Sunday, December 28, 2008

Weekly Update: Winter Trout...

Made the trip in just over 8 hours on Friday night, and did manage to pry myself out of bed on Saturday with the promise of coffee and some remote trout streams from my childhood. The problem we faced (And are still facing) is high water. At the beginning of the week, there was 10+ inches of snow on the ground. Christmas was rainy and warm, as was Saturday morning…

Water was high, and it was difficult to get good drifts in some of the larger rivers…I did manage a stab at some new TMA (Trout Management Area)…but found it to be a bit tough. Flows were high, the pools were 8+ feet deep with high water. For the most part, it was very featureless water, which made leaving very easy.

The next stop was to an old brook that was full of natives many years ago…since then, the state has made it into a Class 3 Wild Trout Management Area. While some trout are stocked, the majority of the fish are native…making each catch a little more meaningful.

I managed to loose my first brown after a nice long battle as soon as I touched the leader. The fish was nice sized for the water…maybe 12”. The next fish was smaller, but a bit more willing to take by hand. Both fish took a copper john. With afternoon plans, I left after the fish came to hand.

Sunday was up early and fishing with the Father-in-law. We grabbed the coffee, and were exploring some new water that he had heard of. Again, the high water kept any offerings well off the bottom, and above any feeding fish. We trekked back to the place I had gotten my fish the day before, but it was tough spin fishing for Gary. We headed off to “Old Reliable” to get the skunk off our backs, and I quickly brought a nice 7” brookie to hand. At that point, we fished it for a few more minutes and took off to the last and final spot…the same spot that had yielded the native rainbows for Thanksgiving weekend…And no doubt it ended up being the most frustrating of all…

As expected, the water was high, and nymphing was impossible. I attempted for a few minutes, but switched over to a large, black, cone headed bugger. It was the heaviest fly I could find in my steelhead box, and worked a cut bank for a few minutes. I then moved to the bridge. Just as I was getting ready to make the “lets get out of here nod” to Gary, I had a take very late in a swing under the bridge.

Sure enough, 5 casts later, I had a take, and saw the flash of golden drop down stream. After about 20 minutes of making the same swing, I called it, and headed back to another family function. Seeing the 2nd take, and realizing it was a decent sized fish (14” or so) swimming down stream was quite frustrating…

Anyways, I will do more family and friends tomorrow…take a break from the rod and let the waters drop. Tuesday I will have the entire day to get lost in the woods somewhere and just find new pools, runs, and riffles to pick trout out of…

Anyways, here’s the weekly pictures…Made the trip in just over 8 hours on Friday night, and did manage to pry myself out of bed on Saturday with the promise of coffee and some remote trout streams from my childhood. The problem we faced (And are still facing) is high water. At the beginning of the week, there was 10+ inches of snow on the ground. Christmas was rainy and warm, as was Saturday morning…

Water was high, and it was difficult to get good drifts in some of the larger rivers…I did manage a stab at some new TMA (Trout Management Area)…but found it to be a bit tough. Flows were high, the pools were 8+ feet deep with high water. For the most part, it was very featureless water, which made leaving very easy.

The next stop was to an old brook that was full of natives many years ago…since then, the state has made it into a Class 3 Wild Trout Management Area. While some trout are stocked, the majority of the fish are native…making each catch a little more meaningful.

I managed to loose my first brown after a nice long battle as soon as I touched the leader. The fish was nice sized for the water…maybe 12”. The next fish was smaller, but a bit more willing to take by hand. Both fish took a copper john. With afternoon plans, I left after the fish came to hand.

Sunday was up early and fishing with the Father-in-law. We grabbed the coffee, and were exploring some new water that he had heard of. Again, the high water kept any offerings well off the bottom, and above any feeding fish. We trekked back to the place I had gotten my fish the day before, but it was tough spin fishing for Gary. We headed off to “Old Reliable” to get the skunk off our backs, and I quickly brought a nice 7” brookie to hand. At that point, we fished it for a few more minutes and took off to the last and final spot…the same spot that had yielded the native rainbows for Thanksgiving weekend…And no doubt it ended up being the most frustrating of all…

As expected, the water was high, and nymphing was impossible. I attempted for a few minutes, but switched over to a large, black, cone headed bugger. It was the heaviest fly I could find in my steelhead box, and worked a cut bank for a few minutes. I then moved to the bridge. Just as I was getting ready to make the “lets get out of here nod” to Gary, I had a take very late in a swing under the bridge.

Sure enough, 5 casts later, I had a take, and saw the flash of golden drop down stream. After about 20 minutes of making the same swing, I called it, and headed back to another family function. Seeing the 2nd take, and realizing it was a decent sized fish (14” or so) swimming down stream was quite frustrating…

Anyways, I will do more family and friends tomorrow…take a break from the rod and let the waters drop. Tuesday I will have the entire day to get lost in the woods somewhere and just find new pools, runs, and riffles to pick trout out of…

Anyways, here’s the weekly pictures…


Up river at first TMA...

Down river at first TMA
We don't see these back in Ohio...

First fish of trip...Nice native brownie...

Closer...

Even closer...God I love the colors...

Wild Trout Management Area...
First Brookie of trip...
Well see how the rest of the trip fares...I'm anxious to get back to the bridge and pull that fucker I missed twice...
Hope Holiday's are going well for all...Mid-week update coming when we transition over to Steelheading...
Also, gift pictures are coming, and Jenna's has front runner written all over it...NIGHT!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Quote of the week...

"Grrrrr...(Some ideotic sound)...Woof..."

From the Man Himself...once he reached CT and saw JJ, it was game over...

Inspirations of hitting the river at 9am....new water with many natives, holdovers, and stockies...supposedly...

Well see if she compares to POTTER

Friday, December 26, 2008

Home for the Holiday's...



Well now that Amy's let the cat out of the bag for all...the trip back to CT is scheduled for tomorrow...which means that Saturday morning, I should be knee deep in my new CT hotspot picking up some native rainbows on some tiny nymphs...waitting for the BWO's to possibly come out for me...

Things are looking good with all highs going over the freezing mark, and one day close to 60...




Incase you couldn't tell...Steelheading: Week 12 will be from out of state...which is OK because the river flows look like this:



And the weather report looks like rain for a few days...meaning muddy conditions and ditch fishing...
I'll go natural instead...
Good News Though...TMT's little brother, new to the fly fishing game, has recently aquired his first fly rod to be used this up coming Spring in Potter...
Trout beware...
Hope all had a fun, safe, happy holiday, and will be out with some free time chasing tail in the coming days...

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas...

While I spend today trying to fatten myself up for the remaining months of winter steelheading...

TMT would like to wish the best to all of your family, friends, and loved ones...including pets...

A little Christmas Classic to warm the hearts...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Rod Building 101...

Good Friend Brian has recently aquired a high end job...

Rumor has it, the rod maybe used in some national & international competitions...

Here's his plan to begin...and you can bet we'll be following with great interest on a regular basis...

I plan on taking several photo's of all my builds from here on out.
1) raw materials
2) assembly of cork/handle
3) turning of cork
4) mounting handle to blank
5) installation of winding check
6) buttwrap & hook keeper
7) tying on guides & tiptop
8) applying finish

Something along those lines is my plan at the moment...

The rod is going to be a Rainshadow IF1005 (10' 2pc 5wt Med/Fast 1.7oz)


He wants a 9" Western style grip on it with the some trim bands marking 7-7/8". I'm going to cut an aluminum trimband and put it between two 1/8" pieces of burnt cork. He's getting TiChrome hardware, single foot guides, Batson RA8 reel seat with a Tahitian Jadewood insert in it - to match the Olympic Green blank.Wraps will be dark brown and matte silver metallic. For labels he wants Way Wicked Rods and his name... nothing else

You can bet we're very interested in the making of the rod...stay tuned for more updates...

Bail...Out...

With all the Bailout's being handed out, Trout Underground has an idea for all the Fly Fishing bloggers out there...

"The effect on the economy will be immediate and disastrous; the Trout Underground’s legions of readers - lacking the distraction which consumes most of their working day - will suddenly turn back to their jobs, and frankly, sir, I don’t think that’s good."


READ MORE...

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Steelheading: Week 11 (Christmas Edition)

Well the week started off great with many solid reports showing that fish had begun to move west along Ohio’s rivers…All was well until Friday hit with freezing rain, changing over to rain. That knocked any of the OH tribs off the radar for the weekend, which meant PA had to be the only game in town. Saturday was a “birdy day” with Finn, so we laid low, preparing for Sunday. After a quick check of the radar, and trip to the shop, we realized Sunday was going to be an event in the making…High of 24 with gusts up to 45 mph…

Hmm, stay in bed with dog or freeze my dumb ass…

Schmidt hit the door and it was game on at that point…

We headed off earlier then needed, not knowing what the crowds would look like. It turned out we were #3 & #4 on the water…

The next question was slush…and while it was present, the water remained fishable. We dealt with 27 degree temps and a few snow squalls to start, and while the slush burned off, the fish weren’t showing any signs of wanting to play…

After a few hours, and some brief hook ups, we decided a move was in order…as well as a warm car ride. We headed further inland to a recommended spot…things were looking up…

After we ran into a pool full of fish…and people…we decided to hoof it down to the next available water…and after an hour or so of searching, we finally found some fish…as well as the colder temps and wind gusts forecasted…

Stones and Sucker Spawn were the treats of the day, yielding us a few fish…but not the numbers we were hoping for. For Mike and I, the trip was more a chance to test his new underwater housing for the camera…as always, here’s some of the goodies we found…




TMT eyeing the first run...




Schmidt making the drift...


Schmidt on the Hook Set...


"Would you like some ice with that?"


It was great having some water to ourselves...


Trib to main "Creek"...Waterfall in background...




Schmidt in "Search Mode"




Ice Shelves...

And now the players...




First player of the day...




Housing Unit Trial 1...



Housing Unit Trial 2...

We ended up calling the day at 16 degrees. We hopped in the car, made the trek home, and as we were pulling in the drive, the in car thermometer hi 9 degrees…

It’s now 4 outside with gusts over 35 mph, and a wind chill at -16…

All in all a great day, considering it’s probably my last day in steelhead water for the 08’ year…

Seems fitting that the week of Christmas Ends in a snowy, steelhead ally outing…

Saturday, December 20, 2008

A First...

Well who has a bird dog that doesn't hunt...well I don't hunt...yet...but I try to keep Finn as birdy as possible. We set out this Am for Finn's (and my) first duck trip...

Season opened back up today for 8 days, so Conklin had room for two, and we made our way to the lake front. Cold was the flavor of the day, and there was lots of it...

With rough water, decoys weren't an option, but that didn't stop us from getting one shot off at a quacker. Saw a few more but nothing worth shooting for...and with temps hovering at about 20, Finn wasn't getting wet, so no auto-retrieve...
Over all a great morning...cold but feels good to get home at 10AM feeling refreshed...

Some pictures of the adventure...





Bag-o-Decoys

Icicles to the Right...

Icicles to the Left...

The Man himself...

Finn a bit distracted...

Friday, December 19, 2008

Quote Of The Week...

"We had a fork-lift rodeo today..."

Papa Page on his adventures at work...please keep in mind that he works alone...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

New Gear...

Now I'm not one to get all excited about new gear...I'd be broke if I cared any more then I already do...but this one caught my eye...

via MIDCURRENT

LINK TO REEL...


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Salmon Dance...

One of the Youtube finds from Mike's Visit...

Steelheading: Week 10

Well the wine went down well...unfortunately the flies didn't do so well on the river the next day...


Saturday we ran out East, and with Schmidt only having a short day to fish, we were on the water fairly early considering the temperatures...though the slush held us off. 4 hours of waiting, waiting, waiting...and nothing. After some conversations, Mike had wanted to see the Hometown Shop, so we headed off to see what was going on...

Another friend of mine was fishing the same river further up stream the second half off the day, and said it became fishable at about the 2PM hour...they only managed one fish apiece in that time...

Sunday was supposed to be prime. After a weather check last night, it was supposed to be 50 degrees with sun all day. Well Mr. Liar was wrong. I stepped out into a rainy, cold Sunday with high expectations. Local water was a bit murky (12"-14" visability), but I gave it a go...

I missed a few bumps, but with the water temps not really being given a chance to rise, all the fish were lethargic and not really willing. Some of the guides made a personal trip way out East today, and based on the radar, they should have landed many...

Anyways, rain and snow should make for an interesting upcoming weekend...plans to head out with Justin are in the works...



Pictures...



Ice Rope....


Ice Shelf & Flow...


Yes that's an indicator...


Ice Cliff...

And Another...


Slush...


Again...

Have you ever seen the "Ice Stone" Pattern...



Friday, December 12, 2008

Quote of the Week...

One of my Favorites...


"I want to walk around in the woods, fish and drink.
I'm going to be a child about it, and I can't help it, I was
born this way and it makes me very happy to fish and drink...
Water will never leave earth and whisky is good for the brain.
What else am I supposed to do in these last days but fish and drink?

-Jim Harrison



Andrew & Schmidt on the water bright and early...though rumor has it he has some delicious liquids in the passenger's seat...

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Christmas...

As we decorated the tree in the Page Residence this afternoon, it was mentioned that we should have a separate tree for fishing ornaments. Looking at the 15+ ornaments I placed on the tree this year, I realized that the majority of my life, I've spent (or wished I was spending), Christmas doing some type of fishy activity. Anyways, here's some of the key items hanging from the tree in the living room...(thought I'd share)...


Mr. Walleye...

Santa Standing Proud...with a fish none the less...

From my kayak phase...still love fishing in them

Full creel...

Gotta love the Santa's...

From the offshore days...sharking around...

Glass Trout...

Every fisherman has one of these...

Mr. Bobber...(from the old days...)

Antique Lure...

Weird snowman...but notice fish bouncing off hat...

"Merry Fishmas"

Santa's Yacht, Santa's Kayak, Lobster...

Mr. Steelhead...

TMT would love to see some of the various ornaments hanging from the "Fishmas" trees out there...please send pictures to Jcrewhockey03@AOL.com. Perhaps a follow up post featuring more trees and ornaments will be in order...

Have a happy, SAFE, Holiday season!!!