Thursday, January 14, 2016

Winter Small Stream Fishing


Mondays outing was an enjoyable one. Sundays heavy rains and mild temps cleared the ice from the stream and brought levels up nicely. Another one of the pleasures of small streams is their ability to recover from high off color water to very clear and very fishable water. The air was pleasant, sunny and clear but temps did start to drop and ice was noticed in the guides. I started fishing a dry fly, reason being I have not taken a trout on the dry in '16 and I felt this day was a good day to get on the board. It was many casts and several locations before I had a brookie rise. Several more came to the fly and missed. With the few fish that rose it would be all that I needed to stay with it...but I didn't. I changed to a soft-hackle and that proved to be the right choice. These trout were actively feeding and were willing to come up, so the subsurface fly made it easier.



The pool just before the falls held several brook trout. As the fly landed and drifted towards the tail out one of the brookies made a fast break for the fly. There was a very spirited battle but soon the jewel was at hand. Photographed and released off it went. A third cast brought another strike and another trout to hand.

These brook trout were hungry and aggressive...not to mention absolutely beautiful.



Fishing along this stream brought quite a few brookies to hand.




These are a couple of flies that got the attention.


After that outing it was back to winter, we shall see what tomorrow brings.


25 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hibernation
      Thanks
      Will it certainly is. I'm in a special world when I'm connected to wild things.

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  2. Replies
    1. TexWisGirl
      Thanks
      Theresa it looks lovely to me also.

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  3. Great water for January (or any time). Pretty much iced over around here.

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    Replies
    1. ssj
      Thanks
      I wish I knew your first name.
      It is a treat being on winter ground that's not hostile.

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  4. Well done, Alan, with beautiful pictures of the successful outing. Regards, Sam

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    Replies
    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam it's so comforting fishing, and wild trout just seem to add to the comfort.

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    2. Indeed. Fishing for trout and letting them go is a great source of peace of mind to me.

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  5. I really like the translucent look on the first fly. I had a feeling you couldn't resist using the winter brown fly. Did you have success with both flies? We are definetly having unusual Jan. For weather. Our temps.in southern pa. Tomorrow will be in the low 40s. Defiantly fishing weather. Thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Brad Basehore
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      Brad I agree the first fly looks better wet, and it worked well.
      Love the balmy January...we are to enjoy a 40 degree day tomorrow and I might go fishing.

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  6. I'm still here locked in a deep freeze and wishing I was there with you. Well done Alan.

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    Replies
    1. Howard Levett
      Thanks
      Howard you guys are having the winter we had last year and it's not nice. Hope you have a few good books to eat some time.

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  7. Nice going Al. I see those flies work well!!

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    Replies
    1. TROUTI
      Thanks
      Pete yes they did, but I can't wait 'til warmer days to really test them.

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  8. Love that brook, if anything will rise to a dry it will be there!

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    Replies
    1. Mark
      Thanks
      Mark we had a few rise today, but "pinkie" took first place.

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  9. Alan
    I am so impressed with the soft hackles I got from you. I see you are still landing brook trout with the hackle even in the winter months. I need to get back on the tailrace and use the last ones I have left. You've made me a fan of this pattern!!! Thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Bill Trussell
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      Bill I have managed to fool a few these cold days. The real fun begins when the hatches start in the spring.

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  10. Thank you for suggesting the move from the dry to the soft hackle. When fishing the Swift last week I had similar situations, feeding fish, but only nudges, just too inexperienced to see the fish wanted a SH. Figured it out on the way home. Duh! Love the colors on the streamer in your blog's header! Can you make me a jacket like that! Wow!

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    Replies
    1. Bill/Tully
      Thanks
      Sometimes the rise is really just below the surface. Many a time I went home scratching my head. Lessons learned on the stream always remain. Great 60's colors.

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  11. Great stuff, per usual, Alan! Such a cool thing for those simple flies to fool fish. I do see one problem with these pictures...where's your snow!! haha

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    Replies
    1. Justin Carf
      Thanks
      Justin that always puzzled me, why would a trout pass up a big streamer and focus on tiny flies?

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  12. Hi Alan,

    Enjoying the read and the pictures as always, but I have a question, which is for anybody really.

    Something that always bothers me is when you see a delicately tied fly, be it a spider pattern or nymph etc is how do you rationalise the fact it is tied onto a very obvious piece of ironmongery? We humans can be selective because we know which bit we are 'supposed' to look at, but what of a trout, what does the trout see? Is it just 'triggers'?

    John.

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    Replies
    1. Grannom
      Thanks
      John you make a comment that I cannot give an answer to. I suppose that's why we have countless fly patterns. Triggers is as good as any reason.
      It's good that you get me thinking.

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