Since September – A Lot’s gone under the Bridge

My last post was way back in September.  A lot has happened since then.  

Some good, some not so good.  

Fishing activity was very limited.  I tried to get out a couple of times but I just wasn't in the right place at the right time.

I pass it everyday and fished it a couple of times so I thought - why not today?

It only took a glance to answer that question - Chocolate River -
even the graffiti looked better than the high muddy water.

October wasn’t totally fishless.  However, it was definitely a fish of a different color – orange – or more specifically - “pumpkin.”  I saw a photo of a scene from Finding Nemo 2 and I thought that it might be something I could turn into a Halloween jack o’ lantern. 

My rendition is not really close to the original, but it was fun to carve.

Back to fishing stuff!

I was able to find the time to build another fly rod last fall – a 12’, 7 weight Spey rod.  Here are a few photos of its construction:

Handle in my handmade handle vice

Starting the wrap - two-tone brown on an Olive blank

Wrap finished and Flex Coat finish applied and on the drying rack - all 12 feet!

Finished product!  Looks really great in the sunlight - better on the river - I bet!

I have yet to test it on the water, but Spring is just around the corner and the Steelhead will be staging soon to run up and grab a few of my DFB flies. I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!!!!

I also have 6 more rods in the Queue – I just need the time to build!

My last fishing foray was back at my favorite trout stream, the East Branch of the Croton River the day after Thanksgiving.  As you know, I always try to get back to the East Branch when we visit relatives for the holidays.  This time it was, as I mentioned, Thanksgiving.

I knew there were fish in my future – the signs were everywhere – even in the Thruway rest areas on the drive down.  Here are some of the displays in the rest stops.

Then, once in CT – there was the food and fun – and for me the fun included the fish!

Food, as always, was outstanding.  And this time I managed to contribute a bit with some help. And the two who helped me were Nona and my Mom.

The feast was held at Janet and Nona’s house.  And it was truly a feast.  Along with the Turkey and fixins, there was the antipasto – a meal in itself.  This time, I was called on to pinch hit for Nona with Roasted Peppers.  With Nona’s recipe and calling on the Italian 25% of my heritage, I managed to pull off a respectable bowl of roasted red peppers.

Stage 1 - pick the best peps you can

Stage 2 - Need a good FAST char - too long in the heat turns the meat to mush

Stage 3 - no skin, no seeds, NO rinse = great flavor

Stage 4 - Some like to leave them in big chunks - I prefer the thin slices that let the seasoning seep deep

Stage 5 - Finished peppers ready for a crusty piece of bread, fresh mozzarella, and a touch of balsamic glaze -
Thank you, Nona!

And, after the Turkey bones were picked clean, I took the carcass and with my Mom’s recipe and some spices and celery, carrots and onions made turkey noodle soup for the next day.

Everybody in the pool!

Hand needed, hand rolled paper thin and  hand cut -
I watched my Mom do this many many times -
 she made it look easy - it's NOT!

Not as good as Mom's, but not too shabby -
Thank you, Mom!

But, the food highlight for me came a week later at home when I was able to feast on Janet’s Eggplant – again.  

Simply the Best!
Thank you ,Janet!

She’s been very kind over the years by giving me my favorite dish of all time to take home to enjoy later.  And this time, it was extra special because she included a jar of her incredible sauce – it could make my 10 year old Topsiders taste good!  

But - Back to the Fish!

The Friday after Thanksgiving was very cold – high barely 30.  But the day was clear and wind free and I dressed for the cold.  The fishing was slow.  I met a few fishermen who had very little luck, but that was better than mine by late afternoon.  Then, I met an angler who told me of a spot a mile downstream that gave up 5 trout – the best I heard of that day.  He used a #14 gold ribbed hare’s ear in combination with a #20 midge pupa.

By the time the conversation ended, it was late afternoon and the sun was heading down.  I decided to take one more shot at a spot I tried last Easter.  I hooked, played and lost a nice rainbow Easter weekend 2013 and thought I’d take the hike and get in another try at the same fish.

With the sun falling fast, I got in two drifts and connected with my Easter friend.  This time, after several minutes of trying to shake the hook as she did last Easter, she let me slip a net under her and posed for a photo before she went back home.  

16" of rainbow caught on the 10'6" 5 wt. switch rod I made - made my day!

She took the Gold ribbed Hare’s ear recommended by the angler I met earlier.

I went out again the next morning to try the spot recommended to me.  

Looks like a nice day - looks, as they say, can be deceiving!

Unfortunately, while the sun was again very bright and no wind, by 10:00 am the temp had only reached 23.  My boots and waders were in the car overnight and were very solidly frozen!  It was really a challenge getting ready.  Then, my line frequently froze in the guides.  

I spent a few hours testing the new water, but got not a bite.  And the only other angler I saw was a feathered one – I hope he had better luck.

Can you see him?  He's the one wet wading in nearly freezing water.

There he is!  Great Blue Heron - stone still waiting for the moment to strike.

Here's a shot a bit closer and warmer!  This one was from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/onlineguide/
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Online Bird Guide - it's a really great site.

But, things got really interesting later that night. 

After dinner the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my wife fell and broke her ankle in three places.  

After spending the night in the emergency room, we decided that we would not leave on Sunday as planned, but head home Monday morning and get to the Buffalo Orthopaedic Group (where my daughter Kristin works) and get set for surgery.

So, since we had to stay an extra day, my first thought was, of course, one more day to go fishing! 

No, I didn’t go – cold front still hanging around.  But my wife did tell me it would have been OK – 

I love my wife!

She’s on the mend and the rivers can’t stay frozen forever, so everything is getting back to normal – in more ways than one - 

but it will take some time and patience and understanding of the meaning of 

"family".

See you on the water!

Dave

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