I love fly fishing. I am a Fly Fishers International Certified Single & Two Hand Casting Instructor with sixty years experience in fly fishing, casting and fly tying to share. Please feel free to send me an e-mail and I will tell you what I know. My areas of knowledge are in fly fishing and fly tying for North Eastern trout, Landlocked salmon and the experience of over forty rivers world wide fly casting to Atlantic Salmon.
I am a firm believer in the law of averages. An average number of casts will produce an average number of fish. I am also a believer that I can increase my personal average by the level of efficiency of my casting. I watch other anglers all the time. I am always interested in learning and for me the way to learn is to watch and then discuss what is happening. I am very fortunate to have a circle of friends that are very proficient and willing to share. Some I have known a long time and some I have just met last week.
The anglers that I especilly enjoy are the ones with the beautiful false casting ability. Back and forth with no tailing or open loops extending line far to the other shore. Or the anglers who are using indicators and weights with line choices that force them to make two and three rolling casts to get everything out there.
These situations are such a waist of precious time in a fast moving and limited day. In my opinion the best casters are the ones that can get their fly from the end of a fish taking drift to the start of the next fish taking drift in the least amount of time. I'm not saying that having a beautiful casting stroke is not a good thing or using a poor line choice will not catch fish. What I am saying is that I am always making my equipment set up in a design to make as many drifts in a day as possible.
Al Buhr once asked me, "what is the best cast to use"? He said, "the one that gets his fly from when it isn't fishing any more to where it is fishing again in the least amount of time".
The next time you are out fishing give this some thought. It just might be the difference between a good day and a great day. Keep your fly in the water and your casts per day above average.
There is something very special about Dee Flies. They represent patterns that seem to have moved on from the somber creations of the river Spey but did not go so far as the gaudy flies that came over the water from Ireland. Each river had it's own distinctive brand of flies and materials. I think the word Spey is over used and limits the course of history.
These are fishing worthy patterns today because the wings vary in color and the dubbing represent a similar look to our modern green but styles.
One of the best resource books for these flies is from Bob Ververka and called Spey Flies and How To Tie Them. If you can find a copy for a reasonable price you will be very lucky. Having a well rounded collection in your library is needed to have the full history of patterns and materials.
It seems to me that the differences between flies that can be used for Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead are melding.
Is an Intruder really anything more than a really big shrimp pattern? Is the Syd Glasso style a River Spey fly with a different wing? Bunny leaches designed to wiggle in front of North Western chrome are being found on the crystal clear waters of the Gaspe.
Years ago I would have never dreamed of using eztaz or a looped dubbing ball on my salmon flies but today in order to get a wide and full tail and wing it is the norm.
In days gone by rivers had individual style to their flies. Dee Flies and Spey Flies are very different in materials and construction right down to the style of hook. The headwaters of these two rivers are so close together that you would think there would have been more commonality. Take New Brunswick and Quebec as a model. The rivers are very different and so were the flies but if you were to check the fly boxes on the Gaspe you might just find a few Green machines in the mix. You will also find creations that were designed for the Gaula as well. Soft hair tied in a reverse full bodied style is all the rage in spring and fall no matter where you are.
My feeling is that the number one reason for such a crossover of materials and styles is the internet. Every ghille in Scotland has a website and YouTube is loaded with great fly tiers willing to show their talent.
This is the age of experimentation and what will come out of it just might be an entirely new concept. Materials and techniques are advancing rapidly. Something is going to come of it, and when it does, it will be as fresh as the day the first Lady Caroline was fished.
The classics will never go away. There is nothing more rewarding for me than taking a fish on a well tied creation that has been proven by time. But who knows that magic elixir might just be one more tie away......
There is a subject that needs to be thought about when it comes to building wet flies and streamers. Heads or Tails? Do you know what triggers an instinctual feeding response from the fish you are targeting? Do you know the inherent fight or flight mechanism of the prey you are imitating? Are the fish you're after chasers or slashers?
These basic questions need more study to offer us a better chance for angling success. Everyone has heard the expression "Short take". I have watched Landlocked salmon nipping at the tail of my fly over and over without the slightest feeling that it is happening. If my hook were positioned at the tip of the tail I might have felt a different story.
How about the possibility that the use of very small eyes in your fly might trigger a flight response from certain target fish. Some fish may need the sight of big wide open eyes to make them chase. For others just the opposite might be true. Lure makers have thought about this for years.
One day, in June, I was fishing on the Matapedia River in Quebec. We were in a twenty six foot Gaspe canoe moving slowly up river. In the clear water our guide noticed four salmon sitting together close to the left bank. My partner started with medium size flies like Lee Wulff's stone fly, and Black Bear Green Butts.
When it was my turn, I waded further up stream and choose to use a 5/0, very large, big eyed fly to swing right in front of them. All hell broke loose. The water raised four inches, one fish, about fifteen pounds, wet ballistic and shot three feet in the air and all four fish scattered as quickly as possible.
Certainly my three inch long fly was not large enough to bother a three foot salmon. Today I believe they looked into the eyes of death and instinctively ran away as fast as possible. I no longer use eyes that are large and might be mistaken for a seal, shark, or Swordfish when casting to Atlantic Salmon. My opinion is that the learned instinct of an animal species can make a big difference in angling. In turn, by removing the fear factor we offer ourselves a better chance.
Conversely, I have also read from the California School of Fly Fishing, that there is no eye contact between fish at all. Do bluefish slash through pods of bait fish and not look at the eyes of their meal? Do some salt water species have millions of years in developing a black spot on their tails for no reason.
Here is my conclusion.
I am now making sure that for Steelhead my flies will have no eyes and the hook is in the tip of the tail. For trout I have medium eyes and the hook is in the tail as I believe they are spotters and chasers. For Landlocked Salmon the hook is in the very end of the tail as they are nippers. For Bluefish and Striped Bass I use big eyes and have the hook right up close to the gills. Atlantic Salmon flies will have small eyes.
My observations are just that and come only from experience. I would love to hear from anyone who has clear scientific studies that support or refute this theory.
I've been working on some big tube flies for early bright Atlantic Salmon fishing as well as patterns for New York State Steelhead. The more I tie the better I understand how to make them wide and full. Most of the time a fish is going to see a fly from the back and underneath. That is the most important look to consider. Using tubes with larger diameters is the key. Creating larger tubes is easy and cost effective.
The beginning of this video shows how I create the larger diameter tubes.
For many years, many years ago, I fished out of a camp on
the Marimichi River in New Brunswick, Canada. The late Arlington
Bamford said to me one day that the first thing I must do before starting to fish was to go down to the river and take a big hand
full of gravel and sand and wash my hands clean. "They can smell you", he said.
Salmon and Trout are wonderfully efficient animals that use the nature of their senses for survival. These senses are switched on twenty four hours a day and to understand these basic tendencies is a requirement necessary to hold more than the stocked hook up.
Sight Salmoniods have a distinct shape and composition to their eyes. Somewhat nearsighted and without lids trout and salmon eyes are sensitive to light. They have a maximum range of approximately twenty feet and can see minute details up close . They see in a cone shape that widens as distance is extended. This is what is called the window. Given the eyes unique location on the side of their body, there are blind spots that are directly behind, above, below and in front. Full body movement is required to see in these locations.
A pallet of twenty four colors can be seen in full light. The last and first color to be visible is blue. In a total absence of light white and black can bee seen as white and black. Certain color combination's are better seen because of the distinct contrast that is created making one of the color enhanced. Perhaps this is the reason a Mickey Finn or Blood Egg can be so effective at times. Sparkling adornments, florescent glows and vivid saturated colors can be seen better in low light and in discolored water. Hearing These fish have no external ears. Hearing is achieved by the use of internal ears as well as the lateral line detecting sound vibrations. There is a tonal range that fish can hear. The human voice is outside that range and can not be heard. Wading staffs, metal cleats and rapid movement can be heard and felt from a great distance. Smell The sensory ability of smell may be the most highly sophisticated attribute of the genome Oncorhynchus. Able to detect the right or wrong smell in one part per billion puts trout and salmon in the top of this category. Taste The ability to discern by taste equates to the selective nature of feeding. The simple sensory choice is a matter of what tastes best to the fish at the time of feeding. Feel This sense is divided into two different categories. Natural feel and testing feel. What is felt can be different than what is felt. Trout and salmon feel every tiny vibration and change in current for a substantial distance. They can even feel these changes happening down stream of their location. Water is denser than air and the molecules will radiate vibration at a faster speed than the water is moving. This is enhanced as the water temperature increases. In Testing Feel we are using what little ability a fish has to be curious. That momentary lapse in sensory auto pilot that will cause a fish to test if something is food or not. This test is done by the mouth using the other senses of sight, smell and taste. Ability
Here is where all the above is brought together with the physical strength of
our quarry. Lightning fast would be an understatement, being able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in one second, able to jump it's entire body weight two and three feet off the surface of the water, turn as sharply as can be and able to stop on a dime.
Our understand that we have a direct effect on how successful a day we will have is an understatement. With only a fishes natural instinct to freeze when the slightest thing is not perfect is all they know. They don't think, they just act. After working on this post for the a few days, I am thinking of the next time I go to the river. I will walk slower, used my wading staff less, stay off the elevated boulders and wash my hands in the gravel.
How often do you find yourself taking the time to enjoy the pleasures of casting practice? I know that we all have angling as our first preference, but what about taking your casting skill to the level of the artful endeavor that it represents.
Even those gifted with the greatest of natural abilities must look at it this way and if we do then practice will have purpose.
Making the most of our practice time involves a level of readiness that we must be willing to create. For me my rod and line are clean with the leader measured and the line slicked. I have already gone over my video from the last practice, made notes and then created a new practice plan. I stretch my line, set up my distance targets and then because I practice with both single and two hand rods I start both with the same exercise as a means to get into a grove and limber up. The Overhead Cast.
This might seem too basic for most of you but let me explain why. The elements involved in a tight loop overhead cast are exactly the same as the finish for all other casts. Sure there are things like aerial mends to contend with but those are called mends because they are executed after the forward stroke. There are also casts that involve the manipulation of directional changes in your line, but they are made by understanding what it takes to alter or enhance your grooved stroke. I also make a point during this warm up to cast wide open loops as well as tailing loops with purpose. To be able to control my line to that degree means I understand the physics as to what makes a good cast possible.
My practice plan is formulated by item and time. I determine the amount of time necessary to do the job correctly and do no more or less than what the plan dictates.
You must know yourself.......
Never push your practice farther than what your physical and mental limits might be. That is, unless you are studying for a masters level proficiency. For those of us who simply want to improve only a limited amount of time should be spent for practice. It is important that we stay motivated and have fun. It is very important that we understand that the smallest of details realized during a practice creates major improvements in future practice. These small findings are needed to create a complete understanding. The perfect cast is made of many perfect moments in time.
There is only one hard and fast rule to observe .....Eye Protection Must Be Worn.....
The fly stays in the box......
One important aspect of practice is a need to be in a state of mind that lets you concentrate on casting. Feeling the grip flex and watching our body and the casts and thinking about every aspect creates the environment toward improvement. Your mine must be free to think and come to conclusions. Sometimes casting is a puzzle. We watch the line and it is making a sharp little turn at the lay down and if we are having a fly on the end of the leader we might switch off casting to fishing mode much too easily. Being in the mind set that casting is the objective is the first thing to do in order to improve.
What should I practice?????
A complete practice plan starts with an item. Let's say a roll cast is what we decide. The next step is not to go outside and start to roll cast. The next step is to study the roll cast.
I do a lot of pantomime indoors getting ready for a practice element. I take the grip section of my rod and slowly go through what I expect the movements will be to make a proper roll cast. I go to my library, YouTube, IFFF site and my collection of notes taken and printed over the years. I read, act out in my mind and write on my plan Roll Cast 12 minutes. Because I have done my reading and study and even a Thai Chi dance on the roll cast I have prepared the set up and can have a very rewarding session with only 12 minutes. I video every session from a distance far enough to see my body yet be able to talk to the camera with my notes. Don't try to take written notes. Use a smart phone or a tablet or camera but taking notes will only keep you from thinking and will add too much time to the process.
That's it. The total circle is complete and you are ready to watch yourself, find the faults and write into your next practice plan an aspect or two in the roll cast that needs attention. Say four minutes forming a larger and more pronounced D loop.
The total can be broken down to the sum of the parts to work on to complete the total. Slow motion frame by frame is a great tool for this.
So, give it a try. Improvement will be noticed paralleled by understanding and when you make that perfect roll cast to a 5 pound brown, without thinking, the ringing in your ears is only the sound of Purpose coming through.......
Thirteen years ago I purchased my first two hand rod. A pre-owned Loomis 14' GL for a 9 weight line. This became my rod of choice for fishing from a 26' Gaspe Boat on the big rivers of the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. The long rod not only made shooting head overhead casts, but conveniently passed over my guides head sitting in the stern. The guides said I made their job easier because I covered two drops at a time making boat position changes less often. I was also able to continue each swing to the opposite side of the boat and cover the all important dangle directly below.
It was a few years later that I started to learn traditional as well as modern two hand casts. I now feel very confident fishing for Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead with two hands. Traditional Spey, Scandi, Skagit and Salter. I own a nice collection of Salmon and Switch rods that suit my fishing needs.
Six years ago I built a 5 weight switch rod for use on the larger trout rivers in Northern Maine and New Hampshire. These are big waters where currents create deep pockets in heavy flows and having a longer rod offers extra distance from two hand casting techniques. Along with this greater distance is the ability to control your line through pockets by holding the rod high and reducing drag. This rod, even though only a 5 weight, works well with a light 275 grain Skagit and short sinking poly leaders for West Coast style swinging. As we all know, fishing success is about keeping your fly in the water and learning how to use a two hand set up will give you, at a minimum, 15% more fly in the water time. There is no back casting or any multi roll casts to get your line out where you want it to be.
In addition, I wanted the ability to change from nymphing to swinging quickly. I am always thinking of ways to limit the quantity of gear that must be carried for an entire day. This was achieved with the creation of a short head line that will accept indicator and weight and converts quickly to a short head Spey line with the addition of a floating tip. I also use this same short head line with sinking poly leaders. With this set up I carry one rod, reel, backing, line and the tips necessary for various changes that will satisfy all scenarios except one. The dry fly.
Because my switch rod is 10' 4", I can cast with one had with ease. Carrying a full floating line for dry fly fishing requires a second spool. This is the quickest and most efficient way to make the change.
As the season progresses, I do go to a full dry fly set up on a single hand 4 weight. The waters get slower, the fish are looking up and the fun of the lighter presentation is always desired at those times. For most of the year, I have found that nothing can take the place of the two hand set up. This also applies to all my nymphing for Steelhead with an 8 weight switch.
For some strange reason the light weight two hand rod gets a great deal of resistance. I hear that people are "set in their ways" and "what has been is good enough" or "you will never get me to do that". If there were one thing, and one thing only, that I could make you do, it would be to get a switch rod and learn the many advantages it offers.
I am please to announce the start of a new forum. Two Hand casting has been the rage for many years in Europe and the Pacific North West. Now a growing number of anglers are using switch and two hand rods for everything from 4 weight trout to Atlantic Salmon in the Canadian Maritime. Steelhead in the Mid West to Striped Bass on Cape Cod.
The door is open and I hope you will help make it happen.
I love to fish in a number of different styles. That said, my top two favorites are the pure swing and dry fly casting for Atlantic Salmon. The very next would be the two hand swing for steelhead.
In many ways, steelhead angling is quite a bit harder than some other form of swinging flies. Except for a few locations out west, we are having to throw large flies and getting them deep. We must work hard in colder weather and understand the nature of the fish far more intimately. Let's take some time and look at the features that make a steelhead swinging fly effective. Here is the recipe for the fly pictured above. More items like rubber legs and body hackles could be added but not necessary.
Hook-Gamakatsu Light Wire Stainless Long Shank
Outer Tube-Eumer Large Chartreuse
Inner Tube-Eumer Small Blue
Butt-Chartreuse Short Eztaz
Butt Cover-Blue Charm Blue Arctic Fox wrapped 360
Body-Bill's Bodi-Braid Pearly Blue
Under Collar-Blue Eared Pheasant Long Dyed Black
Wing-Black Arctic Fox Layered With Blue Mirror Crinkle Flash
Collar-Spey Plume Kingfisher Blue
Eyes-Jungle Cock Nails
Head-Black 70 Denier Thread With 4 Coats Head Cement
If we start to analyze each ingredient I think a few things that should remain constant in many steelhead swinging flies will be understood. Ed Ward's Intruder should also be looked at as a model.
The hook has a longer shank for a reason. We need to get the hook as far back into the wing as possible and at the same time not create such a heavy back weight that the hook will bend down and away from the wing when swimming. Heavy gauge hooks are not desired in these flies and should be avoided. Gamakatsu makes wonderful lighter wire hooks that are as strong as needed. I have never broken or bent one.
The tube that I use offers a wide bulbous look from both top and bottom. After all, the fish don't look at a fly like we do from the side. They most likely will see it from the back and underneath I have found that this wide look is by far more effective than building narrow when looking down no matter what the profile. In order to do this you must have a wide platform. There are two problems when using the standard way to build a tube. Most of the time a larger size tube will be used to tie the fly and then a larger junction tube will be placed over the back to hold the hook. My way is to use the large size tube to tie the fly and insert and glue in a shorter piece of the smaller diameter tubing leaving room in the back for the hook to slide into the larger tying tube. I find this system is perfect and works very well because the lighter wire hooks are still held firmley..
The use of Eztaz and then the Fox over has the purpose of making sure the wing and collars keep a wide flow. The larger the butt the larger the effect. Again because the fishes view of the fly is from behind the Eztax stares them right in the face. Steelhead love Extaz.
The body on these flies is almout not needed. I use very sparkly braided or holographic materials so that if the body were to show it has some flash. You can dub with a palmer style hackle if you like. For this fly I used the braid and then a collar of Blue Eared Pheasant. Any material put in as a hackle or under collar has the effect to lift the wing. It will also have the effect of under flow to the wing as well as acting as the throat. It will mix in later with the wing and outer collar and is an opening to introduce contrast. Colors like chartreuse or blue are greatly enhanced by using black under or over.
For the wing I used long Arctic Fox in black. Temple Dog, Finn Raccoon, Arctic Runner and Icelandic Sheep are some other good materials. Getting really long hair fox is not that easy and when you see it with four inch hair buy it all. The best way to get the look is to take a clump of hair and with your thumb and index finger push the top hairs longer and the bottom hairs of the clump shorter. A simple sliding of the fingers. You still have the length in the hairs on top and make the trim for the head when the shape is what you want. First you trim, then place on the top of the tube and then spread out the hairs over the top side to side of the tube to form that wide body look. As you build the wing you can put in the flash of your choice. This flash works best if put in the second layer and can be seen from behind and below.
Spey Plumes make wonderful movement in the front of the fly. Water will flow by the plumes and have the wing dancing. This movement is one of the most important aspects to a steelhead fly. The fish are very attracted to the action and is the reason I don't weight my flies. I will put a baffle on the front at times for added movement but never a cone head. I use my tips to gain depth and keep the action in the fly.
With this style we are able to keep the hook toward the back of the wing, the width of the body and have a tight hook placement. Now just create a color group and you have a simple and complete fly for a two hand steelhead swing.
Who carries hundreds of different combinations of line, tip and leader additions to be used on one two hand rod? The question should be who doesn't. No need to be confused about this topic as the market and understanding has evolved nicely over the last thirty years. Line weight is the only part that should be in question as the marketing schemes of the line and rod makers can make things more difficult. The only way to know if a line matches well to your rod is to try all the options. Unless your fly shop has all the options to demo you are taking your best guess. Like I said this part of the puzzle is difficult Don't rely on grain weight windows. Send off your exact information to the line and rod pro staff members of each company and ask for details. That is what they are there for and they are testing all these products all the time. Don't be shy and make sure you give all the information as to where you want to use the items.
The first time I saw a poly leader was while on a fishing vacation in Scotland. The gent behind the counter told me you don't fish here without one. That was some fourteen years ago and I purchased all the sizes that they had in the shop. Today, there isn't a shop that doesn't have a collection available.
In the Pacific North West, the steelheaders like Al Buhr, Mike Kenney and Steve Godshall have been cutting and designing lines suited to short head Skagit style for many years. When Goran Andersson's father would not let him purchase another line after he cut one back he was forced to add a long leader and change his casting style. Scandinavian underhand style was invented by him out of shear necessity.
Because no two pieces of water are a like, your willingness to carry many different store bought and home made sinking possibilities will offer great advantage. It really doesn't matter the species or location when it comes to being prepared.
My swinging kit for a 13 foot 8 weight TFO medium flex rod is as follows. I also use some of these same lines plus others for a Sage 8 weight switch rod. Target fish include Atlantic Salmon, Striped Bass and Steelhead. This list does not include all the leader possibilities and is as complete and accurate as my memory allows. Now is the time I wish I would have listened to my own advise and marked each item with a code or tag.
Line-AirFlo Delta Spey 55 foot Short for Pure floating Spey Casting Swing
Line-Rio Powerflex Mono Core Shooting Line Quick change between different heads for shooting Skagit, Scandi and Salter.
Line-Teeney 33 foot sinking tip with integrated floating line for Salt water strip back and overhead salmon from a Gaspe Boat.
Line- Rio Windcutter 55 foot for pure swing with 10 foot tips and standard length leaders pure swing
Head-30 foot level floating shooting head
Head-30 foot level intermediate shooting head
Head-30 foot level medium sinking shooting head
Head-30 foot level fast sinking shooting head
Head-Rio 450 grain Scandi Short
Head-Rio 525 grain Skagit Short
Tip- 10 foot level floating
Tip- 10 foot level hover
Tip- 10 foot level intermediate
Tip- 10 foot level slow sinking
Tip- 10 foot level medium sinking
Tip- 10 foot level fast sinking
Tip- 15 foot level T11
Tip- 10 foot T11
Tip- 5 foot level T11
Tip- 3 foot level T11
Tip- 2 foot level T11
Poly- 5 different tapered floating to 7.6ips 5 to 7.5 foot length Rio & AirFlo
Poly- 5 different tapered floating to 7.6ips 10 foot length Rio & AirFlo
Poly- 5 different tapered floating to 7.6ips 12 foot length Rio
Poly- 15 foot floating Rio
Plus various cut pieces and shortened tips and lines.
Imagine all the different combinations possible from this collection. How a math geek would figure it out I have no idea, but I'm sure it is a substantial number. Do all get used all the time? No. Am I ready to link together what might be needed in most situations? Yes.
Most of these items come ready with welded loops to link together. Loops sometimes get a bad rap and to think that way is not being open minded. Having fused loops on all the above is required to make the system complete. This involves taking thinner fly line cuts and fusing them to the thicker ends. There is no need to fold over the end of a cut line. A great book called How to Design Fly Lines is written by Al Buhr. It might only be a pamphlet but it is a complete understanding of how and why. Al told me that he thinks of the floating portion of his line like your hand and the different style of tips as fingers dipping down into the river to act as a probe. Each situation requires a different finger to reach the target. How many fingers do you have? How many do you want? How many do you need?
There is a perfect presentation to each and every fish we find. Trying to understand and cause that swing can only be performed if we have the tools to do so. Having the tools will open your mind to making it happen.
By going to a well stocked fly shop where they understand Spey and Switch and having one of each of these items in your hand will clear up a lot of the mystery. Making the purchases, learning to build your own loop end tips and lines and getting out to try each will open the door to a greater number of fingers to probe your favorite run.
It was time for a change today. For one, the air temperatures started where they usually end up for a high. The other is that with the slight up tick in water temperature the fish moved from steak and eggs to small nymph patterns.
This is when you will move to thinner tippets as well as changing fly size.
I started this day in the usual way getting up so that I can be on the river just before the dark is passing. I had worked on some flies the day before and had my collection of Orange Blood Dot Eggs all ready as they were the top fly on Thursday. The first pool with the eggs produced nothing. I was puzzled. Off to stop number two.
Making a short walk through the woods gave me a great feeling. Calm air with the snows condensation rising to the warmer air above was very peaceful. The river flow was steady and clear and I had the confidence of knowing there were more than a few good fish to be captured. I continued throwing the eggs.
After watching a fellow angler take two fish from river right I decided that a change was needed. Switching out the dropper to a size eighteen Olive Turkey Biot proved true and I landed three beautiful winter bows from the run. Then switching over to an Olive Sparkle Top Jailbird continued to take two more.
As the day moved so did I. Up to a favorite run that was sure to be productive. I had the right flies but the pool produced nothing. Back to stop number two where I released one more for the day.
I completed my time a bit early. Six Rainbow Trout, with the smallest measuring sixteen inches, is good enough on a warm spring day let alone January 13. The small flies will continue and then start to get a bit larger as we move toward spring. The first hatches will come and the regeneration to small will be in place again until the last hatch finds each species beneath the rocks for another years cycle.
For right now, find some open water and think of the winter as a perfect season all to itself. After the fish start to shun the meat flies just think small. Dry fly season will be here soon enough and the warm sun will trend other changes. Carpi Diem.
Ever been in the middle of a Caddis hatch. You know the one where the tan and brown adults are dancing all over the surface. So many that it is hard to understand why your perfectly tied #14 Elk Hair or Henryville isn't getting the time of day from the fish.
Next time it happens look very carefully into the surface film. The Little Black Caddis makes no commotion as it sits on the surface laying its eggs. The trout seem to be lazily sipping while hundreds of the little ones brethren dancing all around. I am a firm believer that trout eat what tastes best at that moment. If you are given a choice you will eat the one that tastes best as well. Have a few of these tied in sizes 16 and 18 in the box and look to see what might be hidden.
There comes a time when the forward edge of winter is at hand. Right now is the time to get ready before that time passes by as it will be upon us very soon. I noticed today that the light of day is stretching just a bit longer. Makes me feel good all over.
This new beginning will see flows constant and clear, steady and even air temperatures and a fresh run of the largest fish of the year to keep things interesting. The exact start and conclusion, before the melt and spawn begins, can not be exactly predicted. It must be recognized and acted upon. I make sure I am ready by the middle of February and most likely look to the first week of March.
On one trip to South Sandy Creek in New York I had fished most of a day without much luck. One fish had come to hand yet I continued working hard. The snow was high on the banks and the river was flowing normal and clear. To look at the river you might have the word perfect pass your lips. It was about two o'clock and the magic started. For one full hour I hooked eleven fish all with the same chartreuse eztaz egg pattern. It was like a switch had been thrown and the sky parted and heaven was shinning on me.
This was that time of pre spawn when the fish are waiting for the water to feel just right. The snow in the hills hasn't started to fill the rivers and the daytime temperatures don't cause what is on the banks to melt in and cause colder flow. The range of air temperature you are looking for will be in the mid twenties at night and raise to thirty nine during the day. This will cause a gradual rise in water temperature from the deep winters blast that can be measured in very small increases per day. It is these quarter degree increases that will put the fish on the bite. Too warm and the melt reduces the water temperature. Too cold and the water stays that way.
This is also a time when the big waters will have an ice cover and the ability to make lake effect snow will be diminished. The rivers will have the greatest number for the season in the runs and pools and the males will start to get aggressive.
This short window can produce some of the best action of the winter and will only last a very short time. As the sun gets higher and days warm the rivers will start to fill and the fish have spawning on their minds. By the beginning of the third week of March, depending on water conditions, some of the fish will have spawned. They become very hungry and will take a fly with passion. Drop back season through the middle of April becomes a great opportunity for hooking numbers of fish per day.
Within each and every season there a window that can be open. Sometimes for a day and maybe a bit more. Sometimes as short as an hour. The keys to taking advantage of these times is our willingness to study and make the trip happen. If the window closes, don't worry, it will open again for the post spawn drop back frenzy.
I woke at four dark thirty, New Years Day 2013. I have a full day fishing ahead and am very eager to feel every minute possible. Sun up till down offers me a sense of life that no other experience can. There is something cathartic for me and if I can throw in a few fish all the better.
The water gauge was up for the last month with rain and snow. This is just the situation that pushes the salmon and trout out of the lake and spills them at our feet in the river below. If the lake has had a good fall then the river should have a good winter. I have been watching the gauge all week as it made a steady downward fall and then an abrupt fall to perfect.
Arriving on the river at 6:30am the cold that is on the way will hold off for most of the day. Single digits are in the near future but for the morning a balmy 35 degrees greeted me and it feels good. I decided to cross and start below the falls.
Two hand switch, 5 weight, 10' 4", ultra short 12' Skagit, indicator to swivel, 3X Seaguar FX, bead head olive leech with a black Ghost Finn Raccoon.
Normally I like to start off swinging but I decided to leave that rig in the car. With the temperatures expected to decline through the day I also expected the water to move downward. It that happens the fish will not chase. I decided to dead drift and feed them.
Within the first hour and a half I had six fish hooked and four landed and released. The best was twenty inches, a bit milky colored and must have been in the river for a while. After the action died with that tandem I started to change flies. This is January and meat is usually what works best. Eggs, worms, spawn, roe, streamers. I continued to take another two fish and resided to move up river. The orange egg was on and in the middle of the pool the best fish of the day came to net. Perfect and fat as can be. She measured 21 inches and everything a deep shouldered beautifully colored trout should be. We released her in the shallows and watched as she gently swam away.
A couple more here and there and the day slowed in tempo and was complete. The wind was blowing, the temperature had dropped fifteen degrees and calling it a day after hooking eleven fish was joyful. The very feeling I had been thinking about for two months was real and all I could have expected. The very best way to start the year and the most important thing was I did it with friends.
Happy New Year everyone. I want to thank all of you who have found this blog. I can't believe the numbers of readers each day from so many countries around the world. I never dreamed having a little fun could travel so far.
I am a firm believer in the law of averages. An average number of casts will produce an average number of fish. I am also a believer that I can increase my personal average by the level of efficiency of my casting. I watch other anglers all the time. I am always interested in learning and for me the way to learn is to watch and then discuss what is happening. I am very fortunate to have a circle of friends that are very proficient and willing to share. Some I have known a long time and some I have just met last week. 
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