Talked With Jim Teeny

I had a great talk with Jim Teeny yesterday. I learned a great deal about his products and came up with a line solution for two fishing situations that are up coming for me.

They were both solved with the Xtream Distance XD-300 and XD-400 lines. This is the only line that I could find that has a floating running line and an integrated sinking shooting head. I will be using them on two handed rods for swinging for Steelhead and early season Atlantic Salmon.

Jim is very knowledgeable with a strong positive ethic in the products he designs.

William

My Response To The Florida Fish Kill On Maine Fly Fish Forum

This is a very tragic story. I do recall seeing my first very large tarpon in the Keys that had died. Very sad.

There is another story, that I have been studying, that is taking place in the North Atlantic to such species as Cod and Atlantic Salmon. The food source for these fish, as well as others, needs very cold environments to be in abundance. Minor changes make a difference. The cod and salmon need the abundance of the food source to grow in numbers and size and not bypass critical mass at sea. This has been also happening to Pacific Salmon as well. There are massive schools of jelly fish that have never been seen so far north off the coast of Ireland. There is a reason why the Striped bass are now found as far north as the Restigouche River in Quebec during summer.

The North Atlantic Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation have now been studied and directly associated to an overall warming trend for the North Atlantic. They have also been directly associated to the availability of cod and salmon. These are sort of like El Niño but not exactly the same. Right now we have been in a negative or cold oscillation period that started in October. This resulted in the record snow and cold that was seen in Europe. There are always spikes one way or the other and it could change today. If this trend were to continue for the balance of this winter, I would expect to see an increase of Atlantic salmon for the 2010 season. You heard it here.

The sad reality is that over the last 40 years, for whatever reason I don't care, the trend has been increasingly positive or warmer. The North Atlantic has seen a fish kill due to temperature in the multi millions of cod and salmon over this time.

They are not being seen dead. They are just not being seen.

William

Lamprey Weekend

Saturday was simply a wonderful day for the middle of January. Temperatures rose and the Lamprey River stayed at a cool 33 degrees as major chunks of ice were cracking off the bank from the warmth of the sun. I started off close to Wiswall Dam and didn't find any fish holding. The flow on Saturday was at 213cfs and running a bit low to my liking. I was sure that a few fish would find refuge in the pockets but I had no luck.

I continued down to the cable pool on river right and managed four bows and a nice brown. I did have one fish on that felt very heavy but lost it due to my mismanaging of line trying to get on the reel and my barbless pheasant tail fell out. What's that saying "tight lines"

Sunday I fished from river left in the cable pool. Wow, what a difference a day can make. It was colder and the weather front was moving in fast and the fishing was just plain slow. From 9am to 2pm I hooked only one fish. I did see other fish released on red San Juan Worms and copper bead head PT's.

Thanks to Three Rivers Stocking I have a nice place to fish that is ten minutes from home.

William

Steelhead Guide by John Nagy

I just received a great Christmas present from my dear angling buddy Leo. All I can tell you is Steelhead Guide by John Nagy is a must for your library. It is the up dated 4th edition and just filled with info that will help on any Great Lake tributary.

This morning I read the most detailed description on Sunray Shadow tubes and how to tie them as well as a very well written description on swing presentation.

Get It Now!!!!!

Letter To Species At Risk (SARA)

Dear SARA,

Thank you for your work.

I would be very interested to know the ocean feeding locations for each group of salmon. St. John strains may gather in somewhat different locations than say York River fish while spending time at sea.

The North Atlantic Oscillation (Read This From U Mass) records going back for many years show a warming trend for the North Atlantic and in different locations spikes in temperature may occur as a result of ocean currents.

Should the location of post smolt ocean feeding take place in a spike zone then the cold water food source is limited and the run for that region reduced.

Until a study can be created to determine the ocean feeding locations by river strain, it is my opinion we will never get to the answer. Doing all the work that is close at hand like land environment and river condition will not offer the cold water food necessary to avoid loss to critical mass.

William

Mousam River Today

The river is 33 degrees and as clear
as can be. Fish the pockets in the fast water. Make sure that you
check when to expect low tide. Then fish below the rapid on river
right as the tide goes out close as possible to the bank.

Winter Time And the Fishin' Ain't Easy

No doubt, here in the North East, we will get a few days fishing through the winter. I was out the entire day on January 1st and am looking to do the same right through the winter. Some trout rivers are regulated open, but a higher power can regulate them closed with ice. Walking is harder and pools and runs are far less accessible. Fish are sluggish and heading south to the Farmington River in Connecticut  sounds real good right now.

January and February are great times to light a fire and take a weekend or two and go through all your equipment and terminal tackle to get a fresh start.  Pick your days for fishing and be safe.

Here is a check list that may help you catch more trout come spring. I realize that this may seem basic but basic is a good place to start.

Make an assessment of your waders, boots, belt, wading staff and net. Start looking for deals during February and March for any items you want to replace. Make sure that all equipment meets you own safety requirements. Use the winter to make returns to manufacturers of warrantied items and get them repaired or replaced.

Change the spikes in your shoes.

Assess the quality of your vest and wading jacket. Empty all pockets and go over each for repairs. Wash, clean and waterproof your jacket if needed.

Dump all flies into a baking tray and think of the best organization for them. Sort by pattern and cull out unwanted flies. Remove materials from hooks and recycle them. Where your flies ended this fall and early winter is not necessarily where you want them for spring.

I take each and every fly, both wet and dry and work on them to look as fresh as possible. Even flies that did not get fished can get wet and matted down. Colors can transfer from fly to fly. Use bottled water, forceps, straight pin, toothbrush and hair dryer and line them up on blocks of foam. Discard flies that are just clutter to make room for what is important.

Organize your flies in boxes according to patterns in size ranges. You will now easily be able to see the flies and sizes you will need to replace. Have one extra box for streamers, leaches and buggers as well as one for very small midges. However you like to organize, and the style of fly box you use is a personal matter. Memorize your flies and where you keep them.

The time is now to make sure that all rod wrappings are tight and corks are clean on your collection of fly rods. Last winter I used some time to build a new fly rod. A 10’ 4” Switch Rod for a #5. The satisfaction I have had fishing this rod all season has been wonderful. I strongly suggest you give it a try. If you have a rod that needs conversion or want a great stick please make contact with me and I can build one for you.

Lines should be removed from reels and both cleaned with bottled water and then labeled. Oil and grease your reels if needed and slick lines with the appropriate coatings. Tie new leader connectors to the ends of the fly line where needed. Should you need a new line, make sure that you are making a good rod match. These days fly line manufacturers are in tight competition. They are all user friendly and matching lines to rod can be made easier through internet as well as by phone. I know that there are so many choices out there but try to keep it simple and ask your independent fly shop what is working best. They tend to inventory what is right for their area and can help you make the correct decision.

Leaders, strike indicators, weights and fluids should be inventoried and replenished.

This is the time to make sure that you don't loose the big one to equipment that fails.

I had to choose!!!!

Many years ago, too many in fact, my father asked me a question. "What fishing rod do you want"? Not an easy decision for a young city kid at the age of nine. I said "that one", not knowing a thing about it. Although I do not remember the brand, I do know that it was a fly rod made of metal. I had my first chance to use the rig on Big Flat Brook in Northern New Jersey. I caught nothing, yet I was hooked.

I am hoping that I can be of help to shorten the learning curve as much as possible for beginner or advanced anglers with the desire and passion to grow and make your fly fishing experience have a higher value. To me, there is no greater joy than to stand knee deep in moving water and be alive in the moment. If I am with a good friend the moments are that much more important. If I am successful in making the catch, it is because of the time needed to learn or someone gave me the knowledge. It's time to give something back.