Sunday, April 30, 2017

Tough Day

       I went out to the Cocheco for a couple hours yesterday morning to scratch the itch. I knew the water would be high but it had come down a little so I decided to give it a go. When Pete and I were walking downstream, we ran into a couple of anglers, one of whom reported no success and another who said who lost a few fish. I guess that it is par for the course when fishing in high water since the fish can get downstream of you before you even know whats happening. When we got to a likely looking spot, we saw another fly angler. We worked in well downstream of him but didn't get too much so we moved upstream. Pete ended up losing a couple spinners and I took a dip in the drink trying to retrieve his last one. I worked my way upstream and found some fish in a nice seam in a large pool. Unfortunately, I didn't land any or even get a look at any for that matter. Once Pete came upstream, we decided to head out to a different spots after getting no more hits. On the way out, we met a couple who were spin fishing and had a nice bow on a stringer. They were the only ones who appeared to have landed anything all morning.
      The second spot we hit was our ole' reliable freestone 5 mins away from campus. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite that when we got there since we ended up 1 trout each and a creek chub I got. We saw a bunch of bugs hatching but nothing was rising. We figured the fish were either being way too finicky or they were fished out. An abandoned nightcrawler tin seemed to confirm the latter. All things considered, we were both happy not to get skunked but sort of bummed that things didn't turn out better.
      I went out later last evening to the Old Durham Reservoir after dinner and had an absolute ball. The wind was gusting like crazy and no hatches were coming off. All fish came on wooly buggers. I caught well over a dozen gills and pumpkinseeds and one largemouth bass as the sun was setting. One of the gills had some awesome tiger stripes but unfortunately I wasn't able to get any photos since my phone was charging. In the future, I may be able to snap a few photos of these fish as they get into their spawning color since this spot is perfect for an after class or after work visit. I will be back!
I went out again today and after a tough start, I changed things up and ended up with a couple of bows including a pig of a holdover. More in the next post!

Thursday, April 27, 2017

A Quick Trip and RAGING Water

       I went out for a short evening trip to a local freestone with Pete today. With the torrential downpours that we've experienced in the last couple of days, we knew it was going to be tough but after being shut in, we desperately wanted to get out. The water was raging as expected, maybe more so than yesterday but it was somewhat warmer so we figured the activity would be up. The fishing was tough to say the least. With the increased flows, it became hard to maintain a proper dead-drift. After adding a healthy pinch full of tungsten putty and slapping on a #12 BH head pheasant tail as an anchor fly, I was able to hook up with a decent brookie. After catching that fish, I let Pete take the spot since he wasn't having too much luck up until that point and since stocked trout tend to pod up. Soon after, he hooks up and suddenly the day was not a complete bust. I tied on a streamer but didn't have too much luck after while Pete could only manage a couple more hits before we had to leave. On the way back to the car, we met two other UNH students who were just pulling in. One of them, who works in the same lab I do, was there with her boyfriend who had his fly gear with him. We told how we did and gave them a few tips based on what we saw today. Hopefully they caught a few fish as well!

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

A personal favorite



       For the past couple of days, I haven't been able to fish due to work, school, and the torrential downpours we've had in southeastern NH for the last couple of days. The latter has increased the river flows to the point that they may potentially jeopardize this weekend, but more on that later. To pass the time, I have been tying flies. The two patterns that I've really been focusing on are variations of Hare's Ears nymphs as well as Zebra midges. The first of these is an all time classic and a favorite for many anglers for good very good reason, it mimics just about EVERY mayfly species that exists and it works great year round! The second pattern, although very popular, especially in spring creeks and tailwaters, is fairly underutilized by many anglers (at least the ones I've met) in New Hampshire waters. This fly, although it is one of the easiest to tie, can be the absolute most deadly when other flies aren't getting so much as a sniff. It can be tied #14-22 although the smaller the better.
       Midges, along with caddis and blue winged olives are among the most prolific and common hatches year round in New England streams. They can catch fish as effectively in the fall as they can in the spring and they can even work on warm winter days! If you are fishing a spot that receives a great deal of pressure or you don't see too many other hatches or don't seem to be getting hits on other flies, I would recommend downsizing to a zebra midge, you won't regret it. For some of you, in may even dispel the idea that big flies catch big fish, you will see that is not ALWAYS the case!

Recipe:

  • #14-22 scud/emerger hook
  • black, red, or tan 70 denier thread (any color can work theoretically)
  • 1/16" or 5/64' bead head (depending on hook size). Tungsten, nickel, glass, gold beads, or no beads all work.
  • silver or gold ultra wire (BR)


A #20 red zebra midge took this feisty bow last June before the water got too low


    

Sunday, April 23, 2017

A Quick Trip

     Went out today for a few minutes in the evening. Took the rounds of the area today and saw that the spot that I wanted to fish today was CROWDED. Bummer but oh well, it was a beautiful day and with the quick surge in flows, rivers such as the Lamprey and Cocheco would be harder and more dangerous to fish, so it was partly expected. Luckily, the freestone that I sampled earlier was devoid of cars so Pete and I started there. The fishing was tough today. The flows were up a good amount and the water was frigid. It must have fallen a good 6-8˚F since Friday and with the plentiful tree cover, it didn't warm up very much throughout the course of day. I managed only two fish with many missed takes and a couple of lost fish. The bites were so subtle that the indicator barely twitched forward. In fact, I missed many takes simply due to the fact that I lightly twitched the indicator thinking that I hung up on a small pebble or twig instead of a fish. Hopefully with the warm weather expected this week, the fish should shed their lethargy and go back to feeding more actively. Still, not a bad day to get out.
This fish was camera shy and turned around at the very last minute.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Lamprey 4/22

      I got out for an hour this afternoon on the Lamprey in Durham. The spot that I went to is an incredibly popular spot and is crowded from the time of the fall stocking through the spring for very good reason, it has HUGE fish. I got tipped off about the stocking here so I decided to see for myself. When I got there, the river was raging and slightly stained due to the heavy rain from yesterday and there were only 3 cars in the lot (relatively few considering how late of a start I got). Two fishermen left while I was setting up and said they didn't have any luck so I didn't feel too great about my chances. I decided to fish anyways since I almost had the river to myself.
      Again, the river was RAGING, which is an understatement considering that it went up from 288 to 497 in just one day. I decided to work the tail out of along run and work my way up. The only action I ended up getting was in the tail out. I went 2 for 4 today with two bows landed. Unfortunately, the fish did not cooperate with my camera but they were both 10 in. recent stockers.  Both fish took flies that I tied. One took a #18 Hare's Ear variant and the other took a #18 Zebra midge. After fishing for about an hour, I visited a local freestone to see if had gotten stocked yet. I fished a large roadside pool that normally gets stocked with no hits in 15 minutes before calling it a day. All in all, it was great to get enough time to go out and catch fish today.
For up to date flow rates for your favorite streams, check: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nh/nwis/rt

Friday, April 21, 2017

A Roller Coaster 2 Days

       That is the best way to describe it. I was able to find a little time to get out yesterday so I decided to take a look at the stocking report and follow it. My buddy Pete joined me for the day. Out first stop of the day was the Suncook River in Gilmanton. The section we were fishing looked more like a north country stream, very nice, remote and serene. The only problem? There were no fish! Or any evidence of fishermen or recent fishing activity for that matter. After a few casts in each likely looking area, we decided to head back and hit the Isinglass. The section we planned to fish was actually on the way to the Suncook but when we passed it, there were about 10-15 cars spread out over all the access points on RT 126 and it got HAMMERED.
       By the time we got back, all the cars had cleared out and we had the spot to ourselves. After fishing for about 15-20 mins without getting a single bite, we figured that the spot had been cleaned out. Our fears were all but confirmed when we saw fish heads, guts, and other garbage littering the banks. Determined not to get skunked, we continued to fish on. Just as we were about to call it, I hooked a lively brookie that soon came to hand. A couple minutes later, Pete managed a brookie as well. We both fished on for a few more minutes with only one more bow to hand before calling it a day. Both fish came on a #18 Hare's ear flashback nymph that I tied the night before. Despite the slow start to the trip, we were both very satisfied with catching the fish we did and it was certainly a huge boost to our spirits going into the season.
Today:
        Following a hot tip from one of my friends, I hit a local freestone that had been stocked very recently with Pete and another friend Matt. Both Pete and Matt fished spinning gear while I fly fished. Early on, both Matt and Pete got on the board while I was setting up and tying on my flies. As soon as I got my rig tied up, I got on the board with a beautiful brookie that took a #18 BH flashback Hare's Ear.
I got into several more, all evenly split between the Hare's Ear and an unweighted #18 pheasant tail. Once the action on the nymphs died, I decided to change tactics and fish wooly buggers, which brought some more fish to hand.
       Once the bites stopped altogether, we decided to stop by the Lamprey in Lee to see if it had gotten stocked yet. The same friend from yesterday, Colby, had told me that he fished the Lamprey in Durham and gotten only a few follows and lethargic hits before moving to the smaller stream so we figured that the section in Lee had been stocked as well. We only fished for a few minutes on the Lamprey since we were cold and wet but we didn't register any bites. Maybe it hasn't been stocked or maybe they were lethargic? We didn't stick around long enough to answer that question. How's everyone else been doing recently?



Saturday, April 15, 2017

Low and Slow at the Squannacook

A fellow angler kindly offered to take this photo. Thank you Jack!
       I hit the Squannacook River for a couple hours earlier this evening. Flows are up slightly and the water is cold. Bugs were popping everywhere when I got there despite the overcast skies but there was no surface action. I started off the day nymphing every likely looking area. I really had to work to get the fish to commit but as soon as I figured out the pattern, the fish were really committing. The major producer earlier was a #16 olive partridge soft hackle and a #18 tungsten midge. Later on as I lost a couple of set ups to break offs and trees, I switched over to using a #8 olive wooly bugger. All strikes occurred at the end of the swing after a jigging motion was added. Afterwards, I briefly returned to nymphing and caught and released one final fish before calling it a day. All fish caught today were brookies from 9-12 in. Approximately 2000 such brook trout from 9-13 in. were added to the Squannacook yesterday as well as Thursday. For more information on where to fish that river and what flies to use, visit Evening Sun Fly Shop and talk to Charlie!

Spring is finally here in New Hampshire!

        It's that time of the year again! Weather is improving and the trucks are rolling. As expected, the only locations stocked so far are in the southern part of the state but with opening day of trout ponds just around the corner, more and more places should get a smattering of fish. I hit a small freestone yesterday that got stocked last week. I caught and released two small brookies on pheasant tails and missed a few more. The action wasn't as fast and furious as expected and I had to really work for them. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap any photos for the blog since they eluded the camera but I wasn't all that upset, considering.  Flows are still fairly high and the water is still cold but very fishable.
For more up to date reports, check the NH Fish and Game website:
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/fishing/trout-stocking.html
Also, be sure to read the annual stocking reports as they can provide an insight into the numbers and types of trout that are stocked in each location. 

Monday, April 10, 2017

More Flies and a Report

       Hey all! I've been pretty absent from the blog off late due to other commitments (namely school and work). Professors basically give an unconstitutionally absurd amount of homework, projects, quizzes, and exams at the very time of the year that the weather gets good. I love getting outside, it's good for the soul. I love fishing, it's GREAT for the soul. Luckily, I got a little head start on a couple of projects and wrapped up two exams today so I had a little time to do some scouting.
      I hit a couple of small freestones in my area today as well as a couple of ponds with a couple of buddies. They were using hardware while I opted with the fly rod. The rivers haven't been stocked yet despite the falling flows and even if they have, the fish were very tight lipped and lethargic as none of us saw any follows as is customary with many fresh stockies. After fishing for a short amount, we headed to a local quarry pond and proceeded to get skunked there again. The water was gin clear despite the wind but despite that, we did not see any fish. Not wanting to call this day a failure, my buddy Matt urged one last stop at the Old Durham Reservoir. The fishing was remarkably slow there too although I managed to land a couple of bluegills. One on an oversized olive cone head wooly bugger meant more for large browns and rainbows and one on a self-tied size 16 BH caddis pupa. I saw bugs sporadically hatching on the rivers as well as a few on the ponds. No rises anywhere yet.
      This past weekend, I spent much of my free time tying some more flies. I got down to size 18's and I tied a couple of zebra midge and BH caddis pupa sizes. Here is my recipe:
  • Size 18 scud/ emerger lightning strike hook
  • 70 denier thread (black)
  • Ultra wire BR gold (most recipes use silver)
  • Olive dubbing (for the caddis patterns)
  • Pearl Krystal Flash (for the zebra midge patters)
      Once the water levels go down more and the trucks start dumping in fish, I look forward to testing these creations on beautiful brook, rainbow, and brown trout. This is one of the many I caught this week last year on a #10 black stonefly pattern:

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

More flies and first report

     Hey all! I've been super busy over the last couple of days so this is a bit of a late post. I tied these two flies on Saturday. They are a simple variation of the bead head Caddis I tied Saturday. Here is the recipe:

  • Size 16 scud/ emerger lightning strike hook
  • 70 denier thread (black)
  • Ultra wire BR gold
  • Olive dubbing
  • White feathers from mallard flank
I used the mallard flank as a "tail" for the nymphs. I cut off a small tuft and tied it off in line with the barb of the hook.
     Now, here's the report: I fished the Cocheco yesterday for a couple hours. The weather was great, the bugs were hatching, the fish? Not biting. Water was high, cold, and muddy and fishing is usually incredibly difficult in these conditions. The key is to fish low and slow with nymphs or highly articulated, oversized streamers (again, fished slow). The fish only bite at certain times of the day, usually when the sun is at it's highest point. Better days are ahead of us but unfortunately, not for another week or two. We are supposed to be (and are currently getting) hammered by rain. That and the increased runoff will make fishing difficult and wading dangerous. If you go out, be very careful​ and stick so the shore. Lamprey is flowing at 1120 cfs and Cocheco is 582 cfs. Cheers!
For up to date flow rates check out USGS:

https://waterdata.usgs.gov

Sunday, April 2, 2017

A Quick Pit Stop

      Between catching up on homework, studying for exams, dealing with Mother Nature, and pondering what the week has in store, I haven't got much time to take a well needed fishing break. Luckily, with Winter in the rearview mirror (almost) and daylight savings, I've gotten a little more day light to work with for quick afternoon/evening trips. I was able to take one such trip this evening on my way back to school when I decided to stop at my neighborhood pond. This pond is a typical 2-3 acre duck pond with a fountain and a healthy population of bluegills with a few small bass mixed in. Seeing as the pond was still partially frozen over in one small cove, I decided to opt with a size 14 BH caddis larva that I tied yesterday fished subsurface in a slow, twitchy retrieve with lengthy pauses. I covered a good amount of the pond before finding the fish in a shallow, sun-soaked cove. I lost one right off the bat but ended up with 5 more in a matter of 5-6 casts before the action died down a bit (as is usually the case with early season fishing) and I had to call it quits. All in all, it was a beautiful day to be out and I was satisfied with catching fish on a fly that I tied. Once the snow melts and the flows return to normal, I look forward to trying these new flies out on the rivers. Cheers!

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Tying the Knot

       The hitch knot, to be specific. Since it was snowing all day and all local rivers around me were raging and cold, I decided to teach myself how to tie flies instead. I decided to start off by tying a San Juan worm since that was one of the easiest patterns to tie. It took a little bit of time to learn the craft. Between the curses, broken thread, and hook slipping from the vice, I had to scrap a couple of my
A nice brown I caught last June on a hare's ear
initial efforts. Eventually, I was able to figure it out and tie a couple of SJWs as well as a few Hare's Ear variants in olive and beige. 

SJW Recipe:
  • Ultra Chenille (Red)
  • 70 Denier Thread (Red)
  • Scud/Emerger Lightning Strike (size 12)
A helpful tip when tying a SJW is to singe the ends once you've finished tying to give it a more tapered appearance.

Hare's Ear Variant:

  • Nickel Bead (7/64 diameter)
  • Scud/Emerger Lightning Strike (size 14-16) 
  • 70 Denier Thread (Black or Beige)
  • Ultra Wire BR Gold
  • Dubbing (Olive or Beige)
The recipe calls for olive thread but I used black since I didn't have that color. It really doesn't make much difference and may even help you in highly pressured waters where subtle differences in appearance may make a world of difference. The olive color serves as a great caddis imitation. 

      So, in conclusion, there were some ups and downs but in the end, I learned from my mistakes and had fun tying my own flies. This season, I may hopefully achieve my goal of catching fish on my own flies. To get started on your own, I recommend watching youtube videos, Orvis instructional videos, and Wapsi Fly Tying Handbook by Bill Barrow, Eric Schmuecker, and Pat Neuner. I used the Bead Head Caddis and SJW recipes from the latter source with some minor changes. 
Additional Reading:
http://flyanglersonline.com
This website has a great number of beginner, intermediate, and advanced recipes. I recommend learning basics on fly tying before reading it since it is a bit of a tough read.