallen tree to improve my distance casting. Freed from the hassle of getting tangled in a branch or bush, I worked on both accuracy and delivery.

My popper presentation has never been as smooth as it is with dry flies. This impromptu practice session allowed me to examine and adjust my timing and speed. By the end of the night I had reduced the size of the landing splash and improved the range.

Hope you’re getting out to fish as summer ends and fall approaches. Enjoy!

A Grand Slam . . . Sort Of

August 12, 2013 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Had a chance to swing by the Farmington for a couple of hours on the way back from a business trip. Temps barely reached 80, and the wind was light and dry.

The end of summer tube hatch was in full swing. Although I chose a lesser known fork in the river, I was frequently greeted by what seemed an endless line of orange floats, carrying the curious, carefree and often unaware. Some clearly thought I was an information booth, peppering me with questions as they passed. Others apologized for their interruption and gave me some distance. Many asked what I was doing, and a few actually applauded when they found out I practiced catch and release. Periodically I would stop casting completely to let them pass, resisting the temptation to target cast around them. I can’t say that I blame them – It was a great day for a river float.

Despite the traffic, I had moderate success. The first fish was one I don’t see often enough – a beautiful little 9″ brook trout. This one took an elk hair caddis, and gave a nice fight.

Brook trout, Farmington River, August 2013, elk hair caddis, dry fly, fly fishing — Beautiful, no matter what size

The second was a strong 12″ brown trout. This one also took an elk hair caddis, and proved to be the least photogenic, as he constantly protested while trying to get his picture.

Brown trout, Farmington River, August 2013, elk hair caddis, dry fly, fly fishing — Hiding among the tubes

At this point the dry fly action slowed, and I switched to a nymph. Unfortunately this was also unsuccessful, so I switched back to a rusty spinner, which brought this little guy to hand.

Hope your getting out and wetting a line in this great weather. Enjoy!