Try, Try again and look for the silver lining

With a title like that, it’ll be no surprise that my last fishing trip was less successful than hoped for.  Truth be told, I didn't catch a fish.  But, there was success.

The trip started to take shape when my nephew, James Hook sent me an email telling me he was going to the Toronto Film Festival and the premier of “Blood Ties” staring Clive Owen and was able to stop on the way to visit and do some fishing.  

James Hook

James is an actor and had a role in the film so I can understand why he used the Toronto Film Festival as an excuse to go fishing – he really loves fishing!

Scene from "Blood Ties" with James Hook

James on the river

While he loves fishing, he doesn't have a lot of time on the water.  He also hasn't collected tons of fishing equipment, so I planned to let him use some of mine.  My eldest daughter Kristin also wanted to go fishing so Saturday night I pulled a few rods and tied a few flies in preparation.

Pick a rod, any rod!

We decided to hit some trout streams in the southern tier.  We started with the upper Cattaraugus.

The trout were hiding.  Even the chubs were hiding.  The only fish caught was a minnow foul hooked by Kristin.

The picture of concentration - my daughter Kristin using a rod I built for her.

We moved on to plan “B” - Clear Creek, a tributary of the Cat.  The water was very clear, but very low, so we came up with plan “C” - Lime Lake.

Kristin testing the action on Lime Lake

Kristin strikes again – a lonely little bluegill.   

Prospects were getting dim and James was thinking football, so we headed for plans “D” and “F” for Fantasy Football.

Kristin and I dropped James at home to check the football scores and we headed for Green Lake.  

There were two other fishermen there who said they caught a few Largemouth Bass and White Bass. 

Dylan (left) and Kyle with a nice bass - sorry but my cell phone doesn't have a telephoto lens

After a few casts, Kristin – of course – connected with a Largemouth Bass. 

Kristin 3, me 0

While Kristin and I kept at it with no further luck, the two other anglers, Dylan and Kyle, seemed to catch a fish on every cast.  And, along with being excellent anglers, they were exceptional young men – polite, respectful and helpful – their parents should be quite proud of them.

Kyle - fish on, again!

Dylan with another nice Bass

After watching Dylan and Kyle for a while, Kristin and I decided it was time to call it a day.  

And, while I caught zero fish, I was able to catch up on some quality time with my daughter Kristin and nephew James, and I meet Dylan and Kyle.  Success by any standards.

Thanks for stopping by!

See you on the water.

Dave

Upper Cattaraugus - new place to fish, new rod, new friends

I finally finished my 5 weight switch rod and needed to break it in.  When I went to Orvis at Eastern Hills Mall to buy line, Adam S, the Fishing Manager told me about the Upper Cattaraugus.  He was there the weekend before teaching a fly casting class and they had a decent day catching quite a few trout including some with some size to them.

I’ve fished the lower Cat for steelhead a lot, but never above Scoby Dam in Springville, NY, so I checked my Sander’s guide and went online to the NY DEC website for info and maps and was on my way.

Lower Cattaraugus Steelhead caught near Versailles, NY

Arcade, NY by the Route 16 bridge

After about a 45 minute drive, I arrived at the Cattaraugus Creek Public Fishing Stream parking area, rigged up my new 5 weight switch rod and headed down the path to the upper cat.

I was greeted by, in my estimation, the best run of the day, but it took 6 hours to figure it out.

Good place to start

I started with a DFB laser nymph I tied that was successful on the East Koy.  I had a couple of flashes of trout or chubs, but no solid takes.  Then, some small tan caddis started skittering across the riffle, followed by several splashy rises. I stopped to tie on a caddis, and noticed another fisherman walking upstream. 

His name is Tom and he stopped to compare notes.  I learned that he caught two trout downstream.  I also learned everything I needed to know to effectively fish the upper Cattaraugus and several Cat tribs as well. 

He’s fished the Cat since he was eight years old and if I could remember a fraction of what he told me, I could write a dozen posts.  He told me about how the Cat has changed over the years and how construction projects have changed the flow and fishing, but in all, the upper Cattaraugus was still a great place to fish. 

Tom switched to fly fishing about ten years ago because he needed more of a challenge.  He also ties flies and obviously loves all aspects of fly fishing.  He is the quintessential fly fisherman.   He knows the water, the trout and what they want.  He named several area streams and the flies he uses.  His fly selection is perfect – only what works.  And, it’s not all the same for every stream or time of year.  He learned by experience – so did I – Tom’s Experience.

Tom recommended Caddis and Tricos for this time of year, verifying what I saw rising.

I tied on a #18 tan caddis and after two drifts through the rough part of the run, a rainbow nailed my fly.  It put on a showy display, jumping, running up and down stream, and as I tried to reel in slack line, I lost concentration for a second and lost the trout a second later.  It was a good fight but I lost.  I played the 11-12 incher long enough to spook even the chubs, so I headed downstream.

Low and clear - lots of exercise between fish-holding runs and holes.

While the scenery was beautiful, the fish were scarce.  I saw the occasional rise but not to my flies.  Then, I came upon a sharp bend in the Cat and a deep hole.  At the bottom … a very large trout.  I was close enough to see the square tail and large spots.  Nothing worked.

As I admired the brown, two fishermen approached.  Joe Scime and Joe McGee. I showed them the brown trout and hoped they would coax a strike.  Nothing worked.  Trout 3 – fishermen 0.

We decided to move on.  There was a fishy looking run with a tree and undercut bank custom made for large brown trout.  I told Joe to take the tree run and I’d move down stream. 

Ya just "Know" there's fish in there!

I quickly worked about a hundred yards downstream before I heard Joe and Joe yell that they had a fish.  I sprinted (as much as I could in waders and old age) and made it up to them as they landed a 13 “ brown.

Their excitement and enthusiasm was contagious – they were both so happy, I wasn't sure who caught the fish!  I felt like I did for a moment!  

Joe Scime and beautiful Brown Trout

Joe and Joe have been fly fishing for about a year and this was the largest trout Joe had ever caught.  I’m quite confident that the current record won’t last long.  They have skill and enthusiasm and a willingness to learn – they’re on their way to some great fishing!

Great fight, photos and time to release.

Heading back to fight again.

Can you spot Joe's trout?

How about now?  Master of camouflage!

Joe McGee and Joe Scime enjoy the moment!

After a successful release, I headed back downstream and Joe and Joe went upstream.
I finally found a couple more productive runs and hooked and landed three small rainbows about 9” long.  I’d say they were wild because of the color and the small size this late in the summer. 

A skittering caddis down the center was the ticket.

Pretty little rainbow - not as big as Joe's brown, but lot's of fun!

I decided to call it a day and headed back to run number one – where I started.  I tied on a fresh caddis and on my second drift through the rough part of the run, a rainbow nailed my fly.  Sound familiar?  Same take, same jumps and runs and same result - long line release.  Same fish?  I hope not.   

Back at the parking area I saw Joe and Joe as they were heading back for more fishing.  Joe M. told me that he pulled another brown trout out of the same hole where Joe S. caught his – about the same size and maybe even the same fish! 

 He also told me about beaucoup bass on Clouser streamers and about Lake Trout on the lower Niagara River.

I’d like to head for the Devil’s hole on the lower Niagara for smallmouth action.  And, I'd like to get back  to the Upper Cattaraugus soon.  I haven't hit the Wiscoy yet this year, but the Salmon run on Oak Orchard Creek will start soon as well........

.....Lots of options, too little time!

If you have any fish stories or photos you’d like to share, let me know – 

I’m always looking for more to post.

Thanks for stopping by!  Good Fishing!

Dave 

Build a Fishing rod? - Why build when you can buy?

Building a fishing rod is not for everyone.  Buying is faster and even inexpensive rods these days are of good quality.  So why bother? To me it’s an accomplishment that can’t be enjoyed by just anyone.  I enjoy the process, the planning, the craft, the results, and the great feeling I get when I catch a fish with a rod and fly I created – something that has no price tag.

I first got the building bug watching my Dad.  He was a great father, fisherman and builder – a craftsman actually.

My Dad - a few years before I arrived

Dad considered himself a “cabinet maker.” He could do anything with wood – from remodeling a room to building furniture to building a boat to building a house, two for our family and many more throughout his career – including the electrical and plumbing.  And, lovingly creating a cradle for his grandchildren. 

Boat being built by my Dad  - again before my time

And, of course, he also built a fishing rod.  A fly rod to be exact – a kit from Herter’s. 
He fished with a 9’ hollow steel fly rod and a 7’ split bamboo fly rod most of the time, but after re-tying several guides on the steel rod and letting me use the bamboo, he bought a new fly rod – an 8’6” Shakespeare Wonder Rod, FY 300 – comparable to an 8 weight today. 

Two of my Dad's fly rods grace a wall in my den

Both rods are older than I am - Dad taught me to fly fish with the Bamboo (top) when I was 10.  

But the Shakespeare was a bit heavy for everything, so he built a nice little trout rod.  He really enjoyed using a tool that he created, and felt justifiably proud when he caught a fish with equipment of his own construction.  (BTW – I still use both of those rods)

His enjoyment in creating, using and being successful with something crafted with his own hands was always apparent when we fished together and that spirit stayed with me. 

I built my first rod over 35 years ago and in the next 10 years made about 3 dozen for friends, family and myself.  

Eddie Heller, circa 1985 - the man that took pity on me and taught me everything I know about ice-fishing and fishing for smallmouth bass and brown trout on the NYC watershed system.  The fish are brown trout Eddie caught on the Croton Falls Reservoir.  The rod he's holding is one I made for him - a small token of my great appreciation for his friendship.

My Daughter Kristin, age 2, on her first fishing trip fighting her first fish - a 15" largemouth bass.  Along with the bass, she caught several yellow  perch and white bass.  She's using the first of two rods I made for her.  A third rod, an 8', 6 wt.  fly rod is in the planning stage.

But, using my basic math skills, it’s been about 25 years since my last rod project – too long. 

I built my favorite fly rod from a Don Phillips, one of a kind, 4 weight, 9’6” solid boron fiber blank in 1983 and have caught everything on it from panfish to trout to a 39” Chinook Salmon in the Devil’s Lake fork of the Wilson River in Oregon on a size 6 natural Teeny nymph I tied. 

I've repaired my Don Phillips rod twice – once when the top three inches broke off and again about three years ago when the boron fibers started to separate.  I had to call Don – currently a fishing writer in Florida – for consultation on that one.

The rod still works great, but I don’t want to use it till it disintegrates, so I thought it was time for a back-up rod.  Plus, I recently took an interest in Tenkara fly fishing and Spey and Switch fly rods. 
Tenkara is another story, although I did build a couple rods – sort of.  James and Kristin will understand.

Tenkara flies I tied - note the forward facing hackle.

Spey rods are the very long –  15’ and longer  – two handed fly rods first developed on the River Spey in Scotland for Salmon fishing.  Spey rods were gaining popularity for Steelhead fishing on the west coast back in the 1990’s, and I've seen some in Western NY lately.

Spey Casting -  Photo Courtesy  moldychum.com

Courtesy Photo | Erik Rambo - Pete Humphreys casts with his spey rod. 

The Spey casting technique is fascinating, but the rod is really long and a bit unwieldy and highly specialized.  Thus – the Switch rod – which is coming on strong.  Typically about 11’, most of them can be used with the two handed Spey casting techniques as well as switching to traditional one handed casting depending on the situation. Thus the name “Switch”. 

Orvis has two excellent lines of Switch rods and whenever I’m at the Eastern Hills Orvis, I check them out.  Adam S. at Orvis is really an expert.  He’s been very helpful explaining the Switch rod techniques and the line and reels that go into making a complete outfit.  And there’s the rub – while top quality, a complete Orvis Switch outfit is way out of my budget.  So, while I save my nickels and dimes for an Orvis, I found a switch rod kit I could afford now till I can afford my Orvis. 

5 wt. 10' 6" switch rod components - the tape marks the guide position and spine of the rod.  My first rod project in way too many years is ready to start!

$55 plus shipping and a couple new spools of thread (the 2 dozen spools I had were just not quite the right color) and fresh Flex Coat for protecting the guide wraps, and I had a new 5 weight, 10’6” switch rod – after about 16 hours of work - over 3 weeks .  

It’s amazing how much you can forget about rod building after 25 years.  This 5 wt. is too light for steelhead, but it's designed as a backup for my 4 weight.  And at $55 a shot – my next one will be an 8 weight. Of course if I wait another 25 years to build it – well let’s not even go there!

So, here it is in a brief (finally) pictorial of going from component to complete. 

A few notes so I don't lose my way!

A small selection of my thread collection.

Fortunately, I kept my tools and this chart for proper spacing of guides.

After the base wrap, the guide goes on.  Three basic guides - the Snake guides (pictured here) for most of the rod, plus Stripping Guides and the tip top. 

The wraps have no knots.  the tag ends of the thread are looped and pulled under the last few wraps on the guide as shown here.

Shown above is a cotton twine "spacer" to snugly attache the reel seat.

After the guides are wrapped, they need to be protected.  Two coats of Flex Coat do the job.  The rod needs to be rotated until the Flex Coat is dry - 6 - 8 hours. Shown here a basic wrapping rack and motor to rotate the rod till dry.  I made the rack and several other tools for rod building back "in the day!"

FINALLY!  All done and ready to go!

I'm using my classic Orvis Battenkill Mark IV - 30 year old reel on a brand new rod - perfect combination!

The next photo of my 5 weight Switch will include a fish!

Thanks for stopping by!  See you on the water!

Dave 

Get to know Lake Erie Summertime Smallmouth Bass

Capt. Ron, Joe and I have fished together many times, and it’s always a new adventure.
 
A couple of weekends ago was the first time the three of us were able to get out together on Capt. Ron’s new boat.  Most of the time we go for Walleye and occasionally for Bass and Perch.    

Capt. Ron, but that ain't no perch - yep, it's a Salmon.

Me (about 10 years ago on Capt. Ron's other boat) with a pair of Walleye.

Joe and Smallmouth

 This time smallmouth bass was the quarry and for the first time I decided to bring a fly rod. 

I’ve caught many largemouth bass on a fly, but I’ve never had the chance to fly fish for smallmouth.  I’ve tried on Lake St. Clair and on Erie, but the wind didn’t let me get a fly in the water.

We launched at Sturgeon Point and turned left to try the usual places.  This time there was little if any wind (and it was close to 90 degrees) so I rigged up my 9 weight and tied on my version of a Murdock Minnow. 
 

High hopes for my version of a Murdock minnow.

 Capt. Ron and Joe rigged up spinning rods with drop shot rigs using crawfish or chubs – both good smallmouth choices.

Reports were not encouraging.  Fish were scattered from 15’ to 40’ of water.  We tried it all, moving frequently with no luck.  After a couple of hours we decided to head back toward Sturgeon Point.  

There was only one other person fishing in the area, so we slowly moved within speaking distance. 
The lone fisherman was Mark.  
 

Mark - sitting on a Lake Erie hotspot near Sturgeon Point.

 Mark was anchored on a hot spot.  He said that in a couple of hours he caught 4 sheepshead and six smallmouth bass all around 18”.  He also fished the same place the night before and had caught a lot more – the night time smallmouth bite was on.

Mark was very helpful – he told us where and when and what he used.  He also said that he was leaving and we could pull up in his spot.  He was also kind enough to give us his remaining crawfish – his bait of choice.  He also said that the way to go was with an ultra-light rod, with the hook at the end of the line (as opposed to a drop shot rig with the sinker on the end) with two split shot about 18 inches from the hook and 18” apart.

Capt. Ron and Joe decided to stay with the drop shot and Joe tried a tube rig also, but I thought that I know enough to know that I don’t know it all - know what I mean?

I also brought a casting rod with a medium light tip – very sensitive with plenty of backbone to set a hook.  So I rigged up the way Mark told us and also took the advice of my favorite Oregon Fishing Guide, Dick O’Brien.  He often said that the best fisherman in the boat is usually Rodney – Rodney Rodholder.  Put the rod in Rodney’s grip and he’ll catch a fish for you.

So, with Mark’s rig on my casting rod I lowered a chub to the bottom and gave my rod to Rodney.  That way I could continue to ply the depths with my fly rod.

The Murdock minnow was replaced by a DFB laser ice minnow, my Con Fly, and then a goby imitation.  Nothing.  

 

DFB Laser Ice Minnows

DFB Con Fly

 

DFB Goby Imitation

While I was switching flies, Rodney was doing his job – my casting rod doubled over and when I picked it up I was fast to a smallmouth.   
After a good fight and several jumps Joe put the net under a 4 pounder.  



 

Me and one of my three Lake Erie Smallmouth Bass.

 Rodney did his job with Mark’s rig three more times (landed 2 of ‘em and lost one) while Capt. Ron and Joe enjoyed the show.

By this time I knew there were smallmouth down there and I was determined to get one on my fly rod.   

So, I finally switched to a black bucktail streamer I tied for smallmouth after reading an article in In-Fisherman about how great black bucktail jigs were for smallmouth.

Black Bucktail flies - with dumbbell eyes and unweighted in foreground.

 I was using a 600 grain sinking shooting head to get down to the bottom.
 

We were anchored, but there was enough current that to get down to 25' I had to let out about 60' of line.

 And finally, I had a hit!  It wasn’t as powerful as the earlier smallmouth, but after a brief struggle, I landed my first Goby (yes - Goby) on a fly.  As I said – always an adventure!

My first Goby on a fly - I'm so proud!

Many thanks to Capt. Ron for driving the boat and to Joe for netting my smallmouth, and to Mark for sharing his knowledge and bait.  I hope we run into Mark again on the water – he’s a really great guy who knows his fishing and is willing to share his knowledge – not a common thing!

Next for me is preparation for late summer trout by tying some Trico spinners 

and looking forward to Fall Salmon on Oak Orchard Creek.

Thanks for stopping by!

See you on the water.

Dave