Scoring at least one rainbow, brown and brook trout in the same outing may not be much to some. Landing a triple within the limits of Fairfax County is up there with a no hitter in my book. Well, maybe if the VDGIF hadn't stocked our stream this week it would be like bowling 300; but I will savor this small accomplishment even if the odds are seriously stacked in favor of the angler this week.
As it turns out, the new trout have the same weakness for the wooly bugger as their winter stock brethren. Surprisingly, even the normally stingy brown trout are strung out on streamers lately. I wish them a slow recovery until the bass hit their spring beds.
Final tally: 4 browns, 2 rainbows, and a brookie...in an hour and a half
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Love Them Bass Too!
Since I elected to identify myself as a bass fishermen in the name of this blog, whenever I blog about trout I always feel compelled to even the score with a bass entry. This morning I risked the label of the jackass Dad who fished on Easter Sunday. Thanks to some help from a few extra ounces of formula little zachy slept long enough for Dad to score at the neighborhood lake and get home before the family awoke.
I almost folded while sitting on two bluegills. After the Rainbow yesterday this seemed lame. But thanks to help from my handy dandy yellow popper I was able to land a trademark Lake Royal Bass: small, but fly worthy. I had exhausted use of an olive BH wooly bugger, and went for a small popper in a bright color because the water was moderately clear and the sun was out. If it were cloudy I would have gone for a dark popper. Stained water: big popper. It's that simple. Rock On!
I almost folded while sitting on two bluegills. After the Rainbow yesterday this seemed lame. But thanks to help from my handy dandy yellow popper I was able to land a trademark Lake Royal Bass: small, but fly worthy. I had exhausted use of an olive BH wooly bugger, and went for a small popper in a bright color because the water was moderately clear and the sun was out. If it were cloudy I would have gone for a dark popper. Stained water: big popper. It's that simple. Rock On!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Love Them Rainbows!
I hit the trout stream for about an hour and a half this morning. I hooked the largest trout I have ever pulled out of this stream on my second cast. I have simplified my trout fishing to a beaded wooly bugger first approach. That is if the wooly bugger doesn't score then I will change colors or nymph, and I will attempt to "match the hatch" as a last resort. This simple approach is really all you need when dealing with stocked trout. Tackle wise I have adjusted to the presence of some larger trout in this stream by moving up to a 5 wt with a 4X leader.
Overall, I got three rainbows. Two were quality and one was small; but I had a blast this morning!
Overall, I got three rainbows. Two were quality and one was small; but I had a blast this morning!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Fly Gills
Fly fishing for bluegills must be the most underrated angling technique. Wait, I said that about bass. OK, second most underrated.
I tried unsuccessfully to reconnect with the Lake Royal bass population this morning via the brown wooly bugger. One of the great things about fly fishing for bass is that when things are slow you are always poised to pick on these little guys. On my way back to the car I attempted to add to the two gills I got on my wooly bugger. A black foam popper with a yellow wet fly dropper was worth another seven in about fifteen minutes. These little guys really pull. They are the smallmouth of the bream family. What they lack in size they make up for in scrappiness.
I tried unsuccessfully to reconnect with the Lake Royal bass population this morning via the brown wooly bugger. One of the great things about fly fishing for bass is that when things are slow you are always poised to pick on these little guys. On my way back to the car I attempted to add to the two gills I got on my wooly bugger. A black foam popper with a yellow wet fly dropper was worth another seven in about fifteen minutes. These little guys really pull. They are the smallmouth of the bream family. What they lack in size they make up for in scrappiness.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Fly Bass
Fly-fishing for bass must be the most underrated angling technique. While trout have a mystique of their own in this sport, bass are awesome on a fly rod. Of course, smallmouth may be the ultimate Virginia native freshwater species on a fly.
I fished the lake in our neighborhood four about an hour this morning. I committed to wading and fly fishing for bass. The bass on this lake tend to be small, so fly fishing is a particularly good technique. Now that we are getting into spring my strategy was to wade the outside edges of a creek channel where it empties into the lake. The water was stained so I used a large brown BH wooly bugger, which looks more like a marabou jig than a fly. The fishing started slow, but I eventually got two small bass. Although the fish were small, they were still a lot of fun to catch. Bass are hard fighters on a fly rod and you never know when you are going to hook the five pounder.
I fished the lake in our neighborhood four about an hour this morning. I committed to wading and fly fishing for bass. The bass on this lake tend to be small, so fly fishing is a particularly good technique. Now that we are getting into spring my strategy was to wade the outside edges of a creek channel where it empties into the lake. The water was stained so I used a large brown BH wooly bugger, which looks more like a marabou jig than a fly. The fishing started slow, but I eventually got two small bass. Although the fish were small, they were still a lot of fun to catch. Bass are hard fighters on a fly rod and you never know when you are going to hook the five pounder.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Another Quick Release
Two words crystallize how bad the fishing conditions were this morning: flood advisory. The rain continued to alternate between drizzle and down pour. The stream was stained and running high. I had every reason in the world to stay warm in my house. But my friend Duane said he might be able to meet me on the stream so I was out at sunrise.
I worked the stream with no success for about an hour and a half. I was walking back to my car demoralized, wet, and defeated when I ran into Duane. He gave me some insights on how to approach the stream. Just when I was prepared to call it quits I felt a tug on my line. I set the hook on what turned out to be a large brown trout. I was giving him line and just about had him on the fly reel when he started jumping. As the fish leaps from the water we can see this beautiful brown trout in the 2lb range. He leaps again and breaks the tippet. “That was exciting, ” proclaims Duane. Yes it was exciting. But it also continues my abysmal record landing big fish. In this case my fatal shortfall was in preparation; I had tied on an unmarked leader that turned out to be way too light to land the fish. It now seems obvious. If you are going to fish stained water that may require heavier flies, bringing a 4WT Rod with a light tippet is probably not the way to go.
My Uncle Leroy used to say that fishing is best when the conditions are bad. In my experience this is true if you define success in terms of small numbers of big fish. Larger fish are often associated with a stained water condition. This is because fish are more reliant on their lateral line when visibility is poor. When Bass fishing I adjust to this by going for larger lures that make vibrations. When fly-fishing for trout I go for bigger flies. These tactics tend to draw bigger fish not just because of the bait size, but bigger fish have more developed lateral lines that give them an advantage in locating the lure or fly.
Lesson learned: be particularly prepared to land a big fish in a stained water condition, it may be the only bite of the day
I worked the stream with no success for about an hour and a half. I was walking back to my car demoralized, wet, and defeated when I ran into Duane. He gave me some insights on how to approach the stream. Just when I was prepared to call it quits I felt a tug on my line. I set the hook on what turned out to be a large brown trout. I was giving him line and just about had him on the fly reel when he started jumping. As the fish leaps from the water we can see this beautiful brown trout in the 2lb range. He leaps again and breaks the tippet. “That was exciting, ” proclaims Duane. Yes it was exciting. But it also continues my abysmal record landing big fish. In this case my fatal shortfall was in preparation; I had tied on an unmarked leader that turned out to be way too light to land the fish. It now seems obvious. If you are going to fish stained water that may require heavier flies, bringing a 4WT Rod with a light tippet is probably not the way to go.
My Uncle Leroy used to say that fishing is best when the conditions are bad. In my experience this is true if you define success in terms of small numbers of big fish. Larger fish are often associated with a stained water condition. This is because fish are more reliant on their lateral line when visibility is poor. When Bass fishing I adjust to this by going for larger lures that make vibrations. When fly-fishing for trout I go for bigger flies. These tactics tend to draw bigger fish not just because of the bait size, but bigger fish have more developed lateral lines that give them an advantage in locating the lure or fly.
Lesson learned: be particularly prepared to land a big fish in a stained water condition, it may be the only bite of the day
Saturday, February 23, 2008
More Fun With Rainbows and Browns
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
