Thanks to the efforts of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) our local trout fortunes have vastly improved. In previous blogs I addressed my ideas about stocking more brown trout, and I bemoaned the size of the fish we were getting this year. A few weeks ago VDGIF with help from Trout Unlimited stocked Fairfax County delayed harvest creeks. I am happy to note greater numbers of brown trout and much bigger fish, particularly the rainbows (see last blog).
This morning started slow. The creek was fairly stained from the storms this week. I always laud the effectiveness of the wooly bugger in most fly-fishing situations. Stained water only reinforces my belief. I believe traditional wet, dry, and nymph flies are lost in stained water. The Bass Fishermen’s basic rule is the more stained the water the bigger the lure. I thought a black wooly bugger was the ticket. After about a half hour I had only one bite so I switched to Chartreuse BH wooly bugger. Over the next forty-five minutes I landed four: two rainbows, two browns. Although I lost a couple more to weak hook sets, today was much slower than last Sunday. I am not complaining; four is still pretty good.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Trout: The Winter Fix
Nothing in life is much better than getting on a school of bass. But when its too cold for bass, picking on some really dumb trout fresh from the hatchery is a very close second. This morning was a total smashfest. Putting in less than two hours I landed about a dozen trout (one brown, the rest bows).
Before I overstate my fly fishing prowess I must provide the caveat that I managed the obligatory botched landing of the fish of the day: A rainbow pushing 18" and about two pounds. My encounters with large fish over the last year fall into two groups: the ones I lose, and the one my cousin BJ was there to help me land. In the spirit of angling dishonesty we call the former a "quick release." This morning I acted like a bass guy and forgot I had a net attached to my vest and grabbed my leader. Hey, it's what Roland Martin does. So, the rainbow flops off into some shallow riffles. For a moment I had him in my hands, but he was too slippery. OK Mr. 18" I mean 20” three pound Rainbow, you are on notice…I know where you live.
Before I overstate my fly fishing prowess I must provide the caveat that I managed the obligatory botched landing of the fish of the day: A rainbow pushing 18" and about two pounds. My encounters with large fish over the last year fall into two groups: the ones I lose, and the one my cousin BJ was there to help me land. In the spirit of angling dishonesty we call the former a "quick release." This morning I acted like a bass guy and forgot I had a net attached to my vest and grabbed my leader. Hey, it's what Roland Martin does. So, the rainbow flops off into some shallow riffles. For a moment I had him in my hands, but he was too slippery. OK Mr. 18" I mean 20” three pound Rainbow, you are on notice…I know where you live.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Infant Shaping 101
Mom’s really tired this morning, so I can’t slip out to fish in good faith. But I can watch fishing shows with little Zachy. So, I am watching Zach zone out as the fishing show host catches a huge smallmouth. The little guy is completely captivated. I can’t help but think that chances are strong that nature and nurture will converge. Look out mom, there may be three fishermen in the house soon.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
The Day My Son Caught More Fish Than I Did
Maybe it was pride, maybe it was the humiliation of being bested by a three year old, but I have never fully come clean about what happened in Amarillo that day in September when my three year old son caught more fish than I did. Yes, I know that kills the whole Bass Slayer myth, but it is true.
We were visiting family in Texas and I took David fishing at a local park. I was fly fishing, but my Virginia based fly tactics were marginally producing Green Sunfish. In the first hour I got a couple. My son is throwing a small grub on an ultra-light and suddenly hooks a Catfish. I tried to help him land it but before I could do anything he had slung it out of the water like he was in a tournament. So, this was a fluke, right? At first it seemed so, but after things slowed a bit David asked to switch lures. We agreed that I would tie a Trout magnet on his line. That was the instant the momentum turned in favor of my son. Before I knew it my son had hauled in six green sunfish....six! He's three! I made futile run to catch up at the end. Tied a wooly bugger and scored three or four. But in the end, my son was the better angler that day. It is true. I am proud of him, and I feel better now that I have come clean.
We were visiting family in Texas and I took David fishing at a local park. I was fly fishing, but my Virginia based fly tactics were marginally producing Green Sunfish. In the first hour I got a couple. My son is throwing a small grub on an ultra-light and suddenly hooks a Catfish. I tried to help him land it but before I could do anything he had slung it out of the water like he was in a tournament. So, this was a fluke, right? At first it seemed so, but after things slowed a bit David asked to switch lures. We agreed that I would tie a Trout magnet on his line. That was the instant the momentum turned in favor of my son. Before I knew it my son had hauled in six green sunfish....six! He's three! I made futile run to catch up at the end. Tied a wooly bugger and scored three or four. But in the end, my son was the better angler that day. It is true. I am proud of him, and I feel better now that I have come clean.
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