One of 3 Tarpon I landed in St. Marten, all between 40 and 50 lbs.!
Fishing Reports
May 6, 2019
I cant remember a season that has started with all this water. The good thing is that the fish have been used to the flows and they are on the feed. Don't let the high water keep you from fishing. Use your streamers and nymphs and find the slowest of pools for rising fish. The caddis hatch is in full swing. Mornings, and evenings are peak hatch times. The midges are going strong as well. I was able to find some rising fish this evening sipping on midges despite the high flows. Look towards the banks. Fish came on size 20 Black Klinks. I also have been getting fish on small buggers, mops, and hare and coppers. The Croton Waters are flowing good, just look for those softer seams. Our guide trips have started once again and the guys are out floating the Housy and Catskill Rivers. They are working hard getting into fish. I am back on the water this weekend, after the weather had postponed some trips. We are ready for what is setting up to be a great two months of fishing!
April 22, 2019
The week started off good with Henricksons showing, but just as things started to pick up the rains came and all our rivers are running high right now. I have seen tan caddis size 16-18, Hendricksons size 12, and Olives size 16-18 on the water along with midges. The high water has kept the fish feeding sub surface. The fish are starting to move into the faster water which is good. I hit a nice Olive hatch this past week and I did see a few few eating on top, all the fish came nymphing or swinging emergers. My small BWO Bubble back cdc emerger was money. Hendrickson nymphs were also taking fish. I did manage the only rising fish I saw on Friday. A nice fat brown who was feeding in a smeam right next to heavy water.
Look for opportunities as the water drops this week, as I don't know how much longer the Hendricksons will be around locally.
April 14, 2019
Guide trips started this week. Thursday I had Josh out for an afternoon to evening trip,and the fishing was very good. Josh took one of my Orvis 301 classes. We worked on czech nymphing and we were rewarded with a few bows and browns. Fish came on small may fly imitations, and hare and coppers. We were able to get a fish dry dropping, and we got a few to dance on midges on the surface, but we were unable to connect. A great trip, and Im looking forward to hearing about Josh having success on his own!. Still lots of caddis larve in the drift as well. Water temps on the Upper East Branch is still cold 38 degrees. Im sure it has warmed a little after the rain and warmer days. Its is currently 258 cfs and dropping. We did see some Parleps and Olives.
Sunday I had Andy and his crew out for an outing. We hit the Lower East Branch. The water is still up and off color, but it was clearing throughout the morning. The guys haven't had much experience with he fly rods, but we worked on some indicator nymphing and dry dropping. We got fish on, but only one to the net. It was an enjoyable morning to say the least. We did see a nice tan caddis hatch, maybe one of the first of the season. The fish really didn't respond on top. Lots of midges and some stones too.
I see things really starting to pick up this week. The streams are all high, hopefully the rain holds off tonight and tomorrow. Once the flows drop i think that the surface activity is really going to pick up. Look to use emergers until that happens. Hopefully this week I will be hitting the water more this week as spring vacation is finally here!
April 7, 2019
A solid opening week here in NY. The flows remain very good, and the weather and bugs are cooperating. Water temps are in the low 40's and should continue to get warmer. The watershed streams have a good amount of midges on them and the fish are responding feeding below and above the surface. I saw a decent amount of rising fish in certain areas,. The midges are very small, and the fish are very picky. I tried several small size 20's and 22's, but no takers. I had good success on using a size 18 and 20 gray midge pupa as a dropper. Czech nymphing has also been good. Fish came on hare and coppers, black czechs, and smaller midges. The streamer bite is also picking up. Lots of fish being taken on various buggers this week. Also each time I came out of the water, i saw some brown and green caddis larve stuck to my waders.
We had a great turnout at the Angler's Den Orvis Day. It was great to see everyone, especially people I haven't seen in a while. Thank you to everyone that made the day great!
Guide trips starting up this week, more scouting to be done. Stay tuned for updates!
Outlook 2019 Season
We are finally here! It is March 31st and Opening Day here in NY is tomorrow! Its been a long winter, but we were lucky with the weather. I do have to admit, I wasn't on the water as much as I normally would be all winter, but I have been out and about over the last couple of weeks. We have a lot of water for this time of the year. The NYC DEP has been pumping water into NYC since the fall due to construction on one of the Catskill Tunnels. For example the West Branch coming out of West Branch to Croton Falls, was up at 250 cfs at one point. It was back down to its normal 12 cfs the other day. I am curious to see what that flow will do to the fishing this season. Only time will tell.
Due to the mild temps, I have seen the Upper EB get hit very hard with fishermen this winter. Fish have been caught a little more than in previous winters. Hopefully the warmer water temps will get the fish moving around. Right now water temps have been in the high 30's to very low 40's. I expect to see them creep up over the next week with the warmer foretasted temps.
I have seen a lot of caddis, and small mayfly nymphs on rocks and sticks that I have pulled from the waters. Lots of Stones and Midges have been hatching on all of our rivers too! One day I even saw some fish rise to stones! I haven't see any Parleps yet. Hopefully by the time they hatch the water will be warmer and we can get some dry fly fishing in. The Black Caddis will go off soon as well, and they fish should become more active as we move onto the next couple of weeks. Look for water temps close to 50 degrees to get some consistent dry fly action.
From what I understand, the first round of stocking has been completed on the Croton Watershed streams. The Farmington has received its initial stockings too, but the Houstonic hasn't. Expect to see heavy pressure over the next couple of weeks, as people are chomping at the bit to get out. Hopefully the higher than normal flows will give the fish a chance to spread out a little bit. We should be in good shape with flows on the Croton and Farmington, but the Housy is flowing over 2000cfs. Once it drops it will be game on there. I am hoping to get more clients up there to experience the quality fishing it has to offer. Our guides have been doing well on Pike Float trips. if you want to challenge yourself and get your heart racing, contact me and I can set you up on a trip.
As for flies for early season, black stones, hare and coppers, caddis larve in olive and tan, small olive nymphs, and czech nymphs are all good choices. Small gray and black midge larve should be part of your rig as well. Sucker spawns in light yellow or cream will be a food source as the suckers begin their spring spawn. Mops and squirmys have been taking fish as well.
I hope all of you have a great season, good luck to all of you! Please if you see something, just call the DEP Police at 914-593-7500. See you on the water!
Tight Lines!
Frank
10/21/18 Things are still going with all the high water we are having. Locally the Upper EB is the only river open. Look to get some fish on hare and coppers, midge larve, and mop flies. The bows are in the faster water. Small Olives are still around as well. I hit a few fish on nymphs and buggers this past week.
I had Jared out for a trip on the Housy. he did a great job getting some trout and smallies on nymphs and buggers. Water is nice and high and cold. Look for the Housy to fish well into November.
9/11/18 After a hot August, and high water temps that were in the mid 70's, things have seemed to get better the last two weeks. The dam have stopped spilling and water temps are around 64-65 degrees. Hopefully they will continue to drop. Thanks to Ryan Coulter of the DEC who got the DEP to release water in August to help lower the water temps. Please use caution and take the the temps before you fish!
Fall Outlook
Honestly its still to early to tell the damage the hot water did to the fish. There have been plenty of bugs, caddis, midges, and some olives around. Our guide trip over the weekend was a tough one. We got two fish to rise on midge dries, but no one was home nymphing on the Upper EB. I was out today hitting three rivers. I started on the Upper EB, and hit a few rainbows on a hare and copper, and gray midge larve czech nymphing. I covered a lot of water, and didnt have any fish. The flow is 58 cfs and eater temps were 64-65. I also stopped on the Lower EB, and the water was stained, and running at 56 cfs. The temp was good at 64. I hit a few fish in a few spots on the gray midge larve. The last place was the WB coming out of Croton Falls. The water was high 86 cfs, and had a green tint to it. I saw a few rises, but stayed with czech nymphing. The fish were very aggressive, and that was nice to see. I bounced around a bit as well. So what does all this mean? I dont know. I love fall fishing, and only time will tell if we get some fish up from the reservoirs. The fish are still holding in the deepest holes, and they haven't moved into the shallow riffles yet to feed. I think once the water goes below 60 they might start moving. I did manage a nice one recently. Check out the picture on the home page. Check back as we get out and more reports are made.
Tight Lines!
6/11/18 The weather has finally seems to cool off and cooperate. Colder nights have kept water temps nice and cold, and the flows remain steady. The bug situation has gotten in a little bit of a more predictable patter as of late. The Mornings have seen Caddis and midges mostly, while the Sulphurs have come off late afternoon. The evenings have seen a few sporadic Sulphurs, and Caddis, with midges thrown into the mix. So what does this all mean? Start early and throw dries if you see rising fish, and dry dropping has been effective with small midge and mayfly imitations as well. Late afternoon is a good bet to get consistent dry fly action for a couple of hours. You can target feeding fish or use emergers and blind cast to fishy areas.
I had two trips this weekend. First on Saturday I have Steve and Lisa out for their first time fly fishing. They did great casting dries and czech nymphing. Some fish to the net and a lot of dropped fish, but they has a blast. Lisa lost a nice big brown that went airborn twice after he smashed the Sulphur Parachute. Steve landed his first trout on a small size 20 Midge Klink.
On Sunday Vjay joined me on the Upper EB. He took my Orvis 301 class last Summer. Vjay was into fish eating Sulphurs as soon as we stepped into the water. Too many fish to count for him. We Czech nymphed up a couple as well. We ended the evening throwong spinner and X Caddis to some fish feeding opportunistically, and we were rewarded for our efforts.
We didn't have to use many different flies this weekend, but gray midge larve, small hare and coppers, rusty spinners, X Caddis, Sulphur Parachutes, and half and halves all took fish.
It looks like the weather will continue to be cool at night, but no rain foretasted. Spinner falls at dark are hit or miss, so just look to find them in the air and move till you find some. Start to go a little longer on your dry fly leaders 9-10 feet, and be stealthy!
Tight Lines!
6/4/18 Flows have dropped around the Watershed, and the fish have become very aware of angler's presence. This past week I saw hatches of Caddis, and Sulphurs, along with some Spinners at dark. The hatches have been inconsistent though. Move around until you find some feeding fish. You will need to match the exact color and size of Spinners, and go a little longer with your leaders. This season the bugs have been scattered, sometime hatching in one area and not the other. Again move around, and try sub surfasce imitations of Caddis, Midges, and Sulphurs. On Saturday I gad George and Richie out for their second Lesson/Trip. The guys really worked hard for hookups and brought some fish to the net. Richie lost a really nice trout Euro Nymphing, but made up for it later on in the day bringing one to the net on a dry dropper. George worked the dry dropper for a couple of fish as well. Takes nymphing are very subtle. We worked the Upper EB and Lower EB. Fish were sipping on midges on both rivers. Gray midge larve, and hare and coppers got the job done.
Tom was guiding as well on Saturday and they hit fish in most places they went, our shop Ice Caddis was the hot fly for them. Come in and get some of these hot flies!
We got up to the Housy this weekend, and we covered the Upper and Lower TMA. Both are giving up fish, but the afternoon temps have the water on the warmer side. Your best bet is to be on the water from 6 am-10 am for the best opportunity to catch fish. Dry dropping with a Parachute Caddis and a hare and copper and green Caddis larve worked great.
Ill be back on the Croton this weekend with two trips. Conditions should be decent with cold water, and some bugs.
I cant remember a season that has started with all this water. The good thing is that the fish have been used to the flows and they are on the feed. Don't let the high water keep you from fishing. Use your streamers and nymphs and find the slowest of pools for rising fish. The caddis hatch is in full swing. Mornings, and evenings are peak hatch times. The midges are going strong as well. I was able to find some rising fish this evening sipping on midges despite the high flows. Look towards the banks. Fish came on size 20 Black Klinks. I also have been getting fish on small buggers, mops, and hare and coppers. The Croton Waters are flowing good, just look for those softer seams. Our guide trips have started once again and the guys are out floating the Housy and Catskill Rivers. They are working hard getting into fish. I am back on the water this weekend, after the weather had postponed some trips. We are ready for what is setting up to be a great two months of fishing!
April 22, 2019
The week started off good with Henricksons showing, but just as things started to pick up the rains came and all our rivers are running high right now. I have seen tan caddis size 16-18, Hendricksons size 12, and Olives size 16-18 on the water along with midges. The high water has kept the fish feeding sub surface. The fish are starting to move into the faster water which is good. I hit a nice Olive hatch this past week and I did see a few few eating on top, all the fish came nymphing or swinging emergers. My small BWO Bubble back cdc emerger was money. Hendrickson nymphs were also taking fish. I did manage the only rising fish I saw on Friday. A nice fat brown who was feeding in a smeam right next to heavy water.
Look for opportunities as the water drops this week, as I don't know how much longer the Hendricksons will be around locally.
April 14, 2019
Guide trips started this week. Thursday I had Josh out for an afternoon to evening trip,and the fishing was very good. Josh took one of my Orvis 301 classes. We worked on czech nymphing and we were rewarded with a few bows and browns. Fish came on small may fly imitations, and hare and coppers. We were able to get a fish dry dropping, and we got a few to dance on midges on the surface, but we were unable to connect. A great trip, and Im looking forward to hearing about Josh having success on his own!. Still lots of caddis larve in the drift as well. Water temps on the Upper East Branch is still cold 38 degrees. Im sure it has warmed a little after the rain and warmer days. Its is currently 258 cfs and dropping. We did see some Parleps and Olives.
Sunday I had Andy and his crew out for an outing. We hit the Lower East Branch. The water is still up and off color, but it was clearing throughout the morning. The guys haven't had much experience with he fly rods, but we worked on some indicator nymphing and dry dropping. We got fish on, but only one to the net. It was an enjoyable morning to say the least. We did see a nice tan caddis hatch, maybe one of the first of the season. The fish really didn't respond on top. Lots of midges and some stones too.
I see things really starting to pick up this week. The streams are all high, hopefully the rain holds off tonight and tomorrow. Once the flows drop i think that the surface activity is really going to pick up. Look to use emergers until that happens. Hopefully this week I will be hitting the water more this week as spring vacation is finally here!
April 7, 2019
A solid opening week here in NY. The flows remain very good, and the weather and bugs are cooperating. Water temps are in the low 40's and should continue to get warmer. The watershed streams have a good amount of midges on them and the fish are responding feeding below and above the surface. I saw a decent amount of rising fish in certain areas,. The midges are very small, and the fish are very picky. I tried several small size 20's and 22's, but no takers. I had good success on using a size 18 and 20 gray midge pupa as a dropper. Czech nymphing has also been good. Fish came on hare and coppers, black czechs, and smaller midges. The streamer bite is also picking up. Lots of fish being taken on various buggers this week. Also each time I came out of the water, i saw some brown and green caddis larve stuck to my waders.
We had a great turnout at the Angler's Den Orvis Day. It was great to see everyone, especially people I haven't seen in a while. Thank you to everyone that made the day great!
Guide trips starting up this week, more scouting to be done. Stay tuned for updates!
Outlook 2019 Season
We are finally here! It is March 31st and Opening Day here in NY is tomorrow! Its been a long winter, but we were lucky with the weather. I do have to admit, I wasn't on the water as much as I normally would be all winter, but I have been out and about over the last couple of weeks. We have a lot of water for this time of the year. The NYC DEP has been pumping water into NYC since the fall due to construction on one of the Catskill Tunnels. For example the West Branch coming out of West Branch to Croton Falls, was up at 250 cfs at one point. It was back down to its normal 12 cfs the other day. I am curious to see what that flow will do to the fishing this season. Only time will tell.
Due to the mild temps, I have seen the Upper EB get hit very hard with fishermen this winter. Fish have been caught a little more than in previous winters. Hopefully the warmer water temps will get the fish moving around. Right now water temps have been in the high 30's to very low 40's. I expect to see them creep up over the next week with the warmer foretasted temps.
I have seen a lot of caddis, and small mayfly nymphs on rocks and sticks that I have pulled from the waters. Lots of Stones and Midges have been hatching on all of our rivers too! One day I even saw some fish rise to stones! I haven't see any Parleps yet. Hopefully by the time they hatch the water will be warmer and we can get some dry fly fishing in. The Black Caddis will go off soon as well, and they fish should become more active as we move onto the next couple of weeks. Look for water temps close to 50 degrees to get some consistent dry fly action.
From what I understand, the first round of stocking has been completed on the Croton Watershed streams. The Farmington has received its initial stockings too, but the Houstonic hasn't. Expect to see heavy pressure over the next couple of weeks, as people are chomping at the bit to get out. Hopefully the higher than normal flows will give the fish a chance to spread out a little bit. We should be in good shape with flows on the Croton and Farmington, but the Housy is flowing over 2000cfs. Once it drops it will be game on there. I am hoping to get more clients up there to experience the quality fishing it has to offer. Our guides have been doing well on Pike Float trips. if you want to challenge yourself and get your heart racing, contact me and I can set you up on a trip.
As for flies for early season, black stones, hare and coppers, caddis larve in olive and tan, small olive nymphs, and czech nymphs are all good choices. Small gray and black midge larve should be part of your rig as well. Sucker spawns in light yellow or cream will be a food source as the suckers begin their spring spawn. Mops and squirmys have been taking fish as well.
I hope all of you have a great season, good luck to all of you! Please if you see something, just call the DEP Police at 914-593-7500. See you on the water!
Tight Lines!
Frank
10/21/18 Things are still going with all the high water we are having. Locally the Upper EB is the only river open. Look to get some fish on hare and coppers, midge larve, and mop flies. The bows are in the faster water. Small Olives are still around as well. I hit a few fish on nymphs and buggers this past week.
I had Jared out for a trip on the Housy. he did a great job getting some trout and smallies on nymphs and buggers. Water is nice and high and cold. Look for the Housy to fish well into November.
9/11/18 After a hot August, and high water temps that were in the mid 70's, things have seemed to get better the last two weeks. The dam have stopped spilling and water temps are around 64-65 degrees. Hopefully they will continue to drop. Thanks to Ryan Coulter of the DEC who got the DEP to release water in August to help lower the water temps. Please use caution and take the the temps before you fish!
Fall Outlook
Honestly its still to early to tell the damage the hot water did to the fish. There have been plenty of bugs, caddis, midges, and some olives around. Our guide trip over the weekend was a tough one. We got two fish to rise on midge dries, but no one was home nymphing on the Upper EB. I was out today hitting three rivers. I started on the Upper EB, and hit a few rainbows on a hare and copper, and gray midge larve czech nymphing. I covered a lot of water, and didnt have any fish. The flow is 58 cfs and eater temps were 64-65. I also stopped on the Lower EB, and the water was stained, and running at 56 cfs. The temp was good at 64. I hit a few fish in a few spots on the gray midge larve. The last place was the WB coming out of Croton Falls. The water was high 86 cfs, and had a green tint to it. I saw a few rises, but stayed with czech nymphing. The fish were very aggressive, and that was nice to see. I bounced around a bit as well. So what does all this mean? I dont know. I love fall fishing, and only time will tell if we get some fish up from the reservoirs. The fish are still holding in the deepest holes, and they haven't moved into the shallow riffles yet to feed. I think once the water goes below 60 they might start moving. I did manage a nice one recently. Check out the picture on the home page. Check back as we get out and more reports are made.
Tight Lines!
6/11/18 The weather has finally seems to cool off and cooperate. Colder nights have kept water temps nice and cold, and the flows remain steady. The bug situation has gotten in a little bit of a more predictable patter as of late. The Mornings have seen Caddis and midges mostly, while the Sulphurs have come off late afternoon. The evenings have seen a few sporadic Sulphurs, and Caddis, with midges thrown into the mix. So what does this all mean? Start early and throw dries if you see rising fish, and dry dropping has been effective with small midge and mayfly imitations as well. Late afternoon is a good bet to get consistent dry fly action for a couple of hours. You can target feeding fish or use emergers and blind cast to fishy areas.
I had two trips this weekend. First on Saturday I have Steve and Lisa out for their first time fly fishing. They did great casting dries and czech nymphing. Some fish to the net and a lot of dropped fish, but they has a blast. Lisa lost a nice big brown that went airborn twice after he smashed the Sulphur Parachute. Steve landed his first trout on a small size 20 Midge Klink.
On Sunday Vjay joined me on the Upper EB. He took my Orvis 301 class last Summer. Vjay was into fish eating Sulphurs as soon as we stepped into the water. Too many fish to count for him. We Czech nymphed up a couple as well. We ended the evening throwong spinner and X Caddis to some fish feeding opportunistically, and we were rewarded for our efforts.
We didn't have to use many different flies this weekend, but gray midge larve, small hare and coppers, rusty spinners, X Caddis, Sulphur Parachutes, and half and halves all took fish.
It looks like the weather will continue to be cool at night, but no rain foretasted. Spinner falls at dark are hit or miss, so just look to find them in the air and move till you find some. Start to go a little longer on your dry fly leaders 9-10 feet, and be stealthy!
Tight Lines!
6/4/18 Flows have dropped around the Watershed, and the fish have become very aware of angler's presence. This past week I saw hatches of Caddis, and Sulphurs, along with some Spinners at dark. The hatches have been inconsistent though. Move around until you find some feeding fish. You will need to match the exact color and size of Spinners, and go a little longer with your leaders. This season the bugs have been scattered, sometime hatching in one area and not the other. Again move around, and try sub surfasce imitations of Caddis, Midges, and Sulphurs. On Saturday I gad George and Richie out for their second Lesson/Trip. The guys really worked hard for hookups and brought some fish to the net. Richie lost a really nice trout Euro Nymphing, but made up for it later on in the day bringing one to the net on a dry dropper. George worked the dry dropper for a couple of fish as well. Takes nymphing are very subtle. We worked the Upper EB and Lower EB. Fish were sipping on midges on both rivers. Gray midge larve, and hare and coppers got the job done.
Tom was guiding as well on Saturday and they hit fish in most places they went, our shop Ice Caddis was the hot fly for them. Come in and get some of these hot flies!
We got up to the Housy this weekend, and we covered the Upper and Lower TMA. Both are giving up fish, but the afternoon temps have the water on the warmer side. Your best bet is to be on the water from 6 am-10 am for the best opportunity to catch fish. Dry dropping with a Parachute Caddis and a hare and copper and green Caddis larve worked great.
Ill be back on the Croton this weekend with two trips. Conditions should be decent with cold water, and some bugs.
Jared's First on the Fly, which always brings a excitement!
Hendrickson eating fatty!
Inga's hard work paying off. First on the fly, even on a dry!
5/27/18 Locally things have been hot or miss depending on where and when you are fishing. The mornings have seen few bugs, and it it mostly a nymphing game. Look to use some hare and coppers, small pheasant tails, caddis larve, and small midge larve or pupa. The middle of the day have been difficult, but you can pick up some fish. The evenings have beem a little better, we have seen the start iof the Sulphur hatch, and there are spinners falling already. The hatch remains inconsistent. Some nights red hot, others not so much. Smaller Sulphurs Parachutes in size 14 have been taking fish. Even try a 16 dry as well. There are Caddis on the water too in the evenings, and the fish will eat them opportunistically if presented well. If you fool a fish, that might be your only shot. They have become very picky and shy due to the increased pressure.
We have another Orvis 301 class on June 23 at 8 am on the Housy. If you are interested please send me an email.
Lots of trips in the coming weeks, hopefully the bugs will cooperate a little better then they have!
5/20/18 I hope that everyone stayed safe this week. This ranks up there as one of the most devastating storms i have seen living here for the last 35 years. Lots of work to be done, but people are resilient and are getting through.
This weeks and weekends rain had out trips postponed. Tom and I really want our clients to enjoy, learn, and be comfortable while they are out. Its their time on the water that we want to make as special as possible, so if things aren't right, we postpone, and reschedule. Their happiness on the water and satisfaction is out number one priority.
Just because we want to the clients to be comfortable, that doesn't mean we weren't out working hard scouting water in tough conditions. Tom reported taking some fish on the West Branch on prnice nymphs. He cover some water. I was out fishing the upper east Branch running and gunning. I was able to euro nymph up a lot of fish using some new plies I have been working on. The Chocolate and copper is in the works, and has some success. I also used Juan Ramierez's slim shady 5.0 to take some fish. Green caddis larve got it done too. Sunday evening I was on the Lower East Branch where I met friend Art Port. Art was getting into some fish on dries. We saw small size 18 olives and the fish were keyed in on them. They were also taking my gray midge pupa as the dropper. The catch of the day a four inch wild trout, I love catching them, it gives me some hope. Toward dark i saw some egg laying caddis, and fish were will hitting midges on the surface.
The rivers are high, but have cleared. This week should let them settle and be at great levels for next weekend. Look for March Browns, and the Cahills to start. The caddis have kicked in gear, not as many, but more than enough to get the fish going.
I will start my weekend with a scouting mission Friday evening, and then on the Housy for an Orvis 301 Class I am teaching for my friend Shawn Kelly, who is the manager at he Orvis in Darien. Then a guide trip for Saturday afternoon. Tom will be out and about this weekend as well. Watch your flows, and bugs and fish the right technique to be successful. If you are interested in trips give us a call!
Tight Lines!
5/8/18 Things have slowed down hatch wise since the Hendricksons departed for the season, but fish are still being brought to the net. The Upper EB still has good flows along with he West Branch in Croton Falls. Some of our other streams are dropping, and are getting a little warm, which is normal for this time of the year. Question is are the hatches going to catch up or will they still be delayed? The Caddis haven't started in numbers yet and have been sporadic at best in the mornings. The Sulphurs should start within the next two weeks.
I was out for an hour last night and hit all stockies czech nymphing and some on a gray midge klink. I took fish on a size 16 Frenchie, Gray Midge Larve, and hare and copper. Fish seem to be moving onto the faster water, but most are still in the medium flow areas. At dusk, I only say midges and a few fish rise. All of the fish we have taken the last few weeks on out trips have been fat and full!
Look for the rain this weekend to help, and our scouts will be on the Housy as well. I am really excited of the potential of the Housy fishing this season! Some good fish has been had so far during the high water. Tom and I booking guide trips like clock work, so if you want to get into some great fishing this month, give us a ring. It looks like June should be an excellent month conditions wise! Don't miss out!
4/29/18 Hendrickson's have been on! The fish are responding on top. You might only get some rising because of the high water. Run and gun to find them rising. Scouting missions yielded some nice browns on top. We had two good guide trips this weekend. Tom had his clients into fish during their trip today. Fish came on nymphs and a couple on dries. Reports coming into the shop have been positive as well. I had Inga and Erik out today. We had some fish lost on nymphs, but they did some great work on the Hendrickson's. We were able to get fish on Parachutes, Biot Emergers, and Cripples. They were an awesome duo today!
The top flies sub surface have been Hare and Coppers, and Black Czechs. The Olives have still made a showing, but the caddis are still not going as strong. Fishing on the Lower EB has been slow, but has picked up recently. I was out scouting the area and hit some two year old stockies czech nymphing.
Look for things to get cranking, and hopefully the caddis will respond to this warm weather. I saw some spinners Saturday evening, but not many. This week they should get going too!
4/15/18 Im still scratching my head at the temperature changes this week. I believe Thursday to Friday was a 20 degree swing. From Saturday to this morning was about a 40 degrees swing. I don't know who enjoyed the weather Friday and Saturday more, the bugs, fish or fishermen! I had Jared out for a trip Saturday morning. Jared is just learning how to fly fish, and he did a great job learning some Euro Nymphing techniques. We worked on reading water and using the correct flies to get to where the fish were. He netted 4 in total and missed a few more. He really worked hard and was rewarded. We adjusted our flies as we saw some new bugs to the mix. I saw some caddis for the first time this season. Small Tan Caddis, were about. We got some fish on green caddis larve, and tan X caddis fished as a dropper off a hare and copper. We also saw Olives and Olive spinners, but no fish were rising. A small Olive nymph, and a hare and copper took the other fish.
Water temps by noon were over 45 degrees. The fish are still in the slower to medium flow areas. Reports into the shop this week were promising, as there were some rising fish on the rivers that had lower flows. Some good fish were taken as well as many stockies. Bugs that are out in the Watershed are Olives, Blue Quills, small Brown Stones, Black Stones, some Tan Caddis, and some Black Caddis.
This cold rainy weather is going to slow things down a little, but the long range into next week looks promising. Look for those water temperatures to creep up to the Magic 50 degrees! Hopefully the fish will start to move into the faster water to feed on those emerging nymphs. Hopefully the next week or so, we will get some consistent surface action. Right now make sure you are carrying your dries, because all it takes is some warm sun to get things going. I have had my Hendricksons with me for the last two weeks, just in case!
4/8/18 What a week that we saw snow, rain, wind and even sunshine, but mostly colder than average air temperatures. The flows are receding around the watershed. The temps for the most part have been in the high 30's to low 40's depending on where and when you are fishing. Black Stones, and Olives have been the two most dominant bugs besides midges. I have seen some Blue Quills on the warmer afternoons. The fish have not been feeding on top, but they are feeding opportunistically sub surface. Lets face it, they are hungry. Usually the bug situation is going strong. To date, things just haven't materialized, and if you can get a good presentation down to them, they will eat.
My guide trip with Tom on Saturday morning saw 35 degree air temps, and 39 degree water temps and high flows. We were able to get a lot of fish by czech nymphing. Tom got his first trout on the fly rod, and many more to boot. A few things led to our success,one we were able to locate some hungry fish. Two we were able to get out presentations down to the fish by reallyocusing in using flies of different weight. I was able to get black czechs, and hare and coppers into the fish zone by using some other flies as weight depending on the depth of the water. We found water that had holding lies that were below the faster surface current. Tom did a great job learning the technique, and applying it. Third, we used hare and coppers, black stones, tan czechs, and green caddis larve as our target flies. We had a blast. I look forward to getting him out for some dry fly fishing lessons in the future.
As for flies, start using your favorite Olive nymphs in size 16, hare and coppers, czechs, and stone fly nymphs. The key is how will you get your flies down in the different currents, and depths.
We look to have some warmer weather this week, and hopefully that will get the water temps up. If you find some fish, you should be able to entice some strikes. Dont overlook some medium/faster water, but try and find an area with some consistent current and focus on the softer shallow edges. I really expect the fishing to get better as the week moves on.
4/2/18 Snow today where is spring? Flows are climbing around the area and the rain will raise them some more. Hopefully Wednesday's warm day will get the temps up too. Saturday saw a beautiful day and lots of bugs. I saw Black Stones, small Olives and even some Blue Quills. Flows were still up, but I did manage a few on Black Stone Dry, and Czech nymphed up s beast on a hare and copper. Water temps averaged 40 degrees. See the home page for pictures of the two big ones. I took the boys out on Sunday morning before our annual Easter Egg Hunt. We managed some stockies which is what Opening Day is all about. We are still working on their cats and drift, but they are getting it. We just enjoy being out fishing and looking for bugs!
I will be out a couple of times this week scouting. My guide season kicks off Saturday with lessons. Im excited to be finally getting out! Anglers Den Opening Day Jamboree is this Saturday at the shop with fly tying demos, Orvis demos, and some good food and drinks! Ill be there in the afternoon.
Spring 2018 Opening Day Report
Well it’s that time of the year everyone thinks about once most of the rivers in the state close to fishing. It feels more like December 1st, rather than April 1st. Our recent string of Nore’easters has given us some good snowpack, and high flows. That will defiantly help the water situation for the spring. With more rain in the forecast this week, and our usual rains in May, we should be in good shape through June. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
We definitely have winter conditions in the Croton Watershed. Water temps on the Upper East Branch on 3/25/18 were barely 35 degrees. There have been some midges, and I have seen only a few stoneflies. I would estimate that we are 2-3 weeks behind. We flipped some rocks for the kids this past weekend, and the mayfly nymphs we saw were still immature and small. The caddis are growing which is good. We need our nighttime temps to stay above freezing to really get the water temps up. I always look for the water to be 45 with the magic number of 50 to really get the bugs going and the fish feeding on a consistent basis.
The fish have responded on the warmer days as of late. The more sun the better. The midges will get going a little, so the fish do begin to feed with the water temps only going up a few degrees. Look for the fish to be in slow water, especially close to the bank, and some of the shallower spots where that water is a little warmer. Zebra Midges in black and gray are good choices. As we move into April and the temps creep up, the fish will start to move into the riffles to feed on our first caddis flies. You will also want to dredge the bottom with Blue Quill Nymphs, and Hendrickson Nymphs. Once the Quills come off, Blue Quill Emergers fished in a nymph rig or just below the surface will become deadly. Even if the fish are not rising on the duns, they are feeding below the surface. I will normally stick to my Czech Nymphs, and Hare and Coppers as searching patterns, tied with whatever bug is hatching. Don’t overlook your Buggers, especially in Olive. Fish them slow! Most, if not all the rivers will have received their in initial stockings. A big thank you to all who helped this year. There will be additional stockings in April and May.
I think this year we will have some good consistent bug activity as compared to last year. Remember in the fall of 2016, they drew the water down in our rivers to just above a trickle. I feel that that was the cause for the shorter than normal hatches last spring. Once everything gets going, be sure to carry one month ahead of what is actually hatching because you never know.
I want to take this time to thank the DEP Police, for their outstanding efforts in the watershed. Please if you see something, just call. 914-593-7500. I want to wish everyone luck this season, please be safe, and enjoy your time on the water!
Tight Lines!
Frank
2/11/18 We have very high water right now, but when it drops the weather will cooperate and the midges and fish should become active. We have gotten fish on streamers, and nymphs the last couple of weeks.
The month of February can really be a good month to fish. Look to fish on those nice warm day where the temperature will be 35 degrees and high with sunny skies. That combination will get the midge activity going, and the fish will begin to feed. I like Euro Nymphing with my Anchor fly as my deepest fly, and I fish a midge larve in the middle of the water column, and a midge pupa towards the top. I also will use a dry dropper if I see the fish feeding 6-12 inches below the surface. I get those droppers down right in front of their noses. You might even be able to get some fish fishing smaller streamers slowly in the feeding areas. Here is a picture of a gray midge that is found this time of the year in out local waters. Have fun experimenting imitating this guy. Sizes 18-22. I will be demonstrating this pattern at the Fly Tying Nigh!
We have another Orvis 301 class on June 23 at 8 am on the Housy. If you are interested please send me an email.
Lots of trips in the coming weeks, hopefully the bugs will cooperate a little better then they have!
5/20/18 I hope that everyone stayed safe this week. This ranks up there as one of the most devastating storms i have seen living here for the last 35 years. Lots of work to be done, but people are resilient and are getting through.
This weeks and weekends rain had out trips postponed. Tom and I really want our clients to enjoy, learn, and be comfortable while they are out. Its their time on the water that we want to make as special as possible, so if things aren't right, we postpone, and reschedule. Their happiness on the water and satisfaction is out number one priority.
Just because we want to the clients to be comfortable, that doesn't mean we weren't out working hard scouting water in tough conditions. Tom reported taking some fish on the West Branch on prnice nymphs. He cover some water. I was out fishing the upper east Branch running and gunning. I was able to euro nymph up a lot of fish using some new plies I have been working on. The Chocolate and copper is in the works, and has some success. I also used Juan Ramierez's slim shady 5.0 to take some fish. Green caddis larve got it done too. Sunday evening I was on the Lower East Branch where I met friend Art Port. Art was getting into some fish on dries. We saw small size 18 olives and the fish were keyed in on them. They were also taking my gray midge pupa as the dropper. The catch of the day a four inch wild trout, I love catching them, it gives me some hope. Toward dark i saw some egg laying caddis, and fish were will hitting midges on the surface.
The rivers are high, but have cleared. This week should let them settle and be at great levels for next weekend. Look for March Browns, and the Cahills to start. The caddis have kicked in gear, not as many, but more than enough to get the fish going.
I will start my weekend with a scouting mission Friday evening, and then on the Housy for an Orvis 301 Class I am teaching for my friend Shawn Kelly, who is the manager at he Orvis in Darien. Then a guide trip for Saturday afternoon. Tom will be out and about this weekend as well. Watch your flows, and bugs and fish the right technique to be successful. If you are interested in trips give us a call!
Tight Lines!
5/8/18 Things have slowed down hatch wise since the Hendricksons departed for the season, but fish are still being brought to the net. The Upper EB still has good flows along with he West Branch in Croton Falls. Some of our other streams are dropping, and are getting a little warm, which is normal for this time of the year. Question is are the hatches going to catch up or will they still be delayed? The Caddis haven't started in numbers yet and have been sporadic at best in the mornings. The Sulphurs should start within the next two weeks.
I was out for an hour last night and hit all stockies czech nymphing and some on a gray midge klink. I took fish on a size 16 Frenchie, Gray Midge Larve, and hare and copper. Fish seem to be moving onto the faster water, but most are still in the medium flow areas. At dusk, I only say midges and a few fish rise. All of the fish we have taken the last few weeks on out trips have been fat and full!
Look for the rain this weekend to help, and our scouts will be on the Housy as well. I am really excited of the potential of the Housy fishing this season! Some good fish has been had so far during the high water. Tom and I booking guide trips like clock work, so if you want to get into some great fishing this month, give us a ring. It looks like June should be an excellent month conditions wise! Don't miss out!
4/29/18 Hendrickson's have been on! The fish are responding on top. You might only get some rising because of the high water. Run and gun to find them rising. Scouting missions yielded some nice browns on top. We had two good guide trips this weekend. Tom had his clients into fish during their trip today. Fish came on nymphs and a couple on dries. Reports coming into the shop have been positive as well. I had Inga and Erik out today. We had some fish lost on nymphs, but they did some great work on the Hendrickson's. We were able to get fish on Parachutes, Biot Emergers, and Cripples. They were an awesome duo today!
The top flies sub surface have been Hare and Coppers, and Black Czechs. The Olives have still made a showing, but the caddis are still not going as strong. Fishing on the Lower EB has been slow, but has picked up recently. I was out scouting the area and hit some two year old stockies czech nymphing.
Look for things to get cranking, and hopefully the caddis will respond to this warm weather. I saw some spinners Saturday evening, but not many. This week they should get going too!
4/15/18 Im still scratching my head at the temperature changes this week. I believe Thursday to Friday was a 20 degree swing. From Saturday to this morning was about a 40 degrees swing. I don't know who enjoyed the weather Friday and Saturday more, the bugs, fish or fishermen! I had Jared out for a trip Saturday morning. Jared is just learning how to fly fish, and he did a great job learning some Euro Nymphing techniques. We worked on reading water and using the correct flies to get to where the fish were. He netted 4 in total and missed a few more. He really worked hard and was rewarded. We adjusted our flies as we saw some new bugs to the mix. I saw some caddis for the first time this season. Small Tan Caddis, were about. We got some fish on green caddis larve, and tan X caddis fished as a dropper off a hare and copper. We also saw Olives and Olive spinners, but no fish were rising. A small Olive nymph, and a hare and copper took the other fish.
Water temps by noon were over 45 degrees. The fish are still in the slower to medium flow areas. Reports into the shop this week were promising, as there were some rising fish on the rivers that had lower flows. Some good fish were taken as well as many stockies. Bugs that are out in the Watershed are Olives, Blue Quills, small Brown Stones, Black Stones, some Tan Caddis, and some Black Caddis.
This cold rainy weather is going to slow things down a little, but the long range into next week looks promising. Look for those water temperatures to creep up to the Magic 50 degrees! Hopefully the fish will start to move into the faster water to feed on those emerging nymphs. Hopefully the next week or so, we will get some consistent surface action. Right now make sure you are carrying your dries, because all it takes is some warm sun to get things going. I have had my Hendricksons with me for the last two weeks, just in case!
4/8/18 What a week that we saw snow, rain, wind and even sunshine, but mostly colder than average air temperatures. The flows are receding around the watershed. The temps for the most part have been in the high 30's to low 40's depending on where and when you are fishing. Black Stones, and Olives have been the two most dominant bugs besides midges. I have seen some Blue Quills on the warmer afternoons. The fish have not been feeding on top, but they are feeding opportunistically sub surface. Lets face it, they are hungry. Usually the bug situation is going strong. To date, things just haven't materialized, and if you can get a good presentation down to them, they will eat.
My guide trip with Tom on Saturday morning saw 35 degree air temps, and 39 degree water temps and high flows. We were able to get a lot of fish by czech nymphing. Tom got his first trout on the fly rod, and many more to boot. A few things led to our success,one we were able to locate some hungry fish. Two we were able to get out presentations down to the fish by reallyocusing in using flies of different weight. I was able to get black czechs, and hare and coppers into the fish zone by using some other flies as weight depending on the depth of the water. We found water that had holding lies that were below the faster surface current. Tom did a great job learning the technique, and applying it. Third, we used hare and coppers, black stones, tan czechs, and green caddis larve as our target flies. We had a blast. I look forward to getting him out for some dry fly fishing lessons in the future.
As for flies, start using your favorite Olive nymphs in size 16, hare and coppers, czechs, and stone fly nymphs. The key is how will you get your flies down in the different currents, and depths.
We look to have some warmer weather this week, and hopefully that will get the water temps up. If you find some fish, you should be able to entice some strikes. Dont overlook some medium/faster water, but try and find an area with some consistent current and focus on the softer shallow edges. I really expect the fishing to get better as the week moves on.
4/2/18 Snow today where is spring? Flows are climbing around the area and the rain will raise them some more. Hopefully Wednesday's warm day will get the temps up too. Saturday saw a beautiful day and lots of bugs. I saw Black Stones, small Olives and even some Blue Quills. Flows were still up, but I did manage a few on Black Stone Dry, and Czech nymphed up s beast on a hare and copper. Water temps averaged 40 degrees. See the home page for pictures of the two big ones. I took the boys out on Sunday morning before our annual Easter Egg Hunt. We managed some stockies which is what Opening Day is all about. We are still working on their cats and drift, but they are getting it. We just enjoy being out fishing and looking for bugs!
I will be out a couple of times this week scouting. My guide season kicks off Saturday with lessons. Im excited to be finally getting out! Anglers Den Opening Day Jamboree is this Saturday at the shop with fly tying demos, Orvis demos, and some good food and drinks! Ill be there in the afternoon.
Spring 2018 Opening Day Report
Well it’s that time of the year everyone thinks about once most of the rivers in the state close to fishing. It feels more like December 1st, rather than April 1st. Our recent string of Nore’easters has given us some good snowpack, and high flows. That will defiantly help the water situation for the spring. With more rain in the forecast this week, and our usual rains in May, we should be in good shape through June. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
We definitely have winter conditions in the Croton Watershed. Water temps on the Upper East Branch on 3/25/18 were barely 35 degrees. There have been some midges, and I have seen only a few stoneflies. I would estimate that we are 2-3 weeks behind. We flipped some rocks for the kids this past weekend, and the mayfly nymphs we saw were still immature and small. The caddis are growing which is good. We need our nighttime temps to stay above freezing to really get the water temps up. I always look for the water to be 45 with the magic number of 50 to really get the bugs going and the fish feeding on a consistent basis.
The fish have responded on the warmer days as of late. The more sun the better. The midges will get going a little, so the fish do begin to feed with the water temps only going up a few degrees. Look for the fish to be in slow water, especially close to the bank, and some of the shallower spots where that water is a little warmer. Zebra Midges in black and gray are good choices. As we move into April and the temps creep up, the fish will start to move into the riffles to feed on our first caddis flies. You will also want to dredge the bottom with Blue Quill Nymphs, and Hendrickson Nymphs. Once the Quills come off, Blue Quill Emergers fished in a nymph rig or just below the surface will become deadly. Even if the fish are not rising on the duns, they are feeding below the surface. I will normally stick to my Czech Nymphs, and Hare and Coppers as searching patterns, tied with whatever bug is hatching. Don’t overlook your Buggers, especially in Olive. Fish them slow! Most, if not all the rivers will have received their in initial stockings. A big thank you to all who helped this year. There will be additional stockings in April and May.
I think this year we will have some good consistent bug activity as compared to last year. Remember in the fall of 2016, they drew the water down in our rivers to just above a trickle. I feel that that was the cause for the shorter than normal hatches last spring. Once everything gets going, be sure to carry one month ahead of what is actually hatching because you never know.
I want to take this time to thank the DEP Police, for their outstanding efforts in the watershed. Please if you see something, just call. 914-593-7500. I want to wish everyone luck this season, please be safe, and enjoy your time on the water!
Tight Lines!
Frank
2/11/18 We have very high water right now, but when it drops the weather will cooperate and the midges and fish should become active. We have gotten fish on streamers, and nymphs the last couple of weeks.
The month of February can really be a good month to fish. Look to fish on those nice warm day where the temperature will be 35 degrees and high with sunny skies. That combination will get the midge activity going, and the fish will begin to feed. I like Euro Nymphing with my Anchor fly as my deepest fly, and I fish a midge larve in the middle of the water column, and a midge pupa towards the top. I also will use a dry dropper if I see the fish feeding 6-12 inches below the surface. I get those droppers down right in front of their noses. You might even be able to get some fish fishing smaller streamers slowly in the feeding areas. Here is a picture of a gray midge that is found this time of the year in out local waters. Have fun experimenting imitating this guy. Sizes 18-22. I will be demonstrating this pattern at the Fly Tying Nigh!
2/3/18 Euro Nymphing Hare and Copper!
Lou's first Trout on the fly!
Davids first on the fly!
|
Alex with his first trout!
|
September 27, 2017 I got out for a rare weeknight couple of hours of fishing. I worked the Upper EB, sticking and moving. Hit a fish went to another hole. Lots of guys out too. All Czech Nymphing even though I saw some Caddis, and midges, but no risers. Hare and copper with a size 18 Olive Emerger dropped off. Most of my fish came on the Olive. Fish hits were mostly subtle. That indicator moved ever so slightly. Water temps were nice and cold, felt good on my achy legs. I stated to more popular spots as i didnt have a lot of time to walk around. Got 4 to the net dropped a decent Brown, so it was a very good time on the water. Look for little holes nooks. My best fish came from a small hole in between two rocks. The picture is on the home page. Look for decent fishing weather over the next few weeks. The West Branch and Amawalk close on September 30.
September 23, 2017 Last Saturday's trip to the Housy with our TIC Coordinator Ihor and his Son in Law Jose went very well. We got fish on streamers, nymphing, and dries. We saw some October Caddis, small Olives, and Cahill Spinners just before Dark. Fish took Hare and Coppers, Lightning Bugs, and October Caddis Larve. The river should fish very well over the next month.
September 9, 2017 Got out yesterday for a local trip with Matt. He did a great job learning some new techniques. We were able to get into fish czech nymphing and dry dropping. We found fish in slower riffles and some deeper cuts. There were some fish rising, looking like they were oppertunistically feeding. We saw some Olives, Summer Stenos, Caddis, and Midges. Fish came on hare and coppers, olive nymphs, gray midge pupa, and caddis parachutes. The water on the Upoper EB is still at 48 cfs, but the Lower EB is flowing at 80 cfs. Temps are great. They key to getting into fish was changing techniques and adjust where we were fishing in the water column.
We will be joining the DEP in their annual Clean Up day on October 1 from 12pm-3pm. We will be targeting the Lower EB and West Branches. We will meet at noon in Croton Falls right at the end of Stonleigh Ave.
September 3, 2017 The Summers go by so fast, but the only thing about going back to work is that the Fall fishing is great! Big Browns, Steelhead, and cold days are right around the corner. Locally all of our flows remain low. The rain today bumped them up slightly, and even stained some. The temperatures are very good, some rivers are in the upper 50's! A huge thank you to all my Croton TU guys who helped out with reporting water temperatures this month! We will have to see what the situation up in the Catskills does to our flows. Hopefully the Decree Parties can work out an agreement. It's a shame to all who rely on the Catskill Rivers to provide for their families to not be able to work because water flows cant be worked out. I had Nelson and his son out for a trip on Saturday morning. The fish were not too cooperative as action was very slow. The air temperature when we started out was 45 degrees! The cold temps kept the bugs asleep all morning. No bug action, no fish action. One thing I have learned is that even if there only are some midge action, the fish will feed. They almost completely shut down when there is no activity. We worked on their Czech Nymphing techniques and they are ready to target some active fish next time out. I hit the water Sunday evening for a little bit. I was able to Czech nymph up some fish on hare and coppers, and gray midge larve. I hit a lot of different holes and I was able to get a mix of bows and browns, and both browns were smaller wild fish!. I saw some Olives and Midges, and even a few Stenos. I feel the hare and coppers are doing a good job imitating the Steno nymphs. One negative is that I am seeing more than a fair share of worm containers. Some of the areas where they were were void of fish that were filled last week!
I would focus fishing late morning through the evening, using nymphs, dry dropping with midges and caddis. Hit every water type and move around. Think small flies!! If you want dry action, long 10-12 ft. leaders to 6 or 7x is a must. If you don't see anything rising, throw a small beetle or an ant. Our fall bugs should become more consistent as we move further into September. The Stenos could give very good dry fly action at dark. Remember this is a great time to really look for deeper holes, and obstructions in the water like rocks, logs, etc. Remember where they are, so in higher flows, they will become holding lies!
We will be joining the DEP in their annual Clean Up day on October 1 from 12pm-3pm. We will be targeting the Lower EB and West Branches. More info to follow!
I got up to the Housy on Saturday Evening. The water is low, but cold! The CT DEEP dumped in its Fall allotment of fish. Lots of bugs became meals for hungry fish. Small Olives sz 18 and smaller, Iso's, and Cahills were on the menu. There were also a good amount of spinners. I got into Browns, and Smallies. I have a few trips coming up there in the next month and a half, so more detailed reports will follow as I work both TMA's. The Thermal Refuge Areas will open again on September 16.
I took a rare evening trip up to the Catskills this past week, running into lots of rising fish. Fish came on Midges, and smaller Stenos. I just was dry fly fishing, and I got to help my new friend Bill out netting his 20 inch Brown! I hope I'm still fishing when I am his age! I was happy for him, as his dwarfed my 18 inch trout! A very cool moment for him.
Email me for fall trips! Tom will be on the oars this fall up in the Catskills, don't miss out on the great fall fishing up there! Bryan, Tom and I will be working on foot locally as well.
August 27, 2017 The nice cool nights have helped all of our waters stay cooler than in previous summers. Some rain would be nice to raise the flows a bit. The Upper East Branch is seeing the most activity as small tan caddis, and midges continue to dominate the insect activity. Summer Steno nymphs are in the water, and they are emerging in the evenings. We should see spinners very soon. The fish are still in shallow riffles, so fish them before you walk in them. Dry dropping and czech nymphing have been the most effective methods. Hare and copper nymphs size 14 and 16 are catching the most fish. JuJu Baetis and JuJu midges are also getting fish. Try your beetles and ants, especially in that faster water and in shady areas. Still use your thermometers when fishing. As we move into September look for some fish to come up from the reservoirs.
We will be joining the DEP in their annual Clean Up day on October 1 from 12pm-3pm. We will be targeting the Lower EB and West Branches. More info to follow!
The Housy is still fishing very well for smallies, and the trout have been mixed in. Target the early mornings for trout. Look for Iso and stone fly nymphs to be most effective. The smaller Olives wont be too far behind. The Housy will continue to improve as the temps drop. I love dry dropping the faster water with an Iso dry and two dropper nymphs. Usually a hare and copper, and either a green caddis or black czech nymph. I will be on the water up there this weekend guiding. .
The Farmington is still a great option. Nymphing with small nymphs in the size 18-20 range remains your best bets. The evenings are seeing fis rise on small Olives size 22-6, and Summer Stenos size 16. Stay until dark! I had a great evening up there last week!
We are entering a great time to fish, so get out when you can!
iAugust 12, 2017 Its been a great summer so far for me, but now its back to our local waters for what is shaping up to be a goof fall. Locally in the Watershed, the Upper EB, and Amawalk are about the only two fishable rivers. They are still nice and cold, but remain low. The Lower EB, has warmed up to 68-70 degrees, and is too warm to fish. Bryan and I had orvis Darien's 301 Class out on Saturday Morning. The guys were working their dry dropping techniques. They locked onto a lot of fish and got some to the net. Fish came on olive two bit hookers size 20, gray midge larve sz 20 and JuJu Baetis sz 18. We got into fish in slower water and the fast riffles. The key is to get the flies to where the fish are feeding. in this shallow water, the fish are actually hugging the bottom. We did see some small caddis, and Midges flying around this morning.
Earlier in the week I got to czech nymph up some using Olive Two Bit Hookers, and Hare and Coppers. I started to use the Rio Euro Nymph leader, which I really liked. It turned over the lighter flies with ease and I was able to cast it a reach some spots a little farther away. I ran 5 ft. of 5x tippet to my 6x dropper tippet. Fish were in the faster water, and hit usually came on the first few casts. If i didn't get any hit after about 10 casts, I moved to the next hole.
Im looking for the weather to hopefully keep the action going. Hopefully the Summer Stenos will be coming soon, and the evenings will give us some good midge dry action. As the other rivers become fishable, I will report it here, so check back weekly.
The Housy is fishing well for smallies, and I am looking forward to it fishing real well for trout this fall. After the thermal refuge areas open on September 17, I think the weather will have the fish moving.
Tom Z has been on a Mousing mission on the Upper Delaware, contact me or the shop to set up a night trip with him!
We will be starting to book for the fall soon, so get in on prime time dates!!!
June 29, 2017 The week started with lessons with Alex on the Upper EB. We hit a good flow of 100 cfs, but warmer temps from the spillage. We saw an occasional caddis and some midges. We were dry dropping with caddies dries, and various droppers. We got some fish to dance on the dries, and we finally landed a nice brown for his first trout. This one hit the dropper, hare and copper. Tom had clients out on Sunday as well. They ran into fish on hares ear nymphs, and missed a few more on caddis dries. They worked the Upper and Lower EB. The Lower was low, and crowded. I was out and about Wednesday morning on the Upper EB. I saw hardly any bugs, and the bright sunshine and cold, ow flows had the fish on lock jaw. I did manage a few bows dry dropping in some faster water. I had one fish swipe at a small caddis dry. The flows were about 60 cfs, and the water was in the mid 50's. It looks like we are back at out 45 cfs release, but at least the water is cold. The rest of the rivers on the watershed are low as well, and the temps vary, so use your thermometer. I would say first light till about 9 am or so is a good time to fish as well as the late evening. Im not seeing the smaller caddis of July yet. Try and find some active fish with midge, caddis and terrestials on top, and nymph the faster runs with czechs, hare and coppers, midge and caddis larve in size 16-20.
The Housy is fishing in summer mode. Look to find smallies on streamers, and larger nymphs. The flow is mid 500 cfs, and temps creep to 70 plus in the late afternoons. Im booking trips for smallies now! Think White Flies in late July early August!
June 11, 2017 This heat the next couple of days will definitely raise the water temps, as the flows in the watershed are dropping to more normal levels. This week started out good with Lou having his second lesson. He managed his first trout on the fly sticking a bunch on dries. He really worked on his presentation, and Sulphur Cripples got fish to the net. What I was most happy about was that he went right back out a couple of days later and brought three fish tot he net, and he lost a good one too! Its great that he was able to apply what he learned to get fish on his own! Brian had Quinn out on Saturday for a trip. She worked very hard and got some fish to the net. She really enjoyed coming up and fishing the local rivers. Brian said that dry dropping was very successful with Caddis and midges. They also used some Sulphur emergers and soft hackles. I snuck out Saturday evening on the Upper EB, and got a few fish on Caddis. There was a good hatch for about 30 minutes. I tried to concentrate on some riffles where the bugs were emerging. My X Caddis pattern brought the fish to the net. I was dissapointed that I didn't see any Sulphurs or Spinners where I was fishing. Look for the Sulphurs to start to thin out as we move forward. Summer fishing conditions will be right around the corner. Small Tan Caddis in the mornings and evenings, and midges in between. Look to use smaller nymphs sz. 16-20. Please check the water temps over the next few days and as we move into July.
June 3, 2017 Brian hammered this beauty of a brown on our trip Saturday Evening on a Sulphur half and half!
We worked the Housy again, and we put in a lot of work finding some fish, and a lot of patience waiting for the Sulphurs and bugs to start. We got a mix of Smallies and Trout and the occasional fall fish nymphing, swinging, and throwing dries. The fish are looking up and look for them in feeding lanes where the current is bringing the bugs. We used hare and coppers, golden stones, and various types of Sulphur Nymphs fished throughout the water column. We saw March Browns, Caddis, and even small Olives on the water.
Locally the Sulphurs are going strong, and the Spinners are very good. The flows are dropping, and the fish are becoming more weary of angler presence. Nymphing, dry dropping continue to bring fish to the net, and don't forget to throw some midges. If you see small sipping rises, look for those fish to be feeding on midges. The late evening bite has been the best, but don't neglect the mornings.
May 26-28, 2017 The weather wasn't great for BBQ's and swimming, but the fish really enjoyed the overcast, and chilly rainy conditions. The weekend started with some scouting Friday evening. I found some rising fish on the Lower EB, all on Sulphurs. Saturday's guide trip had Austin and his girlfriend Krystina from Nebraska out. Austin brought his vast experience of fishing in a lot of different western waters to our area. He was very impressed with the wits of our fish. We got Krystina into her first trout ever doing some Czech Nymphing on the Lower EB. We moved up to the Upper EB where the water was a little warmer from the day before. The fish really responded with a great Sulphur hatch and spinner fall. Both of them connected on dries and brought fish to the net. Sunday Morning I had Jeff and Ethan out for a trip that I donated to Project Healing Waters. The trip was won by Jeff at the Orvis NYC Store. We got into fish on the Upper EB and Lower EB dry dropping with a Caddis Parachute with various nymph droppers. Hare and Coppers, and X Caddis got it done sub surface. We hunted fish in riffles, and the pools. We found some picky fish feeding on Midges on the Lower EB, and the guys did a great job connecting with size 20 dries! You know its a good day when you don't remember how many fish came to the net. Tom Zarecki had a trip Sunday afternoon, and they were able to get into a good amount of fish throwing small dries and nymphing. There is no better time to fish the Croton waters than right now. Get out when you can, be stealthy and find some active fish.
Ill be out with a lesson this week, and a trip up on the Housy on Saturday afternoon. The Housy is beginning to pick up with March Browns. Cahills, Caddis and Sulphurs. Tom reported this week that there were plenty of rising fish in the evening. The flows are still in the 1400 cfs range, and hopefully they continue to drop. I'm really looking for the Housy to fish well in June. Hopefully the water temps will stay low enough to get the whole month of good fishing in.
May 18-21, 2017 Seems like forever since I have reported. I have on field after field with my boys for baseball or lacrosse. The Sulphur hatch has started, and Spinners have started to fall. Sunday evening there was a very good Spinner Fall on the Upper EB. The flows were at 156 cfs, so the fish were more responsive on top. I got a bow in some riffles on a dry dropper. A bead head Sulphur Nymph was the ticket. The fish around the Watershed have definitely felt the pressure of fisherman this Spring. They are very leader shy, so go longer than you normally would 9-10 ft. I would recommend. A good reach cast in some heavier water is a must as well. The fish Sunday only wanted a size 14 Cream Spinner. They would hit nothing else, even though I saw Spinners from size 12 down to 18. Its is going to be interesting to see how long the Sulphurs go for. With the low flows in the Fall, lots of nymphs had to get caught in dry areas and die. I am still seeing Caddis, and Midges around as well. Look to fish the morning Caddis hatch, and the evening Sulphur hatch. Fish aren't rising everywhere, so move till you find some active fish. Nymphing with my normal arsenal has also been productive.
I had Brian out on the Housy for a guide trip on Sunday. He battled in some tougher conditions. We were greeting with flows on the high side and water that had some color to it. We moved a decent number of fish on streamers, and got a couple of trout and a smallie to the net. We did see a few march Browns, Cahills, and some Caddis. not many Caddis as one would think. We had better action above the State Park where the water had more clarity to it. We saw no fish rising. The water is dropping, and I am hoping the dry fly fishing begins to pick up as the water clears and drops. Brian and I will be back at it in a couple of weeks, hopefully hitting the trout on some dries.
The weather looks fishy with clouds and some rain. We should see some solid flows and water temperatures. I will be guiding 2 times this coming weekend locally. I'm looking for some good opportunities to get into some fish.
May 13, 2017 The recent rains have the rivers at high flows and off color. Look to the rivers dropping this week and clearing fast as we will have very warm temps and no rain. I got out a little bit Friday evening. I was greeted with Caddis, Midges, and some Cahills. Fish are definitely not feed as much on the surface because of the higher flows, so as the rivers drop look to get out for some dry fly action. If you dont see fish rising and hatches happening, look to drop some beadhead emergers off a dry. I would make sure you carry your spinner patterns, Cahills, March Browns, Sulphurs, and Caddis with you. I expect this week for things to really get going with bug soup.
The Housy is flowing at 3100 cfs, and dropping. I have a guide trip there Sunday, so stay tunes for a report.
May 5, 2017 Bryan had s very good guide trip this morning despite the high water and rainy weather. He reported that Phil was into fish all morning nymphing, dry dropping and throwing streamers. Bryan reported fish came on tan Czechs, Midge Emergers and Buggers. They worked very hard in tough conditions on the Upper EB. The flow is 240 cfs, and the temps are in the mid 50's. I got out this evening to do some scouting. The fish on the Upper EB are in the slower seams right below the heavy water. Use big weighted flies to get your offerings down. Hare and Coppers size 12 were the meal ticket while nymphing. I saw some Caddis and a lot of Midges flying around. I really moved around quickly trying to cover as much water as I could in a very short window. I hit fish in almost every spot. The water is a little off color, but its ok. As I type this, it is pouring, so it will rise and become a little more colored up. I went down to the lower EB and found fish rising to Midges and Caddis. The flows were at 60 cfs. I didnt see many bigger fish rising, so I would assume fishing for them sub surface. I threw X Caddis, and my Gray Midge Klink. A Dry dropper would have been good to try and get those sub surface feeders.
Look for the morning hours to produce Caddis hatches, and Midges too. They will thin out by the afternoon, and pick back up after 6 pm. Midges will be around as well. If you want to get into rising fish, look for the rivers that are at lower flows. The Upper EB, needs to drop down quite a bit to get those fish active feeding on top. It looks perfect to throw some streamers if that's your game. Czech nymphing and dry dropping are your best bets, as the fish are in every part of the water column.
The Housy is blown out, and fishing was very tough last Sunday as the flows were increasing. Once it drops, it should become steady. I will be doing a trip up there next Saturday, so hopefully I will have some good news! Have a great week, tight lines!
April 28, 2017 The nice weather in store for the weekend, should really get the bugs going. Look for Hendrickson spinner falls in the evenings on the Croton Watershed. The hatch is basically done during the day. We have caddis, tan and black, as well as midges flying around. Cloudy days will bring out the Olives. Fish are mostly responding sub surface with cased caddis, tan czechs, hare and coppers, green ice caddis, and midges. Look for the browns in the deeper holes, and bows in the shallower faster water. Dry droppers can be effective with a caddis dry, and a combo of nymphs. The Upper East still has very good flows and temps, and some of the smaller rivers, the flows are down. There really isnt a better time of the day to fish, so get out when you can. Im making my first Housy scouting trip Sunday.
April 23, 2017 This week the Hendricksons finally got going on the East Branch. Also fish were keyed in on tan and black caddis, as well at small Oilives on the cloudy, rainy days. I had Bob and Danny out Saturday and we were able to entice fish czech nymphing on hare and coppers, and tan czechs. Once the Hendricksons started we got them on parachutes, half and halves and hares ear emergers. We got many to the net, and lost a few big ones. We bounced around during the hatch and found willing fish in each hole we hit. Sunday morning I had Hunter and his son Ned out on the East Branch. We worked on our czech nymphing skills, and we were able to get a bunch to the net. Ned had the hot hand!! Fish were keyed in on green caddis larve. The air temp Sunday morning had the water temps colder then the previous days, and the fish were very lethargic in the morning. Look for very active fishing this week, and don't over look the B water. I have seen many people just walk over these spots, only to fish them myself or put clients in them and catch fish. Look for spinner falls in the evenings if there is not wind and it was a nice warm day.
April 13-17, 2017
The watershed is getting ready to explode. The flows are all coming down and temps are ranging from 45-49 degrees. I put a lot of miles on my boots scouting out the area. Right now there still are some stones, and Blue Quills flying about. I have seen a few Quill Gordons and even some Hendricksons. The Caddis have made there presence, but fish are not rising to them. Using larve patterns and emergers in czech nymph rigs has been very effective. Hare and coppers, black czechs and tan czechs have all taken fish. I have been playing with a new pattern, and it took a 16 inch brute! I had Yaacov and David out on Saturday, and we Czech nymphed up too many fish to count. The guys did a great job learning the technique and really worked the water hard. They were rewarded too!
I think the Hendricksons will be going off by this weekend depending on the weather. If the flows continue to drop, and the temps rise just a bit we could have some very good dry fly conditions! I have a trip on Saturday, and hopefully I can sneak out to look for Hendricksons this week.
April 9, 2017
Shop Guide Bryan and I hit the Lower EB to do some scouting. I wasnt sure how the water was going to be, but it did drop a lot from last night. We found some pods of stockies willing to eat. Flows were at 207 cfs, and the water temp was 46 degrees. We saw Blue Quils, stones migges, and even a few rouge caddis. Fish were keyed in on black czechs, tan czechs, golden stones, blue quill beadhead emergers, and cased caddis. The flows have a lot of different bugs in the drift. The key is definitely to find that medium-slow water, and get your drifts down. We czech nymphed today and lost A LOT of flies, but we had to be down. Another key was making sure you had a good tight presentation today in the heavy flow. Also finding water that had good clarity was key. We hit a couple of spots where the water was a little more murky, and they didn't produce as well. Fishing and wading was difficult, but we made the most of out opportunities.
Look for the flows to come down this week, and with the nice warm temps, the bug activity will increase. I think next weekend, things can really be swinging!
We had a poaching incident on the Upper EB on Saturday, please if you see poaching or any illegal activity, please call the DEP at 914-593-7500
April 2, 2017
Conditions were tough as most of the water was unfishable, but Shop Guide Bryan and I covered over 8 miles and get into out fair share of fish. We fished opposite areas of each river. We focused on water that was smaller, and clear. We wanted to take out the heavy flows. The water was very cold coming in at 38 degrees. Bryan reported that he found fish in deeper pools with soft current, and they were heavily concentrated. I found the same, and really tried to focus on really slow water and the softer seams. We found that the fish aren't moving very far to take flies, and work the water before you go on. Bryan even shortened up the tippet distance between his flies, and found that got him more takes. Fish came mostly Czech Nymphing, but I got a few on a black stone dry in a dry dropper rig. Tan czechs and black czechs were the popular choice, but fish also came on stones and gray zebra midges. I was able to get a beauty on an Olive Bugger fished in very slow water. Remember that right now we have catastrophic drift, so there is a lot of food in the drift! The weather doesn't look promising for Monday Night to Tuesday, hopefully some water moves through the system, and the flows come down. Blue Quills are out, but the water is too high for risers. We are still seeing midges. "You put in your time, you can get fish!" -Bryan C.
Opening Day Report
As the new season is about to begin, we are very fortunate to have the amount of water this spring as we have. We had better conditions this winter to fish than right now. Spring 2017 is going to start off with high, cold water, and nasty weather, but we should see good flows and good hatches this spring. As I write this, the forecast for this weekend looks dismal with up to one inch of rain for Friday-Saturday. All our rivers in the area are high and off color. My suggestion is to watch the flow charts over the next few days and into the weekend and find rivers that have had stable flows for better clarity. Look to fish the edges and softest seams. The fish will want to move out of the fast current, and conserve more energy. Small streamers, and Czech nymphing techniques are very effective in higher water, just make sure you get your flies down. Sink tips for your streamers will be a must. I would figure probably between 3-5 inches per second. These flows are going to create catastrophic drift, which will put every type of bug into the drift.
We have seen some solid hatches the past couple of weeks.
The midge hatch remains good, look for gray and black midges in size 20 and smaller. Zebra midge larve patterns in size 18-20 have been a staple, as well as blood midge larve in size 16. Also, Black and Brown Stones have been fluttering about. Nymph them close to the shore in the early mornings. We did see some Parleps (Blue Quills) last Saturday, and some today. I expect them to get going, but with the high flow focus on the nymphs and emergers. The current right now is too strong for risers. Dark hares ear nymphs in size 14-18, will cover you nymphing. Hendrickson (sz.14-16) and Olive (sz. 18-20) nymphs will be pushed into the drifts, so don’t neglect your favorite imitations. Pheasant tails, and hare and coppers will work great. The caddis are also getting ready to emerge, cased caddis and Ice caddis larve in tan, and green, and orange (Black Caddis) are good choices. My Black and Tan Czech nymphs in size 12 are also a good choice. You can even go up a size with the higher flows, and off color water.
I am excited for the new season to begin, please check back regularly for reports and updates. We are beginning to book trips, so if you want in on a certain hatch, or just have availability, please let us know. The Anglers Den is once again stocked up with my favorite go to patterns as well as a huge selection of flies. Please once again, if you see something that is not right on the watershed, please call it it, or send me an email! Good Luck this season, stay safe, and see you on the water!
Tight Lines!
Frank
March 26, 2017 Well the final pre season report, one week away from opening day here in NY. The EB is flowing high and cold. 189 cfs, and 37 degrees is keeping the trout down, but they are active. Yesterday we saw some gray midge activity, and even a small hatch of Blue Quills, size 18. Tom Z. had the hot hand yesterday getting some fish on his custom hares ear/mayfly imitation. He was fishing a single fly under an indicator. Today was much colder, and I didnt see any quills and little midge activity. I covered a lot of river from top to bottom, czech nymphing. I lost one on a gray zebra midge, and landed this nice brown on a hare and copper. he was just a hair under 18 inches. Hits have been either very light, or good smacks. I will post my Season Opening Best Bets and Tip later this week.
March 19, 2017 The sun definitely had a nice warm feel to it today. I got out late this afternoon. Water temps were still 39 degrees. Im afraid until all our snow melts, its going to stay around that number. I saw some small black stones, and even some bigger ones. Not too many midges out, but I was able to get a rising fish to hit a small klink midge dry. I nymphed up a solid trout on my golden stone nymph, and i got another to rise skating a black stone dry. The water on the EB is nice and clear and is running 130 cfs. Things look like they are going to shape up nicely for opening day in a couple of weeks. I will try and update the reports every Sunday night for the next few weeks, and hopefully twice a week after that. Remember the Anglers Den will still have many of my goto patterns in stock this season!
March 6-12, 2017 February was an excellent month, however march has been slow. Sodom is spilling keeping the flows up, but the temperature of the water is a cold 38 degrees. Fish seem to be holding closer to the bottom, but you can find one here or there feeding on the surface. Small and Brown stones are active as well as small gray midges. The water does have a greenish tint to it as well. Lots of people have been out. Hopefully the water warms while the flows are up, the fishing will kick into gear! Move around till you find active fish!
February 12, 2017 The first report of the season! The flows in the watershed have been excellent! The East Branch has been at a great flow and the fish are really thriving. On sunny warmer days, you will find Gray Midge activity and the fish are tuned into them. If you don't see any rising fish, fish a pupa on a dropper about 18-24 inches below the surface. I have found some fish in slower water, and czech nymphing has been a good option. Hit are very soft, and the slightest movement on the indicator, set the hook. Hare and Coppers with a gray zebra midge are they way to go. I have also heard reports of people using some stone fly nymphs. I really hope that the flows continue, as it will greatly improve the fishing this spring. All the fish pictured above have been from the last two trips out.
September 23, 2017 Last Saturday's trip to the Housy with our TIC Coordinator Ihor and his Son in Law Jose went very well. We got fish on streamers, nymphing, and dries. We saw some October Caddis, small Olives, and Cahill Spinners just before Dark. Fish took Hare and Coppers, Lightning Bugs, and October Caddis Larve. The river should fish very well over the next month.
September 9, 2017 Got out yesterday for a local trip with Matt. He did a great job learning some new techniques. We were able to get into fish czech nymphing and dry dropping. We found fish in slower riffles and some deeper cuts. There were some fish rising, looking like they were oppertunistically feeding. We saw some Olives, Summer Stenos, Caddis, and Midges. Fish came on hare and coppers, olive nymphs, gray midge pupa, and caddis parachutes. The water on the Upoper EB is still at 48 cfs, but the Lower EB is flowing at 80 cfs. Temps are great. They key to getting into fish was changing techniques and adjust where we were fishing in the water column.
We will be joining the DEP in their annual Clean Up day on October 1 from 12pm-3pm. We will be targeting the Lower EB and West Branches. We will meet at noon in Croton Falls right at the end of Stonleigh Ave.
September 3, 2017 The Summers go by so fast, but the only thing about going back to work is that the Fall fishing is great! Big Browns, Steelhead, and cold days are right around the corner. Locally all of our flows remain low. The rain today bumped them up slightly, and even stained some. The temperatures are very good, some rivers are in the upper 50's! A huge thank you to all my Croton TU guys who helped out with reporting water temperatures this month! We will have to see what the situation up in the Catskills does to our flows. Hopefully the Decree Parties can work out an agreement. It's a shame to all who rely on the Catskill Rivers to provide for their families to not be able to work because water flows cant be worked out. I had Nelson and his son out for a trip on Saturday morning. The fish were not too cooperative as action was very slow. The air temperature when we started out was 45 degrees! The cold temps kept the bugs asleep all morning. No bug action, no fish action. One thing I have learned is that even if there only are some midge action, the fish will feed. They almost completely shut down when there is no activity. We worked on their Czech Nymphing techniques and they are ready to target some active fish next time out. I hit the water Sunday evening for a little bit. I was able to Czech nymph up some fish on hare and coppers, and gray midge larve. I hit a lot of different holes and I was able to get a mix of bows and browns, and both browns were smaller wild fish!. I saw some Olives and Midges, and even a few Stenos. I feel the hare and coppers are doing a good job imitating the Steno nymphs. One negative is that I am seeing more than a fair share of worm containers. Some of the areas where they were were void of fish that were filled last week!
I would focus fishing late morning through the evening, using nymphs, dry dropping with midges and caddis. Hit every water type and move around. Think small flies!! If you want dry action, long 10-12 ft. leaders to 6 or 7x is a must. If you don't see anything rising, throw a small beetle or an ant. Our fall bugs should become more consistent as we move further into September. The Stenos could give very good dry fly action at dark. Remember this is a great time to really look for deeper holes, and obstructions in the water like rocks, logs, etc. Remember where they are, so in higher flows, they will become holding lies!
We will be joining the DEP in their annual Clean Up day on October 1 from 12pm-3pm. We will be targeting the Lower EB and West Branches. More info to follow!
I got up to the Housy on Saturday Evening. The water is low, but cold! The CT DEEP dumped in its Fall allotment of fish. Lots of bugs became meals for hungry fish. Small Olives sz 18 and smaller, Iso's, and Cahills were on the menu. There were also a good amount of spinners. I got into Browns, and Smallies. I have a few trips coming up there in the next month and a half, so more detailed reports will follow as I work both TMA's. The Thermal Refuge Areas will open again on September 16.
I took a rare evening trip up to the Catskills this past week, running into lots of rising fish. Fish came on Midges, and smaller Stenos. I just was dry fly fishing, and I got to help my new friend Bill out netting his 20 inch Brown! I hope I'm still fishing when I am his age! I was happy for him, as his dwarfed my 18 inch trout! A very cool moment for him.
Email me for fall trips! Tom will be on the oars this fall up in the Catskills, don't miss out on the great fall fishing up there! Bryan, Tom and I will be working on foot locally as well.
August 27, 2017 The nice cool nights have helped all of our waters stay cooler than in previous summers. Some rain would be nice to raise the flows a bit. The Upper East Branch is seeing the most activity as small tan caddis, and midges continue to dominate the insect activity. Summer Steno nymphs are in the water, and they are emerging in the evenings. We should see spinners very soon. The fish are still in shallow riffles, so fish them before you walk in them. Dry dropping and czech nymphing have been the most effective methods. Hare and copper nymphs size 14 and 16 are catching the most fish. JuJu Baetis and JuJu midges are also getting fish. Try your beetles and ants, especially in that faster water and in shady areas. Still use your thermometers when fishing. As we move into September look for some fish to come up from the reservoirs.
We will be joining the DEP in their annual Clean Up day on October 1 from 12pm-3pm. We will be targeting the Lower EB and West Branches. More info to follow!
The Housy is still fishing very well for smallies, and the trout have been mixed in. Target the early mornings for trout. Look for Iso and stone fly nymphs to be most effective. The smaller Olives wont be too far behind. The Housy will continue to improve as the temps drop. I love dry dropping the faster water with an Iso dry and two dropper nymphs. Usually a hare and copper, and either a green caddis or black czech nymph. I will be on the water up there this weekend guiding. .
The Farmington is still a great option. Nymphing with small nymphs in the size 18-20 range remains your best bets. The evenings are seeing fis rise on small Olives size 22-6, and Summer Stenos size 16. Stay until dark! I had a great evening up there last week!
We are entering a great time to fish, so get out when you can!
iAugust 12, 2017 Its been a great summer so far for me, but now its back to our local waters for what is shaping up to be a goof fall. Locally in the Watershed, the Upper EB, and Amawalk are about the only two fishable rivers. They are still nice and cold, but remain low. The Lower EB, has warmed up to 68-70 degrees, and is too warm to fish. Bryan and I had orvis Darien's 301 Class out on Saturday Morning. The guys were working their dry dropping techniques. They locked onto a lot of fish and got some to the net. Fish came on olive two bit hookers size 20, gray midge larve sz 20 and JuJu Baetis sz 18. We got into fish in slower water and the fast riffles. The key is to get the flies to where the fish are feeding. in this shallow water, the fish are actually hugging the bottom. We did see some small caddis, and Midges flying around this morning.
Earlier in the week I got to czech nymph up some using Olive Two Bit Hookers, and Hare and Coppers. I started to use the Rio Euro Nymph leader, which I really liked. It turned over the lighter flies with ease and I was able to cast it a reach some spots a little farther away. I ran 5 ft. of 5x tippet to my 6x dropper tippet. Fish were in the faster water, and hit usually came on the first few casts. If i didn't get any hit after about 10 casts, I moved to the next hole.
Im looking for the weather to hopefully keep the action going. Hopefully the Summer Stenos will be coming soon, and the evenings will give us some good midge dry action. As the other rivers become fishable, I will report it here, so check back weekly.
The Housy is fishing well for smallies, and I am looking forward to it fishing real well for trout this fall. After the thermal refuge areas open on September 17, I think the weather will have the fish moving.
Tom Z has been on a Mousing mission on the Upper Delaware, contact me or the shop to set up a night trip with him!
We will be starting to book for the fall soon, so get in on prime time dates!!!
June 29, 2017 The week started with lessons with Alex on the Upper EB. We hit a good flow of 100 cfs, but warmer temps from the spillage. We saw an occasional caddis and some midges. We were dry dropping with caddies dries, and various droppers. We got some fish to dance on the dries, and we finally landed a nice brown for his first trout. This one hit the dropper, hare and copper. Tom had clients out on Sunday as well. They ran into fish on hares ear nymphs, and missed a few more on caddis dries. They worked the Upper and Lower EB. The Lower was low, and crowded. I was out and about Wednesday morning on the Upper EB. I saw hardly any bugs, and the bright sunshine and cold, ow flows had the fish on lock jaw. I did manage a few bows dry dropping in some faster water. I had one fish swipe at a small caddis dry. The flows were about 60 cfs, and the water was in the mid 50's. It looks like we are back at out 45 cfs release, but at least the water is cold. The rest of the rivers on the watershed are low as well, and the temps vary, so use your thermometer. I would say first light till about 9 am or so is a good time to fish as well as the late evening. Im not seeing the smaller caddis of July yet. Try and find some active fish with midge, caddis and terrestials on top, and nymph the faster runs with czechs, hare and coppers, midge and caddis larve in size 16-20.
The Housy is fishing in summer mode. Look to find smallies on streamers, and larger nymphs. The flow is mid 500 cfs, and temps creep to 70 plus in the late afternoons. Im booking trips for smallies now! Think White Flies in late July early August!
June 11, 2017 This heat the next couple of days will definitely raise the water temps, as the flows in the watershed are dropping to more normal levels. This week started out good with Lou having his second lesson. He managed his first trout on the fly sticking a bunch on dries. He really worked on his presentation, and Sulphur Cripples got fish to the net. What I was most happy about was that he went right back out a couple of days later and brought three fish tot he net, and he lost a good one too! Its great that he was able to apply what he learned to get fish on his own! Brian had Quinn out on Saturday for a trip. She worked very hard and got some fish to the net. She really enjoyed coming up and fishing the local rivers. Brian said that dry dropping was very successful with Caddis and midges. They also used some Sulphur emergers and soft hackles. I snuck out Saturday evening on the Upper EB, and got a few fish on Caddis. There was a good hatch for about 30 minutes. I tried to concentrate on some riffles where the bugs were emerging. My X Caddis pattern brought the fish to the net. I was dissapointed that I didn't see any Sulphurs or Spinners where I was fishing. Look for the Sulphurs to start to thin out as we move forward. Summer fishing conditions will be right around the corner. Small Tan Caddis in the mornings and evenings, and midges in between. Look to use smaller nymphs sz. 16-20. Please check the water temps over the next few days and as we move into July.
June 3, 2017 Brian hammered this beauty of a brown on our trip Saturday Evening on a Sulphur half and half!
We worked the Housy again, and we put in a lot of work finding some fish, and a lot of patience waiting for the Sulphurs and bugs to start. We got a mix of Smallies and Trout and the occasional fall fish nymphing, swinging, and throwing dries. The fish are looking up and look for them in feeding lanes where the current is bringing the bugs. We used hare and coppers, golden stones, and various types of Sulphur Nymphs fished throughout the water column. We saw March Browns, Caddis, and even small Olives on the water.
Locally the Sulphurs are going strong, and the Spinners are very good. The flows are dropping, and the fish are becoming more weary of angler presence. Nymphing, dry dropping continue to bring fish to the net, and don't forget to throw some midges. If you see small sipping rises, look for those fish to be feeding on midges. The late evening bite has been the best, but don't neglect the mornings.
May 26-28, 2017 The weather wasn't great for BBQ's and swimming, but the fish really enjoyed the overcast, and chilly rainy conditions. The weekend started with some scouting Friday evening. I found some rising fish on the Lower EB, all on Sulphurs. Saturday's guide trip had Austin and his girlfriend Krystina from Nebraska out. Austin brought his vast experience of fishing in a lot of different western waters to our area. He was very impressed with the wits of our fish. We got Krystina into her first trout ever doing some Czech Nymphing on the Lower EB. We moved up to the Upper EB where the water was a little warmer from the day before. The fish really responded with a great Sulphur hatch and spinner fall. Both of them connected on dries and brought fish to the net. Sunday Morning I had Jeff and Ethan out for a trip that I donated to Project Healing Waters. The trip was won by Jeff at the Orvis NYC Store. We got into fish on the Upper EB and Lower EB dry dropping with a Caddis Parachute with various nymph droppers. Hare and Coppers, and X Caddis got it done sub surface. We hunted fish in riffles, and the pools. We found some picky fish feeding on Midges on the Lower EB, and the guys did a great job connecting with size 20 dries! You know its a good day when you don't remember how many fish came to the net. Tom Zarecki had a trip Sunday afternoon, and they were able to get into a good amount of fish throwing small dries and nymphing. There is no better time to fish the Croton waters than right now. Get out when you can, be stealthy and find some active fish.
Ill be out with a lesson this week, and a trip up on the Housy on Saturday afternoon. The Housy is beginning to pick up with March Browns. Cahills, Caddis and Sulphurs. Tom reported this week that there were plenty of rising fish in the evening. The flows are still in the 1400 cfs range, and hopefully they continue to drop. I'm really looking for the Housy to fish well in June. Hopefully the water temps will stay low enough to get the whole month of good fishing in.
May 18-21, 2017 Seems like forever since I have reported. I have on field after field with my boys for baseball or lacrosse. The Sulphur hatch has started, and Spinners have started to fall. Sunday evening there was a very good Spinner Fall on the Upper EB. The flows were at 156 cfs, so the fish were more responsive on top. I got a bow in some riffles on a dry dropper. A bead head Sulphur Nymph was the ticket. The fish around the Watershed have definitely felt the pressure of fisherman this Spring. They are very leader shy, so go longer than you normally would 9-10 ft. I would recommend. A good reach cast in some heavier water is a must as well. The fish Sunday only wanted a size 14 Cream Spinner. They would hit nothing else, even though I saw Spinners from size 12 down to 18. Its is going to be interesting to see how long the Sulphurs go for. With the low flows in the Fall, lots of nymphs had to get caught in dry areas and die. I am still seeing Caddis, and Midges around as well. Look to fish the morning Caddis hatch, and the evening Sulphur hatch. Fish aren't rising everywhere, so move till you find some active fish. Nymphing with my normal arsenal has also been productive.
I had Brian out on the Housy for a guide trip on Sunday. He battled in some tougher conditions. We were greeting with flows on the high side and water that had some color to it. We moved a decent number of fish on streamers, and got a couple of trout and a smallie to the net. We did see a few march Browns, Cahills, and some Caddis. not many Caddis as one would think. We had better action above the State Park where the water had more clarity to it. We saw no fish rising. The water is dropping, and I am hoping the dry fly fishing begins to pick up as the water clears and drops. Brian and I will be back at it in a couple of weeks, hopefully hitting the trout on some dries.
The weather looks fishy with clouds and some rain. We should see some solid flows and water temperatures. I will be guiding 2 times this coming weekend locally. I'm looking for some good opportunities to get into some fish.
May 13, 2017 The recent rains have the rivers at high flows and off color. Look to the rivers dropping this week and clearing fast as we will have very warm temps and no rain. I got out a little bit Friday evening. I was greeted with Caddis, Midges, and some Cahills. Fish are definitely not feed as much on the surface because of the higher flows, so as the rivers drop look to get out for some dry fly action. If you dont see fish rising and hatches happening, look to drop some beadhead emergers off a dry. I would make sure you carry your spinner patterns, Cahills, March Browns, Sulphurs, and Caddis with you. I expect this week for things to really get going with bug soup.
The Housy is flowing at 3100 cfs, and dropping. I have a guide trip there Sunday, so stay tunes for a report.
May 5, 2017 Bryan had s very good guide trip this morning despite the high water and rainy weather. He reported that Phil was into fish all morning nymphing, dry dropping and throwing streamers. Bryan reported fish came on tan Czechs, Midge Emergers and Buggers. They worked very hard in tough conditions on the Upper EB. The flow is 240 cfs, and the temps are in the mid 50's. I got out this evening to do some scouting. The fish on the Upper EB are in the slower seams right below the heavy water. Use big weighted flies to get your offerings down. Hare and Coppers size 12 were the meal ticket while nymphing. I saw some Caddis and a lot of Midges flying around. I really moved around quickly trying to cover as much water as I could in a very short window. I hit fish in almost every spot. The water is a little off color, but its ok. As I type this, it is pouring, so it will rise and become a little more colored up. I went down to the lower EB and found fish rising to Midges and Caddis. The flows were at 60 cfs. I didnt see many bigger fish rising, so I would assume fishing for them sub surface. I threw X Caddis, and my Gray Midge Klink. A Dry dropper would have been good to try and get those sub surface feeders.
Look for the morning hours to produce Caddis hatches, and Midges too. They will thin out by the afternoon, and pick back up after 6 pm. Midges will be around as well. If you want to get into rising fish, look for the rivers that are at lower flows. The Upper EB, needs to drop down quite a bit to get those fish active feeding on top. It looks perfect to throw some streamers if that's your game. Czech nymphing and dry dropping are your best bets, as the fish are in every part of the water column.
The Housy is blown out, and fishing was very tough last Sunday as the flows were increasing. Once it drops, it should become steady. I will be doing a trip up there next Saturday, so hopefully I will have some good news! Have a great week, tight lines!
April 28, 2017 The nice weather in store for the weekend, should really get the bugs going. Look for Hendrickson spinner falls in the evenings on the Croton Watershed. The hatch is basically done during the day. We have caddis, tan and black, as well as midges flying around. Cloudy days will bring out the Olives. Fish are mostly responding sub surface with cased caddis, tan czechs, hare and coppers, green ice caddis, and midges. Look for the browns in the deeper holes, and bows in the shallower faster water. Dry droppers can be effective with a caddis dry, and a combo of nymphs. The Upper East still has very good flows and temps, and some of the smaller rivers, the flows are down. There really isnt a better time of the day to fish, so get out when you can. Im making my first Housy scouting trip Sunday.
April 23, 2017 This week the Hendricksons finally got going on the East Branch. Also fish were keyed in on tan and black caddis, as well at small Oilives on the cloudy, rainy days. I had Bob and Danny out Saturday and we were able to entice fish czech nymphing on hare and coppers, and tan czechs. Once the Hendricksons started we got them on parachutes, half and halves and hares ear emergers. We got many to the net, and lost a few big ones. We bounced around during the hatch and found willing fish in each hole we hit. Sunday morning I had Hunter and his son Ned out on the East Branch. We worked on our czech nymphing skills, and we were able to get a bunch to the net. Ned had the hot hand!! Fish were keyed in on green caddis larve. The air temp Sunday morning had the water temps colder then the previous days, and the fish were very lethargic in the morning. Look for very active fishing this week, and don't over look the B water. I have seen many people just walk over these spots, only to fish them myself or put clients in them and catch fish. Look for spinner falls in the evenings if there is not wind and it was a nice warm day.
April 13-17, 2017
The watershed is getting ready to explode. The flows are all coming down and temps are ranging from 45-49 degrees. I put a lot of miles on my boots scouting out the area. Right now there still are some stones, and Blue Quills flying about. I have seen a few Quill Gordons and even some Hendricksons. The Caddis have made there presence, but fish are not rising to them. Using larve patterns and emergers in czech nymph rigs has been very effective. Hare and coppers, black czechs and tan czechs have all taken fish. I have been playing with a new pattern, and it took a 16 inch brute! I had Yaacov and David out on Saturday, and we Czech nymphed up too many fish to count. The guys did a great job learning the technique and really worked the water hard. They were rewarded too!
I think the Hendricksons will be going off by this weekend depending on the weather. If the flows continue to drop, and the temps rise just a bit we could have some very good dry fly conditions! I have a trip on Saturday, and hopefully I can sneak out to look for Hendricksons this week.
April 9, 2017
Shop Guide Bryan and I hit the Lower EB to do some scouting. I wasnt sure how the water was going to be, but it did drop a lot from last night. We found some pods of stockies willing to eat. Flows were at 207 cfs, and the water temp was 46 degrees. We saw Blue Quils, stones migges, and even a few rouge caddis. Fish were keyed in on black czechs, tan czechs, golden stones, blue quill beadhead emergers, and cased caddis. The flows have a lot of different bugs in the drift. The key is definitely to find that medium-slow water, and get your drifts down. We czech nymphed today and lost A LOT of flies, but we had to be down. Another key was making sure you had a good tight presentation today in the heavy flow. Also finding water that had good clarity was key. We hit a couple of spots where the water was a little more murky, and they didn't produce as well. Fishing and wading was difficult, but we made the most of out opportunities.
Look for the flows to come down this week, and with the nice warm temps, the bug activity will increase. I think next weekend, things can really be swinging!
We had a poaching incident on the Upper EB on Saturday, please if you see poaching or any illegal activity, please call the DEP at 914-593-7500
April 2, 2017
Conditions were tough as most of the water was unfishable, but Shop Guide Bryan and I covered over 8 miles and get into out fair share of fish. We fished opposite areas of each river. We focused on water that was smaller, and clear. We wanted to take out the heavy flows. The water was very cold coming in at 38 degrees. Bryan reported that he found fish in deeper pools with soft current, and they were heavily concentrated. I found the same, and really tried to focus on really slow water and the softer seams. We found that the fish aren't moving very far to take flies, and work the water before you go on. Bryan even shortened up the tippet distance between his flies, and found that got him more takes. Fish came mostly Czech Nymphing, but I got a few on a black stone dry in a dry dropper rig. Tan czechs and black czechs were the popular choice, but fish also came on stones and gray zebra midges. I was able to get a beauty on an Olive Bugger fished in very slow water. Remember that right now we have catastrophic drift, so there is a lot of food in the drift! The weather doesn't look promising for Monday Night to Tuesday, hopefully some water moves through the system, and the flows come down. Blue Quills are out, but the water is too high for risers. We are still seeing midges. "You put in your time, you can get fish!" -Bryan C.
Opening Day Report
As the new season is about to begin, we are very fortunate to have the amount of water this spring as we have. We had better conditions this winter to fish than right now. Spring 2017 is going to start off with high, cold water, and nasty weather, but we should see good flows and good hatches this spring. As I write this, the forecast for this weekend looks dismal with up to one inch of rain for Friday-Saturday. All our rivers in the area are high and off color. My suggestion is to watch the flow charts over the next few days and into the weekend and find rivers that have had stable flows for better clarity. Look to fish the edges and softest seams. The fish will want to move out of the fast current, and conserve more energy. Small streamers, and Czech nymphing techniques are very effective in higher water, just make sure you get your flies down. Sink tips for your streamers will be a must. I would figure probably between 3-5 inches per second. These flows are going to create catastrophic drift, which will put every type of bug into the drift.
We have seen some solid hatches the past couple of weeks.
The midge hatch remains good, look for gray and black midges in size 20 and smaller. Zebra midge larve patterns in size 18-20 have been a staple, as well as blood midge larve in size 16. Also, Black and Brown Stones have been fluttering about. Nymph them close to the shore in the early mornings. We did see some Parleps (Blue Quills) last Saturday, and some today. I expect them to get going, but with the high flow focus on the nymphs and emergers. The current right now is too strong for risers. Dark hares ear nymphs in size 14-18, will cover you nymphing. Hendrickson (sz.14-16) and Olive (sz. 18-20) nymphs will be pushed into the drifts, so don’t neglect your favorite imitations. Pheasant tails, and hare and coppers will work great. The caddis are also getting ready to emerge, cased caddis and Ice caddis larve in tan, and green, and orange (Black Caddis) are good choices. My Black and Tan Czech nymphs in size 12 are also a good choice. You can even go up a size with the higher flows, and off color water.
I am excited for the new season to begin, please check back regularly for reports and updates. We are beginning to book trips, so if you want in on a certain hatch, or just have availability, please let us know. The Anglers Den is once again stocked up with my favorite go to patterns as well as a huge selection of flies. Please once again, if you see something that is not right on the watershed, please call it it, or send me an email! Good Luck this season, stay safe, and see you on the water!
Tight Lines!
Frank
March 26, 2017 Well the final pre season report, one week away from opening day here in NY. The EB is flowing high and cold. 189 cfs, and 37 degrees is keeping the trout down, but they are active. Yesterday we saw some gray midge activity, and even a small hatch of Blue Quills, size 18. Tom Z. had the hot hand yesterday getting some fish on his custom hares ear/mayfly imitation. He was fishing a single fly under an indicator. Today was much colder, and I didnt see any quills and little midge activity. I covered a lot of river from top to bottom, czech nymphing. I lost one on a gray zebra midge, and landed this nice brown on a hare and copper. he was just a hair under 18 inches. Hits have been either very light, or good smacks. I will post my Season Opening Best Bets and Tip later this week.
March 19, 2017 The sun definitely had a nice warm feel to it today. I got out late this afternoon. Water temps were still 39 degrees. Im afraid until all our snow melts, its going to stay around that number. I saw some small black stones, and even some bigger ones. Not too many midges out, but I was able to get a rising fish to hit a small klink midge dry. I nymphed up a solid trout on my golden stone nymph, and i got another to rise skating a black stone dry. The water on the EB is nice and clear and is running 130 cfs. Things look like they are going to shape up nicely for opening day in a couple of weeks. I will try and update the reports every Sunday night for the next few weeks, and hopefully twice a week after that. Remember the Anglers Den will still have many of my goto patterns in stock this season!
March 6-12, 2017 February was an excellent month, however march has been slow. Sodom is spilling keeping the flows up, but the temperature of the water is a cold 38 degrees. Fish seem to be holding closer to the bottom, but you can find one here or there feeding on the surface. Small and Brown stones are active as well as small gray midges. The water does have a greenish tint to it as well. Lots of people have been out. Hopefully the water warms while the flows are up, the fishing will kick into gear! Move around till you find active fish!
February 12, 2017 The first report of the season! The flows in the watershed have been excellent! The East Branch has been at a great flow and the fish are really thriving. On sunny warmer days, you will find Gray Midge activity and the fish are tuned into them. If you don't see any rising fish, fish a pupa on a dropper about 18-24 inches below the surface. I have found some fish in slower water, and czech nymphing has been a good option. Hit are very soft, and the slightest movement on the indicator, set the hook. Hare and Coppers with a gray zebra midge are they way to go. I have also heard reports of people using some stone fly nymphs. I really hope that the flows continue, as it will greatly improve the fishing this spring. All the fish pictured above have been from the last two trips out.
Meat Eating Brown!
Bryan's Beauty Wild Brown!
New pattern took this brown in some really heavy water!
|
|
11/18/16 Locally things are settling into cold weather fishing mode. Fish are feeding less on the surface, but you will find some fish on top on a nice sunny day. Small midge nymphs and hare and coppers are taking fish sub surface. Small buggers and egg patterns are also working nicely. Thank you to all who have supported this site, and the Angler's Den. Thank you for taking trips with us this season, and we look forward to having you back on the water next season!
10/11/16 The local Croton Watershed is winding down its season, with all the rivers close on October 16, except for the Upper East Branch. Our guide trips this past weekend were successful, with fish coming nymphing and on the surface. Bryan reported Olives, Small Tan Caddis, and Midges in Black, Tan, and Gray are still going. The fish are actively feeding in all types of water, and his clients took full advantage! Hot flies continue to be hare and coppers, small PT Nymphs, Caddis larve, Midge larve and dries, and loop wing emergers. Olive nymphs are also working well. The weather report looks good for the this week. We have some trips going out this weekend, so stay tuned!
10/4/16 **UPDATED Locally the fishing has remained good. The fish are feeding on small midges, Caddis and Blue Wing Olives. They key is to locate active fish, and an area where the bugs are hatching. Czech nymphing, dry droppers, and dries have all taken fish. The weather temperature changes have kept the bug situation in flux. Warmer temps this week should not help. Remember the West Branch is closed, and the rest of the rivers close on October 16, except for the upper East Branch. Check you license as well!
Tonight I got out for a little while with our newest guide Bryan and his Dad Joe. We were scouting out some areas for upcoming trips, and fish came on small pheasant tail nymphs, small Olive nymphs, my Black Midge dry, and small loop wing emergers. The fish were very active tonight as we saw some small Caddis, Midges, some Summer Stenos, and Olives. Fish were feeding in the riffles, and pools.
The Housy action has picked up with the lower water temps, and recent stocking. Reports from the shop have been very positive with Olives, October Caddis, Tan Caddis, Iso's and the tail end of the Summer Stenos. Flows are still very low. The Farmington continues to produce fish, however, the fish have been worked over and are very picky.
9/20/16 The fishing continues to be solid on the Croton. We are seeing small caddis, midges, a few olives, and the tail end of the summer stenos. Evenings in some areas have brought some spinner falls. Fish have come on czech nymphing, dry-droppers, and just one dry. Look for fish to be actively feeding in riffles and pools, as well as the deeper slower holes. Sight fishing is also an option and a lot of fun. If you are seeing fish refuse your surface offerings, drop down to the dreaded 7x. We had to do this the other day and our hook up rate increased, and we were able to get fish to the net. Any time of the day can be good, as long as you find some bugs and active fish.
The Farmington continues to produce fish. Small caddis, Iso's, and Summer Stenos are the main hatches. Look to nymph with small nymphs size 18-22.
9/4/16 The cooler weather has gotten the fish and bugs more active. The fish are opportunistically feeding on whats available. There are some caddis around in the mornings and evenings, some Summer Stenos in the evenings, midges, and terrestrials around. We have taken fish on hare and coppers, caddis larve, ants, and midge larve and pupae. Czech nymphing is a very good option. If you are throwing dries, long leaders 9-12 ft down to 6x is a must. Pay attention to how the fish are rising, and that will give you an indication of what fly to use. Water temps have been good, but the end of next week we are supposed to get hot again, so we will have to see what that does to the temps.
September 1, 2016 Locally the weather is starting to cool down and this has helped the bug situation. The midges are out in full force in the evenings. Try gray, cream, and black in size 20 and smaller. Give the fish a couple of seconds to eat the fly on the surface or you will just pull these small flies right out of their mouth. I have seen a few Olives around as well. The fish are becoming more active, and hopefully we will see some more water as we are supposed to get rain this weekend. Look to find some active fish in the riffles as well as the deeper holes. The pools are seeing rising fish in the evenings as well. Dry droppers and czech nymph rigs have been all catching fish.
8/18/16 Things locally on the slow side. You need to cover ground, change techniques, and find holes. The Upper East Branch is still flowing low at 47 cfs. The mornings are your best bet. water temps are still good from the upper 50's to lower 60's. I was out this morning hoping to see some Olives with the cloudy rainy weather, but I didn't see any. Fish are feeding on very small size 20 and smaller midges on the surface and below. I have been using a dry dropper with a caddis or ant on the surface, and dropping a size 16 hare and copper with a black or olive zebra midge. The fish have shown some interest in the terrestrials, but the hare and copper and zebra midge has taken the fish. I did czech nymph up some fish as well. If you cam find some holes in faster water stand downstream, and be stealthy. The evenings have been slow. The Lower EB has a very good flow of 77 cfs. The temps are in the low 60's, and it is clearing. I got into fish on small woolly buggers in white, and olive as well as czech nymphing up some. Fish were sipping tonight on midge emergers. Even with the higher water, they are very spooky. I saw quite a few ants on a lot of the stream side plants, so they are an option as well. All of our fish have been very pressured, take your time moving around and do some watching before you get in the water and even cast.
8/5-8/9/16 **Updated 8/9!!! This past week has been busy. I started the week with a trip on the Housy for smallies with Marty and Lloyd. We were able to hit double digits in smallies, covering lots of water. Most were small, but we did manage a couple over a pound. All in all a great day with two very cool guys. I had Sammy and his son out for some smallie action on Sunday 8/7. They landed too many to count, we fished below Gaylordsville Dam to try and get away from the tubers and people.
I have been out scouting out the local waters of the East Branch. First light till about 10 am seems to give you the best shot at fish. Lots of midges around, size 20 and smaller. I was able to sight fish a few fish this morning, long leaders and stealth are the keys. Try and find a fish that is actively feeding, then figure out size and color. I was able to hit three with he same size 22 gray midge pupae, but i found one active fish, and he only peeked at it a few times. Dry droppers have produced results, try dropping a very small zebra midge. The evenings have been hit or miss depending on where you are fishing. I ran into two guys and they fished a few spots and got nothing, and I spoke to someone else who got some in another location. Very small ants, size 20 and smaller have also been working. I did see more action later in the week in the mid section of the river. Small cream, and gray midges had some fish feeding on the surface right before dark. Tonight my custom gray midge had my friend Mike and I doubled up on the first cast we each took with those midges! The rising fish did not hang around too long this evening. Dry dropping a small size 18 hare and copper got one, and I managed a couple on cream midges on the surface. Not sure if we are going to see any Iso's this year, but one could hope! Look for the Olives to become more active as we move along, and especially in September. The next few days looks like some rain, get out and fish!!!! Tight Lines!
7/31/16 Farmington River
I went up to the Farmy a couple of times this week despite the low water and hot weather. The river is still very cold and has olives, Summer caddis, Tan caddis, Iso's, Terrestrials, and midges all taking fish. A number of techniques and flies took fish in all types of water. The fish are very aware, so stealth is very important while wading and with your leaders. Hatches are early mornings, and evenings, but the mid day bite is solid if you know where to fish.
7/26/16 Reports Updated!
Its been over a month since I have been home on a consistent basis, and I have logged over 7,000 miles this summer so far! My travels have taken me to St. Marten for Tarpon, South Carolina for Redfish with Capt. Jeff Lettig and Living Waters Guide Service, and Colorado for some fishing and hang time with my brother Mike. All of the places treated me well with Tarpon, Speckled Sea Trout, Flounder, Smallies, Rainbows, Browns, and even Cutthroat trout on the fly and or spin.
So this morning I headed out to the Croton to do some recon during the mid morning hours. The EB is at 49 cfs, and is a nice 56 degrees. The Lower EB is 50 cfs, and is running dirty, but is still at 60 degrees. I didn't see any fish rising and only some midges and a few caddis were flying about. I did get a rainbow czech nymphing a shallow run, and pricked another one in the same type of water. This is the lull in the action as the hot days lead to hot nights. The fish are very lethargic, and with the few bugs around they are just not very active. Im going to say that your best shots are first light for about 2 hours, and then again in the evenings. If you want to throw dries, small ants and beetles, size 16 and smaller, could get some attention, and midge patterns size 20 and smaller. Overcast cloudy mornings could start bringing out the tiny olives as well. Czech nymphs in black and tan, hare and coppers, small olives, and any other small mayfly nymphs in size 18 and smaller should be on your go to list. Think small, and 6x tippet, and practice your ninja stealth! I am going to hit the water one evening this week, so reports to follow.
I did get to the Housy last week for smallies. They action was ok, I think the murky water from the rain kept the bite down. Wooley buggers in black, white, and other small streams got the attention of some fish. I have some smallie trips in the next week coming up on the Housy, so stay tuned.
10/4/16 **UPDATED Locally the fishing has remained good. The fish are feeding on small midges, Caddis and Blue Wing Olives. They key is to locate active fish, and an area where the bugs are hatching. Czech nymphing, dry droppers, and dries have all taken fish. The weather temperature changes have kept the bug situation in flux. Warmer temps this week should not help. Remember the West Branch is closed, and the rest of the rivers close on October 16, except for the upper East Branch. Check you license as well!
Tonight I got out for a little while with our newest guide Bryan and his Dad Joe. We were scouting out some areas for upcoming trips, and fish came on small pheasant tail nymphs, small Olive nymphs, my Black Midge dry, and small loop wing emergers. The fish were very active tonight as we saw some small Caddis, Midges, some Summer Stenos, and Olives. Fish were feeding in the riffles, and pools.
The Housy action has picked up with the lower water temps, and recent stocking. Reports from the shop have been very positive with Olives, October Caddis, Tan Caddis, Iso's and the tail end of the Summer Stenos. Flows are still very low. The Farmington continues to produce fish, however, the fish have been worked over and are very picky.
9/20/16 The fishing continues to be solid on the Croton. We are seeing small caddis, midges, a few olives, and the tail end of the summer stenos. Evenings in some areas have brought some spinner falls. Fish have come on czech nymphing, dry-droppers, and just one dry. Look for fish to be actively feeding in riffles and pools, as well as the deeper slower holes. Sight fishing is also an option and a lot of fun. If you are seeing fish refuse your surface offerings, drop down to the dreaded 7x. We had to do this the other day and our hook up rate increased, and we were able to get fish to the net. Any time of the day can be good, as long as you find some bugs and active fish.
The Farmington continues to produce fish. Small caddis, Iso's, and Summer Stenos are the main hatches. Look to nymph with small nymphs size 18-22.
9/4/16 The cooler weather has gotten the fish and bugs more active. The fish are opportunistically feeding on whats available. There are some caddis around in the mornings and evenings, some Summer Stenos in the evenings, midges, and terrestrials around. We have taken fish on hare and coppers, caddis larve, ants, and midge larve and pupae. Czech nymphing is a very good option. If you are throwing dries, long leaders 9-12 ft down to 6x is a must. Pay attention to how the fish are rising, and that will give you an indication of what fly to use. Water temps have been good, but the end of next week we are supposed to get hot again, so we will have to see what that does to the temps.
September 1, 2016 Locally the weather is starting to cool down and this has helped the bug situation. The midges are out in full force in the evenings. Try gray, cream, and black in size 20 and smaller. Give the fish a couple of seconds to eat the fly on the surface or you will just pull these small flies right out of their mouth. I have seen a few Olives around as well. The fish are becoming more active, and hopefully we will see some more water as we are supposed to get rain this weekend. Look to find some active fish in the riffles as well as the deeper holes. The pools are seeing rising fish in the evenings as well. Dry droppers and czech nymph rigs have been all catching fish.
8/18/16 Things locally on the slow side. You need to cover ground, change techniques, and find holes. The Upper East Branch is still flowing low at 47 cfs. The mornings are your best bet. water temps are still good from the upper 50's to lower 60's. I was out this morning hoping to see some Olives with the cloudy rainy weather, but I didn't see any. Fish are feeding on very small size 20 and smaller midges on the surface and below. I have been using a dry dropper with a caddis or ant on the surface, and dropping a size 16 hare and copper with a black or olive zebra midge. The fish have shown some interest in the terrestrials, but the hare and copper and zebra midge has taken the fish. I did czech nymph up some fish as well. If you cam find some holes in faster water stand downstream, and be stealthy. The evenings have been slow. The Lower EB has a very good flow of 77 cfs. The temps are in the low 60's, and it is clearing. I got into fish on small woolly buggers in white, and olive as well as czech nymphing up some. Fish were sipping tonight on midge emergers. Even with the higher water, they are very spooky. I saw quite a few ants on a lot of the stream side plants, so they are an option as well. All of our fish have been very pressured, take your time moving around and do some watching before you get in the water and even cast.
8/5-8/9/16 **Updated 8/9!!! This past week has been busy. I started the week with a trip on the Housy for smallies with Marty and Lloyd. We were able to hit double digits in smallies, covering lots of water. Most were small, but we did manage a couple over a pound. All in all a great day with two very cool guys. I had Sammy and his son out for some smallie action on Sunday 8/7. They landed too many to count, we fished below Gaylordsville Dam to try and get away from the tubers and people.
I have been out scouting out the local waters of the East Branch. First light till about 10 am seems to give you the best shot at fish. Lots of midges around, size 20 and smaller. I was able to sight fish a few fish this morning, long leaders and stealth are the keys. Try and find a fish that is actively feeding, then figure out size and color. I was able to hit three with he same size 22 gray midge pupae, but i found one active fish, and he only peeked at it a few times. Dry droppers have produced results, try dropping a very small zebra midge. The evenings have been hit or miss depending on where you are fishing. I ran into two guys and they fished a few spots and got nothing, and I spoke to someone else who got some in another location. Very small ants, size 20 and smaller have also been working. I did see more action later in the week in the mid section of the river. Small cream, and gray midges had some fish feeding on the surface right before dark. Tonight my custom gray midge had my friend Mike and I doubled up on the first cast we each took with those midges! The rising fish did not hang around too long this evening. Dry dropping a small size 18 hare and copper got one, and I managed a couple on cream midges on the surface. Not sure if we are going to see any Iso's this year, but one could hope! Look for the Olives to become more active as we move along, and especially in September. The next few days looks like some rain, get out and fish!!!! Tight Lines!
7/31/16 Farmington River
I went up to the Farmy a couple of times this week despite the low water and hot weather. The river is still very cold and has olives, Summer caddis, Tan caddis, Iso's, Terrestrials, and midges all taking fish. A number of techniques and flies took fish in all types of water. The fish are very aware, so stealth is very important while wading and with your leaders. Hatches are early mornings, and evenings, but the mid day bite is solid if you know where to fish.
7/26/16 Reports Updated!
Its been over a month since I have been home on a consistent basis, and I have logged over 7,000 miles this summer so far! My travels have taken me to St. Marten for Tarpon, South Carolina for Redfish with Capt. Jeff Lettig and Living Waters Guide Service, and Colorado for some fishing and hang time with my brother Mike. All of the places treated me well with Tarpon, Speckled Sea Trout, Flounder, Smallies, Rainbows, Browns, and even Cutthroat trout on the fly and or spin.
So this morning I headed out to the Croton to do some recon during the mid morning hours. The EB is at 49 cfs, and is a nice 56 degrees. The Lower EB is 50 cfs, and is running dirty, but is still at 60 degrees. I didn't see any fish rising and only some midges and a few caddis were flying about. I did get a rainbow czech nymphing a shallow run, and pricked another one in the same type of water. This is the lull in the action as the hot days lead to hot nights. The fish are very lethargic, and with the few bugs around they are just not very active. Im going to say that your best shots are first light for about 2 hours, and then again in the evenings. If you want to throw dries, small ants and beetles, size 16 and smaller, could get some attention, and midge patterns size 20 and smaller. Overcast cloudy mornings could start bringing out the tiny olives as well. Czech nymphs in black and tan, hare and coppers, small olives, and any other small mayfly nymphs in size 18 and smaller should be on your go to list. Think small, and 6x tippet, and practice your ninja stealth! I am going to hit the water one evening this week, so reports to follow.
I did get to the Housy last week for smallies. They action was ok, I think the murky water from the rain kept the bite down. Wooley buggers in black, white, and other small streams got the attention of some fish. I have some smallie trips in the next week coming up on the Housy, so stay tuned.
6/20/16 Wow its been a busy week. This past week we saw then ending of the Sulphur hatch. It has died down as the week went on, but there were good spinner falls in the evenings. Midges took fish who were active, but a quality presentation is crucial, and longer leaders will help. I had John Field, author Fly Casting Finesse, out for a trip Tuesday afternoon/evening. He put on a clinic with his wide array of casts to fish holding in some tough water. Too many fish to the net to count. Caddis are still going in the mornings and evenings. We got into some quality fish on X caddis, and Parachute caddis. Sizes were from 12-20. The Upper EB is still nice and cold and the water has been increased to 50 cfs. The Lower is warming up, and the West Branch flows are up and down. Look to find fish in deeper holes with good current. Look for early mornings and possibly evenings to be your main focus fishing times. Caddis will get smaller, and midges are always an option as are terrestrials.
The Housy is fishing in Summer mode after this weekends hot weather. We did get a trout on Rusty Spinner on Saturday afternoons guide trip. Chris and I stalked a fish and after a few casts he put it right on the money, a nice healthy brown. Bart and Chris worked real hard trying to entice some fish, but were unsuccessful. It was a great day to spend on the water with them. The smallie action will now begin to pick up. Streamers and hoppers are a great way to target them.
I hit the Farmington Sunday afternoon, and fished the Sulphurs and Caddis. I got 4 quality fish 3 Browns and a Rainbow, all on dries that produced some nice drag screaming runs.
6/13/16 Things this past week have defiantly slowed down. The Sulphurs are sporadic at best, and the caddis and starting to slow down and get smaller. Midges dance in the mornings, and evenings. The flows locally are very low. The Upper EB is at 45 cfs. Stalking fish is very important. I see to many guys standing in the deepest holes, that where the fish are!. The fish are more concentrated in these deeper holes. They also have gotten a very good education this spring, so stealth, lighter tippets and the right fly selection is crucial. We are supposed to get some rain the end of the week, hopefully that will bump the flows, and spread the fish out.
Reports coming into the shop have the Housy fishing well. The temps are holding on the cooler side, keeping the trout more active. Sulphurs, Cahills, March browns, Zebra Caddis, and even some Iso's have been hatching. Nymph the fast water and look for risers. Get out there before it gets too warm!
6/6/16 The rain we received this weekend has definitely help bump the flows and helped keep the water temps down. I had Jeff out Saturday afternoon, and we hunted for active fish on The East Branch. We saw some Sulphurs size 14 and 16 in the late afternoon, but not as many as the past couple of weeks. We worked each water type and when it was all said and done we got a bunch to the net and missed some. We got fish nymphing, and on dries and emergers. Nymphs were hare and coppers, and tan czechs. Dries were X Caddis in Tan and Olive, and Rusty Spinners size 18. We didnt see a spinner fall either. All in all a great time with Jeff as always!
5/31-6/3/16 Was out a couple of times this week. The fish were very aggressive and are taking flies sub surface and on top. I was able to get more than I could count, but nothing big. A good numbers week. I also searched out some water that I haven't fished in a while and got into a few. The levels in the watershed are low, but the temps are still holding around 60 degrees, Use your thermometers, and please use caution when fishing. Friday evening saw a nice Sulphur hatch along with some Olives and Caddis. The fish were very aggressive on emergers and parachutes. Rob was out for a lesson, and connected nymphing and his first fish on dries. He was very excited and once again applies everything he has been learning. He even went out Saturday afternoon and got his first trout on his own!! I was out and about Saturday late afternoon till past dark. I hit the Upper EB, flows are around 5o cfs, and the temp was right at 60. I managed to land the only fish I saw rise, a nice wild brown, and I nymphed one up as well. Look for fish in the faster water with some depth. Sulphurs were a little better up river than down low. I took a ride to the lower EB, and got into some fish throwing some small sulphurs and rusty spinners. As it got dark we had a great spinner fall, I used Sulphur Sinners from size 16-10, went bigger as it got darker. There is a good trout with a new lip piercing swimming around there, he broke my 5x right off!
I took my son out Monday evening, and he was able to get fish on tan czech, and Sulphur Parachutes. Not much of a hatch but there were enough Sulphurs to keep the fish interested. Fish again seemed to be holding in the faster currents, and moving down throught the pools as the hatch goes on.
Sulphurs will take fish anytime after 4pm, look for them to start getting a little smaller size14. Look for Spinners after warm sunny windless days.
The Housy fished great Friday and Saturday, Caddis, March Browns, Sulphurs and Iso were on the menu, but the temps were borderline. The push of rain Sunday Night, got the river up to 1250 cfs. Temps are still in the high 60's, and have peaked in low 70's, I hope they drop for the weekend. Please exercise caution when fishing there.
It is down to just over 800 cfs, but the temps are still too warm to fish right now.
**Rivers are low and use your thermometers before you fish! Look for the Upper East Branch to be the coldest. The further away from the dams you go, the warmer the water will be! Please use good judgement!
5/22/16 Weekend Report With proper strategy(laundry, changing sheets, dishes, etc.), getting all my coaching responsibilities in, and power washing done this weekend, I was able to find wiggle room, and get out on the water for some relaxation, but more importantly some recon.
First the Croton Watershed is starting to see the beginning of the Sulphur hatch. I saw a few Friday evening, but around 6:30 pm they started to come off. I wouldnt say the fish are tuned it yet on the surface, but sub surface a nice emerger did the trick. I did manage one on a dry, he was one of only a few fish rising. The water is still nice and cold, and has a little tint from last nights rain. Things are starting to get low, so hopefully this week we will get some rain. Rain once a week will be perfect. I nymphed with hare and copper and a cdc sulphur beadhead emerger fished as the dropper. I took fish in fast water, and slower water. I tried to find some areas where the fish would move into and hit the nymphs as they are getting tumbled down as they are starting to come off the bottom.
Fishing still remains first light caddis and midges, and evening caddis, midges, and now Sulphurs in the mix.
The 10 Mile River didn't disappoint either. Fish were most responsive from 7 pm on, on top. Nymphing got some fish using hare and coppers and the cdc sulphur emerger. I tried to find drop offs where the fish would be more comfortable in that deeper water. Once they started to rise, fish cam on emergers dropped off a Sulphur Parachute. The best pattern was a half and half, shuck, wrapped biot, dubbing and CDC Puff. I don't know how the river will tolerate this warmer weather this week, it was in the low 60's, and the flow was great at 200 cfs.
The Housy is seeing good Sulphur hatches as well. Reports coming into the shop have been very positive with fish responding to caddis, olive and tan, and Sulphurs. Flows are down, and that river needs some water in it, or it will be smallies before we know it.
5/20/16 Reports coming into the shop have been good. Reports of Sulphurs on the 10 Mile and Housy have gotten the attention of the fish. Hopefully the rain will put some water back into the system. I have a lesson scheduled this weekend and hope to get out between games, rain drops and powerwashing!
5/17/16 Fishing remains steady around the area. Caddis remain to be the dominant bug right now. All Caddis stages are taking fish, but if you want some on top, throw some blind in the riffles, or find some risers. Midges are out in the morning and evenings and the fish are sipping on the emergers. The flows are still ok, and the temps are steady in the mid 50's. Fish are holding in all types of water, if it looks fishy be stealthy and fish it! Nymphing is still the best option right now to consistently get into fish. Still waiting for the Cahills Pale Evening Duns, and Sulphurs ( Ithink in a couple of weeks) to emerge.
I had Mike out for a great day on the Housy. See Home page picture. We got into fish on caddis emergers on top and below the surface, We found fish in the softer seams and around drop offs using golden stones, hare and coppers, caddis larve, and emergers. The wind was howling, but we made the best of it and tried to take the wind out of the equation. The water is ranging mid to high 50's and some of the tribs are pouring in some nice cold water, but it is murky. The river is at a perfect tint to it, clear enough but has a nice tint to it. Be careful in some spots the current is a little heavier than you might think. I did see a couple of March Browns, The next few weeks the Housy could explode!
The Housy is fishing in Summer mode after this weekends hot weather. We did get a trout on Rusty Spinner on Saturday afternoons guide trip. Chris and I stalked a fish and after a few casts he put it right on the money, a nice healthy brown. Bart and Chris worked real hard trying to entice some fish, but were unsuccessful. It was a great day to spend on the water with them. The smallie action will now begin to pick up. Streamers and hoppers are a great way to target them.
I hit the Farmington Sunday afternoon, and fished the Sulphurs and Caddis. I got 4 quality fish 3 Browns and a Rainbow, all on dries that produced some nice drag screaming runs.
6/13/16 Things this past week have defiantly slowed down. The Sulphurs are sporadic at best, and the caddis and starting to slow down and get smaller. Midges dance in the mornings, and evenings. The flows locally are very low. The Upper EB is at 45 cfs. Stalking fish is very important. I see to many guys standing in the deepest holes, that where the fish are!. The fish are more concentrated in these deeper holes. They also have gotten a very good education this spring, so stealth, lighter tippets and the right fly selection is crucial. We are supposed to get some rain the end of the week, hopefully that will bump the flows, and spread the fish out.
Reports coming into the shop have the Housy fishing well. The temps are holding on the cooler side, keeping the trout more active. Sulphurs, Cahills, March browns, Zebra Caddis, and even some Iso's have been hatching. Nymph the fast water and look for risers. Get out there before it gets too warm!
6/6/16 The rain we received this weekend has definitely help bump the flows and helped keep the water temps down. I had Jeff out Saturday afternoon, and we hunted for active fish on The East Branch. We saw some Sulphurs size 14 and 16 in the late afternoon, but not as many as the past couple of weeks. We worked each water type and when it was all said and done we got a bunch to the net and missed some. We got fish nymphing, and on dries and emergers. Nymphs were hare and coppers, and tan czechs. Dries were X Caddis in Tan and Olive, and Rusty Spinners size 18. We didnt see a spinner fall either. All in all a great time with Jeff as always!
5/31-6/3/16 Was out a couple of times this week. The fish were very aggressive and are taking flies sub surface and on top. I was able to get more than I could count, but nothing big. A good numbers week. I also searched out some water that I haven't fished in a while and got into a few. The levels in the watershed are low, but the temps are still holding around 60 degrees, Use your thermometers, and please use caution when fishing. Friday evening saw a nice Sulphur hatch along with some Olives and Caddis. The fish were very aggressive on emergers and parachutes. Rob was out for a lesson, and connected nymphing and his first fish on dries. He was very excited and once again applies everything he has been learning. He even went out Saturday afternoon and got his first trout on his own!! I was out and about Saturday late afternoon till past dark. I hit the Upper EB, flows are around 5o cfs, and the temp was right at 60. I managed to land the only fish I saw rise, a nice wild brown, and I nymphed one up as well. Look for fish in the faster water with some depth. Sulphurs were a little better up river than down low. I took a ride to the lower EB, and got into some fish throwing some small sulphurs and rusty spinners. As it got dark we had a great spinner fall, I used Sulphur Sinners from size 16-10, went bigger as it got darker. There is a good trout with a new lip piercing swimming around there, he broke my 5x right off!
I took my son out Monday evening, and he was able to get fish on tan czech, and Sulphur Parachutes. Not much of a hatch but there were enough Sulphurs to keep the fish interested. Fish again seemed to be holding in the faster currents, and moving down throught the pools as the hatch goes on.
Sulphurs will take fish anytime after 4pm, look for them to start getting a little smaller size14. Look for Spinners after warm sunny windless days.
The Housy fished great Friday and Saturday, Caddis, March Browns, Sulphurs and Iso were on the menu, but the temps were borderline. The push of rain Sunday Night, got the river up to 1250 cfs. Temps are still in the high 60's, and have peaked in low 70's, I hope they drop for the weekend. Please exercise caution when fishing there.
It is down to just over 800 cfs, but the temps are still too warm to fish right now.
**Rivers are low and use your thermometers before you fish! Look for the Upper East Branch to be the coldest. The further away from the dams you go, the warmer the water will be! Please use good judgement!
5/22/16 Weekend Report With proper strategy(laundry, changing sheets, dishes, etc.), getting all my coaching responsibilities in, and power washing done this weekend, I was able to find wiggle room, and get out on the water for some relaxation, but more importantly some recon.
First the Croton Watershed is starting to see the beginning of the Sulphur hatch. I saw a few Friday evening, but around 6:30 pm they started to come off. I wouldnt say the fish are tuned it yet on the surface, but sub surface a nice emerger did the trick. I did manage one on a dry, he was one of only a few fish rising. The water is still nice and cold, and has a little tint from last nights rain. Things are starting to get low, so hopefully this week we will get some rain. Rain once a week will be perfect. I nymphed with hare and copper and a cdc sulphur beadhead emerger fished as the dropper. I took fish in fast water, and slower water. I tried to find some areas where the fish would move into and hit the nymphs as they are getting tumbled down as they are starting to come off the bottom.
Fishing still remains first light caddis and midges, and evening caddis, midges, and now Sulphurs in the mix.
The 10 Mile River didn't disappoint either. Fish were most responsive from 7 pm on, on top. Nymphing got some fish using hare and coppers and the cdc sulphur emerger. I tried to find drop offs where the fish would be more comfortable in that deeper water. Once they started to rise, fish cam on emergers dropped off a Sulphur Parachute. The best pattern was a half and half, shuck, wrapped biot, dubbing and CDC Puff. I don't know how the river will tolerate this warmer weather this week, it was in the low 60's, and the flow was great at 200 cfs.
The Housy is seeing good Sulphur hatches as well. Reports coming into the shop have been very positive with fish responding to caddis, olive and tan, and Sulphurs. Flows are down, and that river needs some water in it, or it will be smallies before we know it.
5/20/16 Reports coming into the shop have been good. Reports of Sulphurs on the 10 Mile and Housy have gotten the attention of the fish. Hopefully the rain will put some water back into the system. I have a lesson scheduled this weekend and hope to get out between games, rain drops and powerwashing!
5/17/16 Fishing remains steady around the area. Caddis remain to be the dominant bug right now. All Caddis stages are taking fish, but if you want some on top, throw some blind in the riffles, or find some risers. Midges are out in the morning and evenings and the fish are sipping on the emergers. The flows are still ok, and the temps are steady in the mid 50's. Fish are holding in all types of water, if it looks fishy be stealthy and fish it! Nymphing is still the best option right now to consistently get into fish. Still waiting for the Cahills Pale Evening Duns, and Sulphurs ( Ithink in a couple of weeks) to emerge.
I had Mike out for a great day on the Housy. See Home page picture. We got into fish on caddis emergers on top and below the surface, We found fish in the softer seams and around drop offs using golden stones, hare and coppers, caddis larve, and emergers. The wind was howling, but we made the best of it and tried to take the wind out of the equation. The water is ranging mid to high 50's and some of the tribs are pouring in some nice cold water, but it is murky. The river is at a perfect tint to it, clear enough but has a nice tint to it. Be careful in some spots the current is a little heavier than you might think. I did see a couple of March Browns, The next few weeks the Housy could explode!
Took a size 16 tan X caddis on top!
Got one right on the seam of the dirty and clean line!
5/8/16 Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Had a 2 hr. lesson Saturday with Rob. This was Robs first time fly fishing. We learned how to czech nymph, and he was rewarded with three fish, one that was 16 plus and fat. We got fish to hit hare and coppers, black czechs, x caddis and caddis emeregers. We found some active fish right below some pocket water, and the fish were right in the softer seams feeding on caddis larve and emergers. We saw some fish rising to caddis and midges, but they were just sporadic rises. The rivers have some water in them from all the rain, and they are clearing. Fishing continues to be good using caddis imitations, and midges. This weeks weather will be sunny and on the warmer side, look for the evenings to start seeing more action.
5/4/16 I got out for some rare after school fishing today. With the water running nice on the Upper EB (118 cfs), I was happy that there were a good amount of hungry fish. I got on the water about 3 pm, and I did see some sporadic Olives and a couple of rising fish. I nymphed up a bunch on hare and coppers, green caddis larve, and two bit hookers (sz 18). The water temps are in the low 50's, and the fish have spread out some. I found fish in all water types today. Around 5:30 pm I started to see a few Sulphurs here and there. They were small, size 16. I had to get out of the water by 6 pm, for Lacrosse Practice, but I did see a couple of fish take notice. Looks like the nice fishy weather will continue for a bit. Look for Midges at first light followed by caddis mid morning to early afternoon, then quiet period till around 6 pm. After 6, look for midges, and possibly Sulphurs. Olives will be mixed in throughout the day and some possible March Browns as well.
5/4/16 I got out for some rare after school fishing today. With the water running nice on the Upper EB (118 cfs), I was happy that there were a good amount of hungry fish. I got on the water about 3 pm, and I did see some sporadic Olives and a couple of rising fish. I nymphed up a bunch on hare and coppers, green caddis larve, and two bit hookers (sz 18). The water temps are in the low 50's, and the fish have spread out some. I found fish in all water types today. Around 5:30 pm I started to see a few Sulphurs here and there. They were small, size 16. I had to get out of the water by 6 pm, for Lacrosse Practice, but I did see a couple of fish take notice. Looks like the nice fishy weather will continue for a bit. Look for Midges at first light followed by caddis mid morning to early afternoon, then quiet period till around 6 pm. After 6, look for midges, and possibly Sulphurs. Olives will be mixed in throughout the day and some possible March Browns as well.
5/2/16 **Updated**
Got out yesterday morning for some nymphing lessons with Mike. We were able to hook up with fish on hare and coppers, black Czechs, green caddis larve, and X caddis fished in a nymph rig. We saw midges dominating to water and they had some fish rising. Sporadic caddis started coming off at 8:30 am, but no risers. That's when we added the X caddis to the nymph rig and quickly hooked up with the biggest fish of the day that he eventually lost. Mike learned a lot and is on his way!
The Upper and Lower TMA of the Housy received its stockling and is fishing well with fish on caddis, and mayfly nymphs. The river level is at a good wading level, and there are alot of bugs on the rocks just waiting to emerge, so get in on a trip today!
If you want a shot at rising fish, first light and last light will have some fish on midges. The caddis will get some fish on the surface during the day, however your best bet is to nymph the shallow riffles with larve and emerger patterns. The fish are still opportunistically feeding, and there are a decent amount of bugs in the water, so they are not moving far from their lies to feed. Looks like a good fishing week ahead , we need the rain! Insects should be Midges , Olives, March Browns and Caddis.
I want to take this time to thank the DEP Police, for their outstanding efforts in the watershed. Not only were we checked on Saturday, they responded to my call of illegal activity. Please if you see something, just call. 914-593-7500.
4/27/16 I got out for a little while before dark. I found a few fish scattered feeding on very small midges, sizes 20-26. They were mostly opportunistically feeding, but I did find a pod that was feeding for about 15 minutes on a regular basis. I was able to nymph up one nice wild brown on a Ice Caddis Larve, while czech nymphing. The fish are defiantly moving in the faster water to feed and during low light hours. Water temps are in the mid 50's, but flows are low. We need some rain. Stockies have moved around a little, probably from the pressure, which is good. If you want stockies, hit the usual access, if you want some hold overs and wild fish go off the beaten path as I did yesterday. The fish are very spooky! Use stealth!
There are some sporadic Olives on cloudy days and even some on sunny ones too, size 18-20, midges, and some black, and tan caddis around. I saw a couple of March Browns as well. Hopefully the caddis will get going soon!
4/24/16 The weather and the bugs are doing just fine, the fishing on the watershed is still quiet. Flows are getting lower, and the temps depending where you are are in the mid 50's. I had Brad out on Saturday for a nice local trip. He worked extremely hard learning some Euro Nymphing techniques and was rewarded with a lot of hook ups and a bunch of trout to the net. Fish can on black czechs, tan czechs, and hare and coppers. We got into some fish in the evening before his train ride back home and went 1-3 on small olives, and midge emergers. We bounced around the Lower and Upper East Branch. We saw some caddis early in the afternoon, and then saw some blanket the water, but the fish were not rising to them. He did a great job handling the new techniques, and it was a pleasure to have him out.
I was able to hit the water for a little bit on Sunday afternoon from 2-4 pm. I saw some olives and sporadic caddis. I hit the Upper East Branch, trying to find some active fish. I fished some holes a little differently, and played with some different fly combos. I was able to Euro Nymph up a nice little wild brown in some shallow riffles, and lost a decent fish in some riffles. The two fish both hit a green caddis larva. I did a lot of walking today in the short time I was out. The water is getting low, 61 cfs, so you have to go into stealth mode. Don't let the fish know you are there. The fish have received a lot of pressure, and are very spooky.
I want to take this time to thank the DEP Police, for their outstanding efforts in the watershed. Not only were we checked on Saturday, they responded to my call of illegal activity. Please if you see something, just call. 914-593-7500.
4/17/16 Locally on the watershed things have quieted down. The Hendricksons are fading fast, look for spinners in the evenings. The caddis are hatching so that should motivate the fish. Water temps are creeping into the lower 50's, but the flows are dropping. Hopefully we get some rain soon. Hare and coppers, black and tan czechs all took fish this weekend. We didn't see any risers even with the amount of bugs on the water. I always like when the caddis start, its gets the fish feeding opportunistically throughout the day. Look to use cased caddis, X caddis, and caddis larve patterns along with czech nymphs. Stay until dark if you are fishing the spinners.
The Housy should be at a nice fishable level this week, and hopefully the bugs will kick into gear when the water drops to under 1000 cfs.
Good Luck!
Tight Lines!
Got out yesterday morning for some nymphing lessons with Mike. We were able to hook up with fish on hare and coppers, black Czechs, green caddis larve, and X caddis fished in a nymph rig. We saw midges dominating to water and they had some fish rising. Sporadic caddis started coming off at 8:30 am, but no risers. That's when we added the X caddis to the nymph rig and quickly hooked up with the biggest fish of the day that he eventually lost. Mike learned a lot and is on his way!
The Upper and Lower TMA of the Housy received its stockling and is fishing well with fish on caddis, and mayfly nymphs. The river level is at a good wading level, and there are alot of bugs on the rocks just waiting to emerge, so get in on a trip today!
If you want a shot at rising fish, first light and last light will have some fish on midges. The caddis will get some fish on the surface during the day, however your best bet is to nymph the shallow riffles with larve and emerger patterns. The fish are still opportunistically feeding, and there are a decent amount of bugs in the water, so they are not moving far from their lies to feed. Looks like a good fishing week ahead , we need the rain! Insects should be Midges , Olives, March Browns and Caddis.
I want to take this time to thank the DEP Police, for their outstanding efforts in the watershed. Not only were we checked on Saturday, they responded to my call of illegal activity. Please if you see something, just call. 914-593-7500.
4/27/16 I got out for a little while before dark. I found a few fish scattered feeding on very small midges, sizes 20-26. They were mostly opportunistically feeding, but I did find a pod that was feeding for about 15 minutes on a regular basis. I was able to nymph up one nice wild brown on a Ice Caddis Larve, while czech nymphing. The fish are defiantly moving in the faster water to feed and during low light hours. Water temps are in the mid 50's, but flows are low. We need some rain. Stockies have moved around a little, probably from the pressure, which is good. If you want stockies, hit the usual access, if you want some hold overs and wild fish go off the beaten path as I did yesterday. The fish are very spooky! Use stealth!
There are some sporadic Olives on cloudy days and even some on sunny ones too, size 18-20, midges, and some black, and tan caddis around. I saw a couple of March Browns as well. Hopefully the caddis will get going soon!
4/24/16 The weather and the bugs are doing just fine, the fishing on the watershed is still quiet. Flows are getting lower, and the temps depending where you are are in the mid 50's. I had Brad out on Saturday for a nice local trip. He worked extremely hard learning some Euro Nymphing techniques and was rewarded with a lot of hook ups and a bunch of trout to the net. Fish can on black czechs, tan czechs, and hare and coppers. We got into some fish in the evening before his train ride back home and went 1-3 on small olives, and midge emergers. We bounced around the Lower and Upper East Branch. We saw some caddis early in the afternoon, and then saw some blanket the water, but the fish were not rising to them. He did a great job handling the new techniques, and it was a pleasure to have him out.
I was able to hit the water for a little bit on Sunday afternoon from 2-4 pm. I saw some olives and sporadic caddis. I hit the Upper East Branch, trying to find some active fish. I fished some holes a little differently, and played with some different fly combos. I was able to Euro Nymph up a nice little wild brown in some shallow riffles, and lost a decent fish in some riffles. The two fish both hit a green caddis larva. I did a lot of walking today in the short time I was out. The water is getting low, 61 cfs, so you have to go into stealth mode. Don't let the fish know you are there. The fish have received a lot of pressure, and are very spooky.
I want to take this time to thank the DEP Police, for their outstanding efforts in the watershed. Not only were we checked on Saturday, they responded to my call of illegal activity. Please if you see something, just call. 914-593-7500.
4/17/16 Locally on the watershed things have quieted down. The Hendricksons are fading fast, look for spinners in the evenings. The caddis are hatching so that should motivate the fish. Water temps are creeping into the lower 50's, but the flows are dropping. Hopefully we get some rain soon. Hare and coppers, black and tan czechs all took fish this weekend. We didn't see any risers even with the amount of bugs on the water. I always like when the caddis start, its gets the fish feeding opportunistically throughout the day. Look to use cased caddis, X caddis, and caddis larve patterns along with czech nymphs. Stay until dark if you are fishing the spinners.
The Housy should be at a nice fishable level this week, and hopefully the bugs will kick into gear when the water drops to under 1000 cfs.
Good Luck!
Tight Lines!
Female Hendrickson 3/30/16
***Updated 4/11/16
4/10/16 With the change in weather, the bugs have started to come out in full force. Reports of fish feeding on the surface on Olives have started to become a daily even on the Croton System. Fish have started to become aggressive, but you have to work to find them. Streamers and nymphs have been taking fish. Hendricksons were out in full force today, but where we were they were not feeding on the surface, On Teds guide trip we did see one rise a couple of times and we got him to dance but couldn't get him to the net. Fish today came on hare n coppers, black czech nymphs, tan czech nymphs, cased caddis, and buffalo soldier emergers. Water temps are up around 47-49, and the caddis have started in small numbers. We did well czech nymphing and swinging the buffalo solider emerger. We got a nice wild brown, two solid holdovers, and some stockie bows. Look for fish to really get active as the caddis hatch starts up. Start fishing cased caddis and larve in the riffles, and emergers just below where the bottom drops off. My X caddis is a killer pattern fished on the surface and below! They are in stock at the shop. Once this weather moves through the next couple of days, I think things will explode.
4/3/15 Opening Weekend saw crazy weather. Friday started out rainy, and ended sunny and 70, with snow Sunday morning. One thing we should have learned from this weekend, is one, don't listen to the weather reports, and two, April weather can change on a seconds notice. Some good reports came into the shop Friday. Friday evening, I got out for a couple of hours and educated some stockies while looking for some holdovers. The lower EB was 52 and fish were taking hare and coppers, black czech nymphs, and small midge larve. Fish were coming up right at dark on tiny midges and olives in the 22-26 range. No sign of Hendricksons.
Saturday, the Mianus TU Chapter met up on the watershed for their NY outing. Tony and company had a very good morning despite the rain. Everyone landed fish, and made the most of the conditions!
I got out for a bit Sunday afternoon despite the cold windy conditions. I mainly was looking for bugs, and checking temps. The upper EB had some olives on the water, and if you found some protection from the wind, fish came up a little. The flow was 89 cfs, and the temps were 46, which isn't bad considering the cold. The water was a touch off color as well. Think small olive emergers size 16-18! The lower EB was 49 and the flow has been steady at 62. I didn't see any insect activity, but fish came on the usual flies, and add tan Czechs and green caddis larve.
I also hit the WB and the water was up, they are releasing some water 120 cfs, and the temp was 43. I had a swipe on a hare and copper, but that was it. The level is very good there, if it warms up, I think the insect activity will pick up. I really didn't see any bugs out and about there either. The best part of fishing today was running into Coach Mac on the WB. He basically coached me in baseball and football throughout HS. It was great to chat with him for a little bit, and Im really looking forward to getting out on the water with him this spring.
The weather is supposed to stay cold and rainy the beginning of this week, but there looks to be some warmer weather on the way for the end of the week, and next weekend. Some rain possible Friday, but didn't I say not to listen to the weather reports? Dress warm, bring your rain gear, get those nymph rigs ready, and go fish!
The Anglers Den has my czech nymphs, black stones, cased caddis, and hare and coppers in stock! Get them while they last!
3/30/15 They are on the EB, with the weather who knows if it will stall the hatch, but they came off today! The fish didn't take notice yet.
Water temp was 47, flow 80 cfs,
Bugs: Blue Quills, midges, Hendricksons
3/24/16 Pre Season is Over! **Updated 3/29
All the rivers in the Croton Watershed should be stocked prior to Opening Day!!
In a weeks time it will be Opening Day Eve, and the conditions haven't been this good since 2013. There is a great buzz around the shop and cliets are booking trips! The water temps are almost 10 degrees higher than they were last year, and we have already had fish rising to a number of bugs. The flows are at a good level, and with some rain in the forecast they will only improve. The rest of the stocking will continue next week and the fish will have plenty of time to spread out and get acclimated. I haven't see such quality and healthy fish in a long time. The DEC hit a home run with the quality of fish that they sent us this year. The number of holdover fish in the East Branch is solid, and I hope the other rivers have some as well. The bug situation, and quality of the water is excellent. The river beds are loaded with caddis, and mayfly nymphs, just waiting to hatch. I think we will see Hendricksons by the second week of April. The crew at The Anglers Den has been working tirelessly to prepare for opening day. We are stocked to the gills in materials, equipment and flies! Our Pro Staff has been out all over area scouting and helping gather the most up to date reports. Fish have been taken this week in the East Branch of the Croton, 10 Mile TMA (CT), and the Lower and Upper TMA of the Housy. Check out www.anglersden.net and click on 2016 Reports.
As many of you know, there has been a lot of illegal activity in the Croton Watershed the last few years. There has been a change in leadership in our local DEP Police, and Capt. Gallagher has really stepped up to the plate, and tackled the issues head on. To date, there have been arrests, the dismantling of four illegal camping/living sites, numerous clean ups, and a renewed enforcement of the watershed rules in out area. Expect to see more of a DEP police presence, so make sure you are carrying all of your permits! Please pay attention for illegal activity, and please report accordingly. The Croton Watershed TU, led by Conservation Chair Chris Auletta has been very influential in helping bring about this new partnership and the positive changes. The areas look great, and I am very hopeful that the watershed is headed in the right direction.
Reports for 3/23 and 3/24:
I was able to hit the Lower Housy TMA with one of my good friends. We were also in the Lower Ten Mile TMA, and our outing didn't disappoint. We managed a bunch of fish and some dropped ones as well, but action definitely picked up after 11 am when we started seeing stoneflies. We nymphed mostly and one one fish came on a streamer, but golden stones and brown stone imitations brought fish to the net. I was able to land a beautiful brown, that took me for a little bit of a ride. The water temps were a little on the cold side starting out at 41, but rose to almost 43 before we left at 2.
I hit the EB in the evening, and saw no surface activity. The Blue Quills are still going during the early and mid afternoon. Brown and Black Stones are fluttering around as well. I nymphed one nice little wild fish up on a hare and copper in some slower water after a pocket. Look for the midges to really get going soon, and it should get the fish feeding on a more consistent basis throughout the day.
The Upper Housy TMA was a bit warmer today starting out at 43, but no action till around 11 am. I got into two small fish on a golden stone imitation, and I did get one to rise to a brown simulator that I was skating along the surface. The stone fly activity was good, but the wind kept the fish down. The temp when I left @ 3pm, was almost 45. Fishing throughout the Housy right now is to all wild and holdover fish as it hasn't been stocked yet.
Fish are still holding in the medium depth, slower water right after riffles. If you can find a drop off just below the fast water hit the as well. Fish are definitely moving into much slower water to feed on the surface. Remember the magic number for temps is 50 in the early spring. Once we hit that, the early black caddis will start and the fish will begin to move in the faster water to feed during hatches and low light hours. Flies I would carry would be hare and coppers size 14-16, midge larve, small olive nymphs size 16-20, hendrickson nymphs in size 14, black czech nymphs size 16, black and golden stones in size 10-12, prince nymphs size 14-18, copper johns 16-18, and Blue Quill emergers and dries size 14-16.
Good Luck next week on Opening Day, take someone fishing and make it a memorable one!
4/10/16 With the change in weather, the bugs have started to come out in full force. Reports of fish feeding on the surface on Olives have started to become a daily even on the Croton System. Fish have started to become aggressive, but you have to work to find them. Streamers and nymphs have been taking fish. Hendricksons were out in full force today, but where we were they were not feeding on the surface, On Teds guide trip we did see one rise a couple of times and we got him to dance but couldn't get him to the net. Fish today came on hare n coppers, black czech nymphs, tan czech nymphs, cased caddis, and buffalo soldier emergers. Water temps are up around 47-49, and the caddis have started in small numbers. We did well czech nymphing and swinging the buffalo solider emerger. We got a nice wild brown, two solid holdovers, and some stockie bows. Look for fish to really get active as the caddis hatch starts up. Start fishing cased caddis and larve in the riffles, and emergers just below where the bottom drops off. My X caddis is a killer pattern fished on the surface and below! They are in stock at the shop. Once this weather moves through the next couple of days, I think things will explode.
4/3/15 Opening Weekend saw crazy weather. Friday started out rainy, and ended sunny and 70, with snow Sunday morning. One thing we should have learned from this weekend, is one, don't listen to the weather reports, and two, April weather can change on a seconds notice. Some good reports came into the shop Friday. Friday evening, I got out for a couple of hours and educated some stockies while looking for some holdovers. The lower EB was 52 and fish were taking hare and coppers, black czech nymphs, and small midge larve. Fish were coming up right at dark on tiny midges and olives in the 22-26 range. No sign of Hendricksons.
Saturday, the Mianus TU Chapter met up on the watershed for their NY outing. Tony and company had a very good morning despite the rain. Everyone landed fish, and made the most of the conditions!
I got out for a bit Sunday afternoon despite the cold windy conditions. I mainly was looking for bugs, and checking temps. The upper EB had some olives on the water, and if you found some protection from the wind, fish came up a little. The flow was 89 cfs, and the temps were 46, which isn't bad considering the cold. The water was a touch off color as well. Think small olive emergers size 16-18! The lower EB was 49 and the flow has been steady at 62. I didn't see any insect activity, but fish came on the usual flies, and add tan Czechs and green caddis larve.
I also hit the WB and the water was up, they are releasing some water 120 cfs, and the temp was 43. I had a swipe on a hare and copper, but that was it. The level is very good there, if it warms up, I think the insect activity will pick up. I really didn't see any bugs out and about there either. The best part of fishing today was running into Coach Mac on the WB. He basically coached me in baseball and football throughout HS. It was great to chat with him for a little bit, and Im really looking forward to getting out on the water with him this spring.
The weather is supposed to stay cold and rainy the beginning of this week, but there looks to be some warmer weather on the way for the end of the week, and next weekend. Some rain possible Friday, but didn't I say not to listen to the weather reports? Dress warm, bring your rain gear, get those nymph rigs ready, and go fish!
The Anglers Den has my czech nymphs, black stones, cased caddis, and hare and coppers in stock! Get them while they last!
3/30/15 They are on the EB, with the weather who knows if it will stall the hatch, but they came off today! The fish didn't take notice yet.
Water temp was 47, flow 80 cfs,
Bugs: Blue Quills, midges, Hendricksons
3/24/16 Pre Season is Over! **Updated 3/29
All the rivers in the Croton Watershed should be stocked prior to Opening Day!!
In a weeks time it will be Opening Day Eve, and the conditions haven't been this good since 2013. There is a great buzz around the shop and cliets are booking trips! The water temps are almost 10 degrees higher than they were last year, and we have already had fish rising to a number of bugs. The flows are at a good level, and with some rain in the forecast they will only improve. The rest of the stocking will continue next week and the fish will have plenty of time to spread out and get acclimated. I haven't see such quality and healthy fish in a long time. The DEC hit a home run with the quality of fish that they sent us this year. The number of holdover fish in the East Branch is solid, and I hope the other rivers have some as well. The bug situation, and quality of the water is excellent. The river beds are loaded with caddis, and mayfly nymphs, just waiting to hatch. I think we will see Hendricksons by the second week of April. The crew at The Anglers Den has been working tirelessly to prepare for opening day. We are stocked to the gills in materials, equipment and flies! Our Pro Staff has been out all over area scouting and helping gather the most up to date reports. Fish have been taken this week in the East Branch of the Croton, 10 Mile TMA (CT), and the Lower and Upper TMA of the Housy. Check out www.anglersden.net and click on 2016 Reports.
As many of you know, there has been a lot of illegal activity in the Croton Watershed the last few years. There has been a change in leadership in our local DEP Police, and Capt. Gallagher has really stepped up to the plate, and tackled the issues head on. To date, there have been arrests, the dismantling of four illegal camping/living sites, numerous clean ups, and a renewed enforcement of the watershed rules in out area. Expect to see more of a DEP police presence, so make sure you are carrying all of your permits! Please pay attention for illegal activity, and please report accordingly. The Croton Watershed TU, led by Conservation Chair Chris Auletta has been very influential in helping bring about this new partnership and the positive changes. The areas look great, and I am very hopeful that the watershed is headed in the right direction.
Reports for 3/23 and 3/24:
I was able to hit the Lower Housy TMA with one of my good friends. We were also in the Lower Ten Mile TMA, and our outing didn't disappoint. We managed a bunch of fish and some dropped ones as well, but action definitely picked up after 11 am when we started seeing stoneflies. We nymphed mostly and one one fish came on a streamer, but golden stones and brown stone imitations brought fish to the net. I was able to land a beautiful brown, that took me for a little bit of a ride. The water temps were a little on the cold side starting out at 41, but rose to almost 43 before we left at 2.
I hit the EB in the evening, and saw no surface activity. The Blue Quills are still going during the early and mid afternoon. Brown and Black Stones are fluttering around as well. I nymphed one nice little wild fish up on a hare and copper in some slower water after a pocket. Look for the midges to really get going soon, and it should get the fish feeding on a more consistent basis throughout the day.
The Upper Housy TMA was a bit warmer today starting out at 43, but no action till around 11 am. I got into two small fish on a golden stone imitation, and I did get one to rise to a brown simulator that I was skating along the surface. The stone fly activity was good, but the wind kept the fish down. The temp when I left @ 3pm, was almost 45. Fishing throughout the Housy right now is to all wild and holdover fish as it hasn't been stocked yet.
Fish are still holding in the medium depth, slower water right after riffles. If you can find a drop off just below the fast water hit the as well. Fish are definitely moving into much slower water to feed on the surface. Remember the magic number for temps is 50 in the early spring. Once we hit that, the early black caddis will start and the fish will begin to move in the faster water to feed during hatches and low light hours. Flies I would carry would be hare and coppers size 14-16, midge larve, small olive nymphs size 16-20, hendrickson nymphs in size 14, black czech nymphs size 16, black and golden stones in size 10-12, prince nymphs size 14-18, copper johns 16-18, and Blue Quill emergers and dries size 14-16.
Good Luck next week on Opening Day, take someone fishing and make it a memorable one!
Housy Brown 3/23
First Dry Fly Fish of the Year Blue Quill Emerger
F 3/21/16 EB Flow 98, Temp 43 Today the wind wasn't kind to the Parleps, but I did manage a few smaller ones on parachutes and emergers. The water temp was 43 which isn't bad because of the snow. I did see a few more stones fluttering around. I didn't nymph too much today, but hare and coppers, copper johns, blue quill emergers, and small pheasant tails have all interested the fish. My hare and copper will be available for sale at The Anglers Den very soon, as well as some of my other patterns. Cant get to the shop, give Matt a call and we will gladly ship them to you. Follow my reports 2x per week or more as we get going. Good luck to everyone this season, and please if you see violations please call the DEP East of the Hudson. All the information can be found on my home page. 3/20/16 EB of the Croton River Flow 98 cfs, water temps 41-43 degrees Hatch Blue Quills from 1:30 pm-3:30 pm Fish were very responsive today to the Parleps hatch. Fish came on emergers and dries. The bigger fish are feeding mostly below the surface and I missed a good one on a dropper off the dry. Lost count of how many I got to the net. Fish are nice and aggressive and even the little guys I got fought well and hard. We will see what this weather does to the bugs and water temps. Check back as I will be on the water alot this week. 3/19/16 EB Croton River Blue quills came off today around noon, they weren't heavy but enough for the fish to notice and rise and feed on emergers. Fish have stayed in the slow water right after faster water, but there are a few in the riffles. Water temps ranged from 41-45 degrees. You have to find the warmer water to find some bugs. I hope the weather cooperates, and we can keep improving on temps, the flow today was just above 100 cfs. I did see a few midges, and I think some very small olives. Fish today can on blue quill emergers size 14, and small olive emergers fished as a dropper size 18. The hare and copper once again took a fish in the faster water. 3/13/15 East Branch of the Croton River: Flows have come down to 130 cfs, which is a great flow to fish. This weekend started out with a Saturday morning trip in which I was able to nymph up two nice silver browns. The hits were so light, if I wasn't czech nymphing i would have never felt the hits. Both fish came on hare and coppers, (pictured above) which will be available for purchase at the Anglers Den very soon. I did have one hit on a small black stone, but no takers on anything else. The water temperature is right at 43 degrees, which is about 5-7 degrees from what will get the bugs really going. On 3/19/15, the temperature was 36 degrees! I did see some Hendrickson nymphs in the drift, but they could have just gotten loose from the flows. I did sample the drift Sunday morning, and there were very few bugs, some small green caddis, a couple of tiny olives and a Hendrickson nymph. Sunday afternoon I did see a few tan caddis here and there. I even saw two rise as I was leaving around 6:45 pm. The fish are still in the slower water. I did manage a couple more, one brown and a bow. I found some water that was a little warmer and much slower than what I got the other fish in. This definitely increased the power of the takes, and the fight of the fish. The fish hit the hare n copper and small olive nymphs. Looks like some rain for Monday, but the temps should help warm the water, I think things will be 2-3 weeks early, will we see Hendricksons by opening day???? Spring 2016 Outlook: I hope the winter has been good, and you are thinking about the first signs of spring. I want to take this time to thank you for taking a trip with me in 2015, and hopefully you put into use some of the techniques and tips that you learned. The Croton Watershed is in good shape, and we had a good run of reservoir fish this past fall. The rivers are filled with insects just waiting for spring. Every rock I look at is loaded with caddis, mayflies, midges and even some stones. Hopefully the levels will come up for the spring. If that happens, the fishing is going to be lights out! The Housy is at a good flow, and the conditions are great fro winter fishing, and they are only going to improve. I think the Housy is going to have epic caddis hatches this season from what I have seen so far. It fished great this past fall, and the spring will only be even better! The Farmington River has fish great since last spring, and it continues to fish well this winter. The cold water releases have created great conditions for the insects and trout. To sum it up, don't miss out this spring on a chance to get in on the action. |
|
Hare n copper getting it done again!
|
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Holiday Season! The year ended with some good wet weather locally, and the CT rivers have some good flows to them. The East Branch release is still 55 cfs, and only bumps when it rains and then drops very quickly. There are a lot of bugs sub surface just waiting to be washed into the drift during high water, so get out there after it rains! The fish have been in some of the faster water seams, but with the cold weather forecasted they might start to transition into their winter lies. I was out on Saturday afternoon and did well, hey any fish taken in the winter is a good fish! Czech nymphing with small hare and copper, midge larve, small caddis larve was the ticket. 1 brown and two bows all came to the net, and shop customer Frank got into a brown and bow this past week as well. I did see one fish rise, but there were very few midges on the water. Get out on the warmer days, and I always love fishing snow or some rain. Take the time to read some, and fill those boxes! Tight Lines!
10/29/15 The season is quickly coming to an end locally. I want to thank all of my clients and everyone who has supported The Anglers Den and myself in 2015! We appreciate it! The fishing has slowed down since the start of the month. Its that time of the year for the browns, and they have pretty much one thing on their mind, and feeding is not one of them. The insect activity on the EB is almost all midges. Fish are still rising a little here and there, but the number of Olives that I have seen is dwindling. I have been getting some fish on slowly stripped buggers in black and white. Hopefully the post spawn action will get the fish feeding again. Look to start to use your favorite egg patterns and small streamers. Before you know it the EB will be in winter fishing mode. The Housy continues to produce fish on mostly Olives and streamers. You can also begin to use egg patterns there as well. The water level is good, but the water is cold. Start to think low and slow for your presentations. The Farmington is still the best bet. Fish are on small Olives, Iso's, and small ants. Streamer fishing on the Farmington can be very good, so get up there and fish! 10/4/15 Locally we got some needed rain but the rivers are still very low. The temps are very good for the fish right now, and the recent cold spell has got the bugs going again.. I have seem, small tan caddis, small Hebes(Cream mayflies) size 18, Cream Spinners, size 14(Not as Many) and all the midges you want. Remember the WB is CLOSED and the rest of the rivers except for the upper EB which closes on Oct 16. Also it is almost time to renew your NYS License. The Housy continues to fish well. The water has come down and the bugs continue to be the same. The Farmington has just recently revived its Fall stocking and it continues to give up fish. 9/27/15 Housatonic River, CT I hit the river mid afternoon and saw lots Hebes, and some October Caddis thrown into the mix. The fish were responsive sub surface swinging emergers. The Iso's started to come off about 3:30 pm, and its was great action for about an hour and then the action died till just before dark. Cream colored spinners size 12 with a hint of brown to them dominated the water and fish were literally jumping out of the water for them. I had a blast while scouting out some water for future trips. 9/26/15 Things haven't changed too much on the Croton System. Flows are al or near all time lows for this time of the year, and some rivers aren't even fishable. The Lower EB is reading 50 cfs, but I was there today and its down at least a foot from Tuesday. The temps are good, and where you have fishable water, they fish are becoming more active. Bugs that are out are midges, small caddis sz. 20 and smaller, small summer stenos, spinners, and a few Iso's here and there. For myself , and today's guide trip with Tyler and his Dad Jonathan. Prince nymphs, stone fly nymphs, crane fly larvae and hare and coppers have been producing fish. Tyler was out for the first time and he got two Bows today working some tough holes!! He did an amazing job paying attention and working his indicator rig. The evenings have brought out fish feeding on small ants, spinners, caddis, and midges. Look for fish in deep holes and faster water. Keep changing up your flies, and work a hole. The Housy has been stocked and is fishing well. The water temps are dropping and the fish are responding to Iso's Olives, and terrestrials. Streamers and bid stone fly and prince nymphs will produce some fish as well. The Angler's Den has new hours for the Fall, come and see us for all your fly fishing needs. Remember Steelhead Season is coming, stop in and stock up! NEW Store Hours: OPEN 12pm - 7pm Wednesday thru Friday! 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 2pm Sunday I have some trips coming up the next couple of weeks, and I will be out and about around the area so stay tuned! 9/15/15 Locally on the Croton, the water is still low, but the Upper EB is cold. The midge activity is good in the late morning thru the evening, but they flies are size 20 and smaller. Try and find some deep holes and faster water. I did see some sporadic caddis around, hopefully they will get going in the near future. Ants size 20 seem to be getting attention, but its hard to stick that little hook in! I missed a few this past weekend!! The Housy is still too warm for trout, but the smallie action is red hot. With this cooler weather we could be trout fishing very soon, and there are some good fish to be had. Here is the DEP number, DEP police, east of Hudson- 914-593-7500, please call if you see something you shouldn't like campers, garbage and poaching, its becoming a problem locally. 9/7/15 The holiday weekend started with some action Friday evening on the EB in Brewster. The water still has a slight chill to it, and I was able to see some fish rising on midges from about 6:30 till dark. They were feeding on very small midges, and small Olive Spinners. I missed a couple, but was able to get a nice solid brown just at dark. His picture is on the home page. I still think first light till about 8 am is the best time to fish. These next few days of hot weather is not going to help. I took a ride to the Farmington on Sat late afternoon. Lots of small midges, and a few tiny Caddis were flying around. There were some Iso's and White Flies as well. I was able to get about a half dozen fish or so on dries, and connected with two really nice fish, one broke me off, and another popped off. This river is going to explode once the weather turns, but its still fishing well right now. 8/30/15 I finally have been able to get out a couple of times the last few days. I hit the Housy with my brother who was in from Colorado. He is just learning how to fly fish, and he put a hurting on the Housy Smallies. We got into fish throwing streamers, and even on top using Stanley Taylor's Sex Dragons. Stanley is the owner of Fatcat Flies, check him out on Facebook. We had a great mix of dinks to fish that were a couple of pounds. The water is very warm, so we didn't even think about the trout, but I think that river will be very good to excellent this fall. I saw some Iso's and caddis flying around. It was so great to be able to fish with him, and watch him make so much progress in his first season. I also got out to the Upper EB of the Croton this evening. The water temps are still good, but the levels are about half of what they normally are. The fish are very selective as they have been hit pretty hard this season. I did see some midges flying around, but that was about it as far as bugs go. I was able to get one nymphing. I hope the Olives and Iso's are around the corner. I still think that the best times to fish are first light to about 10 am, as the fish will be more cooperative after getting comfortable during the night. look for deeper holes, and stealth is important!!!! Longer than normal leaders down to 6x is what I would recommend. As we turn into September and October, hopefully we will get some rain and fill our Croton Rivers, which should get the fish more comfortable and start feeding. I have a lot of trips lined up in NY and CT this fall, so check back on regular basis. 8/15/15 Its been a while since I was out on the local rivers, but I was out and about last evening and this morning. The WB is low and warm, and the Lower EB is fishable in the very early mornings and evenings, but check the temps. The upper EB is still around 55 cfs and it doesn't look like the flows will be bumped anytime soon, but it is nice and cold. I managed to get a nice bow nymphing, and I picked up a brown on a griffths. hardly any bug action this morning. It looks like this will be the norm until the fall, nymph until you see something rise, then throw a terrestrial or midge. I did break off a solid fish on 6x while skipping a flying ant size 18. In this low water look to fish at first light till about 9 am, and work behind the fish. This nice bow was feeding in a shallow riffle. Your best bet for trout continues to be the Farmington, and the Housy has had a mix of trout and smallies depending on water temps. 7/31/15 Croton Watershed The Upper EB is fishable, and the temp is 57 degrees. Water is still 56 cfs. Midges and small olives are the main food sources right now. Look to throw some small ants and beetles in shady areas. The evenings should bring some fish to the surface. The Lower EB is running high and like chocolate milk. watch the flows and clarity and hit it as soon as it clears depending on the temperature. The WB (Croton Falls Outlet) is too warm to fish. I got a temp reading today of 76 degrees. The water is high, and the water is spilling over the dam. This is probably how its going to be for the next month or so, use your thermometer and common sense. Hopefully we will get some nice Iso's come September. Your best bet for trout is the Farmington. 7/30/15 Back from an amazing western fly fishing trip and back on the water guiding today. Today I had out Andrew and his dad Tom on the Housy for some smallie action. The overcast skies put a damper on the bite, but we managed some, and had a lot of follows of fish that just weren't ready to take our streamers. The water was gin in the upper stretches of the Upper TMA. The highlight of the day was a surprise 17 inch bow that Tom was able to get to the net very quickly. A quick pic and I was able to send him on his way. We threw streams all day as we didn't want to target the trout, but this guy was very hungry. I did see some Iso's and the BWO hatch was on, but the water temps are too warm to target the trout. The flow is just under 500 cfs, and we got out of the water just in time before the down pour of rain. The White Flies have started, and its a great way to get into some smallies on dries! The rain we just got here on the Croton has bumped up the flows, and I will be out in the am, to see what's going on locally. I will post a weekend report in tomorrow afternoon. Im working on a video recap of my trip, stay tuned I will be posting it here! 7/13/15 Farmington River I hit the river looking for late morning to mid afternoon hatches. I wasn't disappointed. We got on the water about 10 am, and we were greeted by some caddis, so a few casts later with my version on an X Caddis, two fish to the net, and a few misses. About an hour later the Sulphurs started, and they were still trickling when I left at 2:30pm. I hit fish on small size 18 Sulphur Compara Duns, Spinners, and Caddis. Scott Rose was with me who guides in Florida for Peacock Bass, and he currently holds the IGFA world record Popoca Peacock Bass (All-Tackle) at 8 pounds. He has had success getting fish on Sulphurs, Caddis and Spinners. He hit a nice 18 inch fish last week, and a nice 16 plus bow this week. Check out Scott's facebook page and his website http://www.peacockadventures.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/scottrosefishing?pnref=lhc. Ill be out West starting Saturday 7/18/15. Follow my reports here or on www.theflypatch.com 7/9/15 Locally the water levels are up, but that means that the water is spilling from the dams. Things were good last week, nymphing got a lot of the fish to the net, and the fish were keyed in at dark to spinners. There are still caddis around in the mornings, and I saw some flying around this evening. The top of the EB is still 67 degrees, but the mid section by Borden bridge is reading 70. This was this evening at 7:30 pm. It would be very stressful and dangerous to fish right now on both the WB and EB. Im not too optimistic that temps will drop for the weekend. Once the dams s/top spilling, hopefully the bottom releases will cool things off. Focus on t/e mornings for the best opportunity to find fishable water. The summer is !. in black and olive, as well as tiny hares ear, PT's, and caddis larve will be your goto nymphs. I have been going to the Farmington and the fishing is still strong. I froze today being in the water for 6 plus hours. Caddis, BWO, and small Sulphurs are on the menu, as well as spinners at dark. I got two really nice fish, one bow and one brown the last 2 trips. They are two beautiful fish. Of course nice strong Farmy browns in the 12-15 inch range have also provided some great action. My travels over the next couple of weeks will take me to Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park, stay tuned! 6/29/15 Croton Watershed This morning I got to get out from 8:30 am-11:30 am. I was greeted by fish rising feeding on tan caddis sz. 14-18, Small Olives, and Midges. The water temp this morning was a nice 57 degrees! I bounced around a bit on the EB, and found fish feeding in every spot. There were small Sulphur spinners about earlier as well. I took fish on hare and copper nymphs, and caddis emergers, as well as some elk hair caddis. You have a nice window from first light to about noon to fish. As the morning progresses, look for fish to hold in the shady areas, especially on the edges of sun and shade. I tried to focus on nymphing very deep holes because the water is still low. I did try a few of my favorite spots, which are much more shallow because of the low water, and no one was home. The fish that are rising are moving right into the shallow water to feed. They are very shy and spooky, so I went down to 6x today. The Suklphurs are still going, I saw lots of nymphs on some rocks I flipped over, and I even saw some hatching this morning about 11 am. Good luck out there! 6/24/15 Croton Watershed Well it looks like the Sulphurs are starting to wind down a bit. The fish have become very selective in a few of the places in the area, due to the pressure, and low water. I guess they get tired of seeing me! The Spinner falls at dark have been good, but a good presentation is crucial as you are competing with a lot of naturals. What is nice is that I am continuing to get a lot of stream born fish. The percentage was 50/50, but the last couple of days out I have gotten mostly wild fish. With the rain forecasted the next few days, look for the fishing to continue to be good, get out and nymph during the high water period. 6/21/15 Happy Fathers Day, I hope all the Dads enjoyed their day. Things in the watershed are still going strong. The sulphurs are dominating the hatches, and there are some smaller caddis around. The sulphurs are getting smaller 14-18, so adjust accordingly. Reports into the shop this weekend were good even with the rainy weather. Nymphing has been still the most productive way to catch fish. Look for the deeper runs and faster water. The good news is that the water temps are still in very good shape. Hopefully we will have some good conditions into July. As we get closer to July, look for the caddis to get smaller, 16-20. Midges will start be a good staple as well. I did lessons on the Hosuy on Saturday afternoon. The river is high, but the temps have come down into the mid to upper 60's, so targeting trout is an option until things warm back up. This river will fish good for a short period of time after the high water drops, don't miss out! Sulphurs, caddis, and Iso's are all on the water. 6/16-19/15 * UPDATED* Some great action last evening during the Sulphur Hatch. Duns and Spinners were out in full force. The hatch is going on almost in all pools on the watershed. Temps on the EB remain nice and cold despite the low flows. The WB is at 36 cfs. and it is very low! I was able to nymph up a nice bow in some faster water before the hatch got going on the EB. Caddis larvae, hare and coppers, and emergers were working while nymphing. Look for Iso's to make an appearance as well. Use nice prince nymphs to imitate the nymphs and emergers subsurface. I love using Iso parachutes, make them big size 10-14. The Housy is coming down, hopefully this cool weather will lower the temps and we can target the trout. Look for it to be wadable by the weekend. Heavy rains forcasted for Sunday should help pump some water into the system, and look to get out as soon as the water clears! Good Luck! I hit the salt in the early am, looking for cinder worms and fish. I got in the water a little later than I wanted to the tide had gone out. Missed my first hit on the gurgler by "trout setting" AGGHH! I did manage a schoolie though , got him in which was nice. Some worms but hopefully the hatch tonight will be on fire! 6/14/15 Local Croton Watershed The Sulphurs continue to dominate the evening hatch even with the poor flows. The Upper EB is flowing at 45 cfs, and the lower section is the same. The West Branch is at 33 cfs. These are trickles, usually the flows are double that this time of the year. Hopefully the rain forecasted will bump up the flows and move the fish out of the deeper pools. Look for Sulphurs in sizes 14-20, midges, and some sporadic caddis. Temps look to still be ok, but for how long remains to be seen. A good tip is that of we get rain and the flows bump, get out and fish!!! The Housy is just about done for trout until Septmeber unless we get a real good cold streak. The temps are in the upper 70's and the thermal refuge areas are in effect until Sept. 1st. I did a guide trip with Jeff from PA, and his nephew Sam. We targeted the smallies in the afternoon, netting a bunch, and looked for cooler water for some trout in the evening. We had a small hatch of Yellow Sallies, and some Alder Caddis, and we even got some fish to rise, but Jeff only connected on a chub. He was very excited though, it was his first on a dry. Sam worked his butt of getting 3 to dance around 8 pm, but we couldn't stick the hook. A great day hunting and hitting spot after spot, I really enjoy having them out, and I look forward to their next trip with me! Cinderworms this week in the salt, hopefully my striper friends will cooperate! |
Tyler's second Bow of the day!
They have such pretty Browns on the Farmy!
Long and skinny this Farmy Brown needs to eat!
Scott's cool Bow
Scott nailed this big boy on a nice size 16 Rusty Spinner. He saw him rise and got him a few minutes later. We landed him in the dark. I could bee you know what or I would have netted him quicker!
Farmy Browm
Farmington Rainbow
Farmy
Devon's very first fish ion the fly, I think he is hooked!
|
6/10/15 A great Sulphur hatch last night on the EB of the Croton. The hatch came in 2 waves, one at about 6:30 pm, and another at around 8 pm.The fish have responded well to the increase in flows, and have moved around a bit. I'm only worries that the flows will continue to drop. Sulphurs in sizes 12-18 were out and about. Fish were feed on top and subsurface on emergers coming right off the bottom. A dry dropper was a great rig last night. I used a size 10 parachute Sulphur, and a bead-head sulphur emerger as a dropper. I used the larger parachute because the emerger is heavy. If i was going to just toss dries, i would have been better off with a 12 or 14. This is a great time to fish, don't miss out!
6/8/15 Sorry the reports haven't been updated, my computer fried! Locally the fish have responded well to the high water from last week. There are some sporadic caddis around all day, think emergers and pupae. The Sulphurs stared late last week, and the spinners were out in full force last night. The fish are taking duns size 14, and spinners from 12-16. Try nymphing with some PT's and dark Hare's Ear nymphs throughout the day. Hopefully these cooler nights and some rain will keep the fish active. The riffles are still producing while nymphing as well.
Saturday afternoon I got to fish the Housy. The fish were feeding very well. Every hole we stopped at produced nice fat browms in the 14-16 inch range. Nymphing was very effective with fish coming on stone fly, hare and coppers, caddis larve and pupae, and Iso nymphs. We got into a nice hatch of Iso's in the evening and there were some sulpurs around. I look for them to get going this week. We also saw some march browns flying around as well. The fish were in pure feeding mode after the high water last week!
6/8/15 Sorry the reports haven't been updated, my computer fried! Locally the fish have responded well to the high water from last week. There are some sporadic caddis around all day, think emergers and pupae. The Sulphurs stared late last week, and the spinners were out in full force last night. The fish are taking duns size 14, and spinners from 12-16. Try nymphing with some PT's and dark Hare's Ear nymphs throughout the day. Hopefully these cooler nights and some rain will keep the fish active. The riffles are still producing while nymphing as well.
Saturday afternoon I got to fish the Housy. The fish were feeding very well. Every hole we stopped at produced nice fat browms in the 14-16 inch range. Nymphing was very effective with fish coming on stone fly, hare and coppers, caddis larve and pupae, and Iso nymphs. We got into a nice hatch of Iso's in the evening and there were some sulpurs around. I look for them to get going this week. We also saw some march browns flying around as well. The fish were in pure feeding mode after the high water last week!
5/31/15 Well tomorrow begins in my opinion the best month of the year to fish. You basically can target any species you want to! Hit the salt last night for the first surf trip. The wind was blowing about 20 knots and made things very difficult, we did see some spearing in Westport, but no fish. Hopefully the sand eels aren't too far behind, the fish will move inshore. Schoolies have been around as well as some blues, so hopefully next weekend I can get the yak out for a morning trip.
Locally the EB of the Croton is flowing at 45 cfs. I cant remember ever seeing it this low. The temps are still great, but I think that is delaying the sulphur hatch. The WB bumped up to 144 cfs today, and that looks like a good bet this week when it drops a little and clears. I was out this evening from 5:30-7:30pm on the EB. The fish were rising to some caddis, small olives, and midges. I connected on some caddis emergers, but most of my success came Czech nymphing the faster deeper pockets. The rainbows were in ever hole I hit today. They were keyed in on hare and copper nymphs and copper johns. I really didn't focus on changing up flies, and more on getting them down with a good presentation. I had a couple of first cast connections in some of the holes, which tells me this fish are ready willing and able to feed when the opportunity presents itself.
There have been some solid reports coming out of the Housy, water levels have rose, and the temps dropped. That looks like a good option as well. The Farmington continues to be hot. A couple of customers of the shop had great action on dries and nymphs.
Get out this week between rain storms and hopefully the bugs will continue to make the trout happy!
5/26/15 Updated!!! . Caddis dominate the mornings and evenings 5-7 pm. After 7pm, look for midges and spinners. Griffiths Gnats and rusty Spinners size 16 took fish this evening. I did see some Cahills coming off around 8 pm, hopefully this hatch will get going by the weekend. Nymphing is still very productive with caddis larve and pupae, and your favorite mayfly nymphs. Keep your flies on the smaller side of the naturals. Watch how the fish are rising. I saw some aggressive rising and sipping fish. A dry dropper with an emerger as the dropper will pay dividends. I have noticed some bigger fish feeding below the surface, and the smaller fish rising, The larger fish are waiting to feed in low light. The Upper EB is still at a great temperature, and the Lower is still good as well. With the low water, look for fish in the deeper holes and faster water. Hopefully we get the rain that they are calling for. Take those water temps especially if you are fishing from mid day on. The Housy right now is too warm for trout, but if you want some great action go toss some streamers for smallmouth or try for smallies on dries! The Farmington continues to fish well, and it should continue! The Catskills are in an Emergency Temerature situation. I was up there on Monday, and things were on the borderline of being too warm. We have a few more days of heat then the weather is supposed to cool down. If that happens and we get much needed rain, June should be a great month. Making my first salt trip Saturday night, reports to follow. I took little Spinner out Saturday Evening. We got some on dries and we nymphed up this nice rainbow. I usually hook them and he fights them, but he set the hook just as quickly as I did while nymphing, and he battled it pretty good! Bows are his favorite!
5/20/15 Croton Watershed The good news is that the bugs have been cooperating, and based upon what I saw over the weekend, the Cahills should be out asap. Also look for some Pale Evening Duns as well. The caddis remain strong, pupae in the mornings, and adults in the evening. The bad news are the flows. The water on the Upper East Branch had been dropped to 56 cfs! Just a trickle. The flows around the watershed are low, the temps have been staying cold, but I don't know for how much longer. Please give the fish a break if the temps start to creep up. Area reports from the Housy and Farmington are very good. Caddis PED, March Browns, and Spinners are all out and about. Even some sporadic Sulphurs as well. I did see 2 over the weekend. The Catskills are fishing well despite the low flows. The temps have been good there due to their colder nights.
We are entering Prime Time Bug Soup, so get out and fish while these fishable conditions last!
Locally the EB of the Croton is flowing at 45 cfs. I cant remember ever seeing it this low. The temps are still great, but I think that is delaying the sulphur hatch. The WB bumped up to 144 cfs today, and that looks like a good bet this week when it drops a little and clears. I was out this evening from 5:30-7:30pm on the EB. The fish were rising to some caddis, small olives, and midges. I connected on some caddis emergers, but most of my success came Czech nymphing the faster deeper pockets. The rainbows were in ever hole I hit today. They were keyed in on hare and copper nymphs and copper johns. I really didn't focus on changing up flies, and more on getting them down with a good presentation. I had a couple of first cast connections in some of the holes, which tells me this fish are ready willing and able to feed when the opportunity presents itself.
There have been some solid reports coming out of the Housy, water levels have rose, and the temps dropped. That looks like a good option as well. The Farmington continues to be hot. A couple of customers of the shop had great action on dries and nymphs.
Get out this week between rain storms and hopefully the bugs will continue to make the trout happy!
5/26/15 Updated!!! . Caddis dominate the mornings and evenings 5-7 pm. After 7pm, look for midges and spinners. Griffiths Gnats and rusty Spinners size 16 took fish this evening. I did see some Cahills coming off around 8 pm, hopefully this hatch will get going by the weekend. Nymphing is still very productive with caddis larve and pupae, and your favorite mayfly nymphs. Keep your flies on the smaller side of the naturals. Watch how the fish are rising. I saw some aggressive rising and sipping fish. A dry dropper with an emerger as the dropper will pay dividends. I have noticed some bigger fish feeding below the surface, and the smaller fish rising, The larger fish are waiting to feed in low light. The Upper EB is still at a great temperature, and the Lower is still good as well. With the low water, look for fish in the deeper holes and faster water. Hopefully we get the rain that they are calling for. Take those water temps especially if you are fishing from mid day on. The Housy right now is too warm for trout, but if you want some great action go toss some streamers for smallmouth or try for smallies on dries! The Farmington continues to fish well, and it should continue! The Catskills are in an Emergency Temerature situation. I was up there on Monday, and things were on the borderline of being too warm. We have a few more days of heat then the weather is supposed to cool down. If that happens and we get much needed rain, June should be a great month. Making my first salt trip Saturday night, reports to follow. I took little Spinner out Saturday Evening. We got some on dries and we nymphed up this nice rainbow. I usually hook them and he fights them, but he set the hook just as quickly as I did while nymphing, and he battled it pretty good! Bows are his favorite!
5/20/15 Croton Watershed The good news is that the bugs have been cooperating, and based upon what I saw over the weekend, the Cahills should be out asap. Also look for some Pale Evening Duns as well. The caddis remain strong, pupae in the mornings, and adults in the evening. The bad news are the flows. The water on the Upper East Branch had been dropped to 56 cfs! Just a trickle. The flows around the watershed are low, the temps have been staying cold, but I don't know for how much longer. Please give the fish a break if the temps start to creep up. Area reports from the Housy and Farmington are very good. Caddis PED, March Browns, and Spinners are all out and about. Even some sporadic Sulphurs as well. I did see 2 over the weekend. The Catskills are fishing well despite the low flows. The temps have been good there due to their colder nights.
We are entering Prime Time Bug Soup, so get out and fish while these fishable conditions last!
5/16/15-5/17/15 Saturday Morning started very rainy. Steve was out for Part 2 of his lessons. Caddis and midges were hatching in between raindrops. He hooked up while nymphing and lost another while throwing a size 18 Griffiths Gnat. The fish snapped the 6x, not much he could do there. We worked a few different runs with some misses, but he is ready to go get some on is own. The water on the WB was coming up and we did see a few sporadic rises on caddis, but sub surface was the way to go there.
Saturday evening I took a ride to the Housy. The water temps are rising which is a concern. Caddis, and olives hatched during the morning I was told, and I did see some caddis, but no fish rising. I was able to get a lot of smaller fish while nymphing, and I did manage a decent one around 13 inches. Caddis pupae and emerger imitations were the flies of choice. I was a little disappointed that there was nothing hatching at dark.
Sunday morning I had Ed out for a trip. We were greeted nicely to fish rising on caddis, and he managed to go 3-4, and the miss was a nice fish with some good shoulders. We worked on some different techniques while nymphing, but we could not get any fish to answer. I guess they were full from there nice morning feeding. We flipped some rocks and saw some march brown or cahill and sulphur nymphs, they look ready to go! We did see some sporadic rises mid morning. The water temps on the EB are excellent right now, still in the mid 50's, and the WB is flowing at 15o cfs, so its colder than it was yesterday. Ed fished a lot of his life in Ireland and it was great to hear some stories and techniques he used there.
A great weekend on the water. Look to get out, some evenings the fish are feeding on caddis and midges. The cahills should start very soon, and the sulphurs wont be too far behind. Early mornings have been consistent for caddis, and they have been hit or miss in the evenings. Nymph with your favorite sulphur imitations, and caddis larve and pupae. Done be afraid to swing a caddis emerger just beneath the surface as well. the rain had definetly helped keep our temps down, look to find fish in the shady areas during the day!
5/15/15 Weekend Report Im happy to say the water temps are nice and cold, with most of the fishable rivers in the low to mid 50's. Some of our rivers are really low, and hopefully we get some rain soon to bump up the flows. Last evening we saw a nice hatch of caddis, and midges with a few spinners thrown in, and if my eyes were not deceiving me a cahill or two. Fish came on griffiths gnats size 20, and caddis emergers and pupae, size 14-16. Look to nymph using cahill and sulphur imitations, caddis larve and pupae, and midge pupae. Ill be out and about doing a couple of trips this weekend locally, so check back daily!
Saturday evening I took a ride to the Housy. The water temps are rising which is a concern. Caddis, and olives hatched during the morning I was told, and I did see some caddis, but no fish rising. I was able to get a lot of smaller fish while nymphing, and I did manage a decent one around 13 inches. Caddis pupae and emerger imitations were the flies of choice. I was a little disappointed that there was nothing hatching at dark.
Sunday morning I had Ed out for a trip. We were greeted nicely to fish rising on caddis, and he managed to go 3-4, and the miss was a nice fish with some good shoulders. We worked on some different techniques while nymphing, but we could not get any fish to answer. I guess they were full from there nice morning feeding. We flipped some rocks and saw some march brown or cahill and sulphur nymphs, they look ready to go! We did see some sporadic rises mid morning. The water temps on the EB are excellent right now, still in the mid 50's, and the WB is flowing at 15o cfs, so its colder than it was yesterday. Ed fished a lot of his life in Ireland and it was great to hear some stories and techniques he used there.
A great weekend on the water. Look to get out, some evenings the fish are feeding on caddis and midges. The cahills should start very soon, and the sulphurs wont be too far behind. Early mornings have been consistent for caddis, and they have been hit or miss in the evenings. Nymph with your favorite sulphur imitations, and caddis larve and pupae. Done be afraid to swing a caddis emerger just beneath the surface as well. the rain had definetly helped keep our temps down, look to find fish in the shady areas during the day!
5/15/15 Weekend Report Im happy to say the water temps are nice and cold, with most of the fishable rivers in the low to mid 50's. Some of our rivers are really low, and hopefully we get some rain soon to bump up the flows. Last evening we saw a nice hatch of caddis, and midges with a few spinners thrown in, and if my eyes were not deceiving me a cahill or two. Fish came on griffiths gnats size 20, and caddis emergers and pupae, size 14-16. Look to nymph using cahill and sulphur imitations, caddis larve and pupae, and midge pupae. Ill be out and about doing a couple of trips this weekend locally, so check back daily!
Steve's very first trout!
Check the water temps before fishing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5/7/15 Croton Watershed is starting to see some willing and able feeding fish. The Hendrickson hatch is pretty much over, I did see a few stragglers around, but the spinners are coming off in the evenings. The caddis are sporadic throughout the day and you can fool fish on larvae, and emerger patterns. Some caddis will be on the water at dusk, very few fish responding but you can fool one of you give it a good presentation.
5/5/15 Croton Watershed Went out looking for some hendy spinners, saw lots but nothing falling to the water and no fish responding. I started around 6:30 nymphing up a mix of stockies and holdovers on caddis larve, tan Czech nymphs, caddis emergers, and hare and coppers. The water was 52 degrees, and the fish were holding in some faster water. All the fish were chunky, probally for eating all those big Hendrickson nymphs and adults. I bounced around a little, I even left fish to find fish. Things are still strong on the Farmington and Housy. Looks like a great weekend coming up, get out on the water!
5/3/15 Housy was giving up some fish today. Hendricksons started about 3:15 pm and went past 4. We were able to get some fish to the net on fries, and swinging emerges. Even after the hatch the fish still had their heads up and were taking parachutes off the top. Kevin got his first fish on dries today, he was great at picking up what I was teaching him. Spinner falls of quills are happening sporadically around during the Hendrickson hatch, and the Hendy Spinners are out at dusk. Look for calm nights. The Farmy is fishing about the same as the Housy, so that is another option. I will get out locally this week.
Reports from the crew up in the Catskills was that fish were willing to take small nymphs this weekend. Action on the surface was spotty, look for it to get going this week as well. The flows are low and wading is possible just about anywhere.
Its a great time right now and get in on the Hendrickson action before it is done!
I had a great time teaching, guiding and fishing with friends and clients this weekend!
5/5/15 Croton Watershed Went out looking for some hendy spinners, saw lots but nothing falling to the water and no fish responding. I started around 6:30 nymphing up a mix of stockies and holdovers on caddis larve, tan Czech nymphs, caddis emergers, and hare and coppers. The water was 52 degrees, and the fish were holding in some faster water. All the fish were chunky, probally for eating all those big Hendrickson nymphs and adults. I bounced around a little, I even left fish to find fish. Things are still strong on the Farmington and Housy. Looks like a great weekend coming up, get out on the water!
5/3/15 Housy was giving up some fish today. Hendricksons started about 3:15 pm and went past 4. We were able to get some fish to the net on fries, and swinging emerges. Even after the hatch the fish still had their heads up and were taking parachutes off the top. Kevin got his first fish on dries today, he was great at picking up what I was teaching him. Spinner falls of quills are happening sporadically around during the Hendrickson hatch, and the Hendy Spinners are out at dusk. Look for calm nights. The Farmy is fishing about the same as the Housy, so that is another option. I will get out locally this week.
Reports from the crew up in the Catskills was that fish were willing to take small nymphs this weekend. Action on the surface was spotty, look for it to get going this week as well. The flows are low and wading is possible just about anywhere.
Its a great time right now and get in on the Hendrickson action before it is done!
I had a great time teaching, guiding and fishing with friends and clients this weekend!
Nice job Dennis!!!
5/2/15 Last evenings guide trip with Dennis went well. He is a newbie and he learned a lot. He did a great job learning. He managed a brownie and a nice bow, that ran almost 15 inches. Hare and coppers did the job, and the water temps was 52. We got the bow in some faster water. We didn't see many bugs out, and no caddis and spinners by dark.
I hit the upper TMA in the Housy. We had a light Hendrickson hatch and I managed some on top which was so nice! There were some blue quill spinners in the afternoon as well. Very few fish rising, but the ones that were are on the feed! The hatch up there should get going this week. Ill be back up there tomorrow for a guide trip, report to follow.
I hit the upper TMA in the Housy. We had a light Hendrickson hatch and I managed some on top which was so nice! There were some blue quill spinners in the afternoon as well. Very few fish rising, but the ones that were are on the feed! The hatch up there should get going this week. Ill be back up there tomorrow for a guide trip, report to follow.
The Hendricksons have started in The Hudson Valley! Get on the water!
4/28/15 East Branch of the Croton. A good hatch this evening of caddis. The fish were responsive to a caddis emerger fished sub surface. No rises at all! Look to find water that is at 50 and up to find the bugs and active fish. I got a bunch of stockie bows, no brown or holdovers, which is a growing concern. The water is coming down, and is clear. Look to use your favorite mayfly nymph patterns, caddis larve and pupae. I did get a fish in some faster water as well, but they seem to be hanging out right where the water slows down so they can pick off the emergers.
4/26/15 Croton Watershed has started to pick up. The water levels are coming down on the EB and WB. There has been a nice mix of bugs, caddis, quills, olives, and even some hendricksons. Look for the hendricksons to really get going this week. 2:30-4:30 pm. The water temps should go up and between that and the bug situation, the fish should respond well. I have some trips upcoming later and the week and weekend, plus hopefully a scouting mission this week as well, stay tuned!
Update 4/23/15 Locally the WB and Upper EB are flowing too high right now. You have fishable water almost everywhere else. The water temp has dropped from 52 the other evening down to 48 today, and with tonight's cold, it will be even lower. Look to fish during the latter part of the afternoons when it will be the warmest. The cold has slowed the fish activity. Blue quills are on the water, but the fish are not rising to them. Midges are also on the water all day, black and gray, but no surface activity. The caddis have seemed to slow down, but every twig and branch I snag and pull up has green caddis larve and cased caddis on them. Look to fish sub surface until the weather warms a little. Stockies cant stay away from small hare and coppers, size 16, and midge larve.
It feels like every time we take a step closer to things really happening, the weather pushes everything back. I was hoping to see some Hendricksons this weekend, but look for them late next week with the forecast that we have for the next 10 days.
Good luck!
4/19/15 Croton Watershed Friday night I was able to get into some stockies, water temps were low 40's after the cloudy day. Fish came on hare and copper nymphs and some cased caddis. Yesterday we saw some blue quills, and sporadic caddis flying around. No fish rising to them, but the water temp was 51 at 3pm. Look for the activity to increase as the water temps go up. We were able to move a fish on an olive bugger which is a good sign that they are becoming aggressive. We missed another fish while nymphing. Cisco worked his butt off , as it was his first time fly fishing. He did a great job learning the basics of casting, nymphing, and absorbing everything I was teaching him. I believe another is hooked on fly fishing!
Fly choices should be mayfly nymphs, midge larve and pupae, caddis larve and pupae. Look for risers any day now, as the fish will start to look up at the quills and caddis. Hendricksons are in PA, and probably in NJ today, so they will be here soon!!
4/12/15 This should be the week we have been waiting for. No rain, temps in the high 60's and the water is coming down. I did a guide trip to The Farmington on Saturday. The water was way up and the wind was whipping, but Matthew was able to land his personal best brown! Fishing was slow for the CT opener. Locally here on the Croton watershed, the water temps are in the low 40's in the morning, and by the evening they are in the mid 40's. during the mid day hours, brown stones, and yes some caddis are flying around. Midges are going through out the day, but get a little heavier in the evenings. Fish are starting to take notice, but they are very small size 22 and 24's. there are also small black stones size 16 and 18's are around. A good tip is to find water that is far down river, it will be warmer, and there will be more bug activity. Ill be guiding 2 x this week, so stay tuned for up to the minute reports!
4/3/15 Its 5:55 pm and as I write this the rain continues to fall here in Carmel, and the rivers are rising! Will it ever end? I was out and about today around the watershed. The rivers are COLD! Temps ever where seemed to be right around 36 degrees. This is making the trout very inactive, and they are tight to the bottom. Even the spin fisherman are getting frustrated. BUT there was a glimmer of hope. I did see a lot of midges on the water this morning, mostly gray, but some black ones too. This afternoon, small Olives, sz. 20, and black midges were out and I did see some surface activity which is great. Lots of midge shucks in the water. I saw a small amount of brown stones flying around as well. Small hare and coppers in size 18 were the ticket today with a small black Czech nymph.
For the weekend, small olive nymphs, hare and coppers, and midge larvae and pupae should be in your thoughts. get your flies down, if you are not snagging bottom, your not deep enough. Try and find water that takes the flows out of the mix. Plan ahead, and have about 3-4 spots in mind before you go out. If the last two days is any indication on the amount of people that will be on the water this weekend, its going to be very crowded! Don't try and figure out where you want to fish after the spot you planned on is taken! Good luck this weekend!
4/28/15 East Branch of the Croton. A good hatch this evening of caddis. The fish were responsive to a caddis emerger fished sub surface. No rises at all! Look to find water that is at 50 and up to find the bugs and active fish. I got a bunch of stockie bows, no brown or holdovers, which is a growing concern. The water is coming down, and is clear. Look to use your favorite mayfly nymph patterns, caddis larve and pupae. I did get a fish in some faster water as well, but they seem to be hanging out right where the water slows down so they can pick off the emergers.
4/26/15 Croton Watershed has started to pick up. The water levels are coming down on the EB and WB. There has been a nice mix of bugs, caddis, quills, olives, and even some hendricksons. Look for the hendricksons to really get going this week. 2:30-4:30 pm. The water temps should go up and between that and the bug situation, the fish should respond well. I have some trips upcoming later and the week and weekend, plus hopefully a scouting mission this week as well, stay tuned!
Update 4/23/15 Locally the WB and Upper EB are flowing too high right now. You have fishable water almost everywhere else. The water temp has dropped from 52 the other evening down to 48 today, and with tonight's cold, it will be even lower. Look to fish during the latter part of the afternoons when it will be the warmest. The cold has slowed the fish activity. Blue quills are on the water, but the fish are not rising to them. Midges are also on the water all day, black and gray, but no surface activity. The caddis have seemed to slow down, but every twig and branch I snag and pull up has green caddis larve and cased caddis on them. Look to fish sub surface until the weather warms a little. Stockies cant stay away from small hare and coppers, size 16, and midge larve.
It feels like every time we take a step closer to things really happening, the weather pushes everything back. I was hoping to see some Hendricksons this weekend, but look for them late next week with the forecast that we have for the next 10 days.
Good luck!
4/19/15 Croton Watershed Friday night I was able to get into some stockies, water temps were low 40's after the cloudy day. Fish came on hare and copper nymphs and some cased caddis. Yesterday we saw some blue quills, and sporadic caddis flying around. No fish rising to them, but the water temp was 51 at 3pm. Look for the activity to increase as the water temps go up. We were able to move a fish on an olive bugger which is a good sign that they are becoming aggressive. We missed another fish while nymphing. Cisco worked his butt off , as it was his first time fly fishing. He did a great job learning the basics of casting, nymphing, and absorbing everything I was teaching him. I believe another is hooked on fly fishing!
Fly choices should be mayfly nymphs, midge larve and pupae, caddis larve and pupae. Look for risers any day now, as the fish will start to look up at the quills and caddis. Hendricksons are in PA, and probably in NJ today, so they will be here soon!!
4/12/15 This should be the week we have been waiting for. No rain, temps in the high 60's and the water is coming down. I did a guide trip to The Farmington on Saturday. The water was way up and the wind was whipping, but Matthew was able to land his personal best brown! Fishing was slow for the CT opener. Locally here on the Croton watershed, the water temps are in the low 40's in the morning, and by the evening they are in the mid 40's. during the mid day hours, brown stones, and yes some caddis are flying around. Midges are going through out the day, but get a little heavier in the evenings. Fish are starting to take notice, but they are very small size 22 and 24's. there are also small black stones size 16 and 18's are around. A good tip is to find water that is far down river, it will be warmer, and there will be more bug activity. Ill be guiding 2 x this week, so stay tuned for up to the minute reports!
4/3/15 Its 5:55 pm and as I write this the rain continues to fall here in Carmel, and the rivers are rising! Will it ever end? I was out and about today around the watershed. The rivers are COLD! Temps ever where seemed to be right around 36 degrees. This is making the trout very inactive, and they are tight to the bottom. Even the spin fisherman are getting frustrated. BUT there was a glimmer of hope. I did see a lot of midges on the water this morning, mostly gray, but some black ones too. This afternoon, small Olives, sz. 20, and black midges were out and I did see some surface activity which is great. Lots of midge shucks in the water. I saw a small amount of brown stones flying around as well. Small hare and coppers in size 18 were the ticket today with a small black Czech nymph.
For the weekend, small olive nymphs, hare and coppers, and midge larvae and pupae should be in your thoughts. get your flies down, if you are not snagging bottom, your not deep enough. Try and find water that takes the flows out of the mix. Plan ahead, and have about 3-4 spots in mind before you go out. If the last two days is any indication on the amount of people that will be on the water this weekend, its going to be very crowded! Don't try and figure out where you want to fish after the spot you planned on is taken! Good luck this weekend!
April 1, 2015 Well I guess it was par for the course having it snowed last night and temps in the 20's this morning. I took a trip to the Neversink Gorge. It is one of my most favorite places to fish. Lots of hiking through snow covered trails, up and down hills make this an adventure everytime I go. I was able to get to a piece of water that I had a good feeling about and I was rewarded with 5 fish that ranged from 14-17 inches and a few a little over 12. All fish came on a size 8 golden stone fished very deep. It was a great way to spend my opening day! Locally in the watershed, The east Branch is dropping, and lots of people were out today. As I type it is about 350 cfs and I expect it to drop another 50 cfs tomorrow, but they are calling for rain on Friday. Most of the rivers in the watershed are in good shape. Pheasant tails, midges, caddis larve, and some Czech nymphs are the way to go. Remember that there should be some bugs in the drift from the high flows. Ill be out and about in the watershed Thursday, so check back for a report!
March 29, 2015 We had out Opening Day Jamboree yesterday at the Anglers Den. A huge thanks to all who came! It was so nice to see some new faces in the mix, and we were able to shoot an entire show of On The Fly, as well! Hopefully it will air very soon. The rain has the rivers bumped up, but the forecast should allow them to drop for opening day. The Croton Watershed has received its first stocking, and CT has begun its stockings already. The East Branch is flowing at over 450 cfs. I drove by today and there were quite a few people out and about. Ill be out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so check back each night for your reports! Opening Day is here, Im looking forward to providing reports to you all season. Good luck and stay safe!
March 22, 2015 We are getting closer to the warmer weather of spring. Now all the fish need to do is realize it too. The EB has been slow with the colder weather. The water temp at around 10:30 am was 36.6, so we are still very cold. The temps this week will begin a slow climb. I did a sample of the drift this morning, I left the net in the water for about 45 minutes. There were some small caddis and sow bugs, and a few midges. Not much to write home about, but its a start. Hopefully things will get better in time for April1st! Focus your fishing on the warmer days in the early afternoons when the bugs will be most active.
The Anglers Den Opening Day Jamboree is this coming Saturday March 28th at the Shop. Come join us for an Orvis Demo day, fly tyers, BBQ and stock up on all you fly fishing needs for Opening Day!
March 15, 2015 We had out shop trip to the Farmington today. After a good week up there with warm temps we were greeted with 35 degrees and wind. Matt stuck a nice fish right off the bat but the bugs did not cooperate and the wind make things difficult for us today. Everyone had a tug but only a bunch of fish came to the net. Small midges, and small caddis were the ticket. Driving up, we passed the Housy, and man the rivers are going to swell when this snow pack melts. Locally some fish have been taken on the East Branch on midges. So things are starting to move in the right direction. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Shop trip Sunday March 22 to the EB!
March 9, 2015 Wow, it actually hit 50 today! Things are starting to make a turn for the better. Had a good report come into the shop Saturday from the EB, and The Farmington has produced some fish as well. This weekend we are taking the show on the road to The Farmington River for the first of many of out shop trips. It is a free trip on Sunday March 15th! RSVP to me at frank@anglersden.net! The reports will be going weekly starting on Sunday night, and hopefully 2-3x per week soon thereafter! Small black stones are out and about as well as midges, get out, you just never know! Welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!
March 22, 2015 We are getting closer to the warmer weather of spring. Now all the fish need to do is realize it too. The EB has been slow with the colder weather. The water temp at around 10:30 am was 36.6, so we are still very cold. The temps this week will begin a slow climb. I did a sample of the drift this morning, I left the net in the water for about 45 minutes. There were some small caddis and sow bugs, and a few midges. Not much to write home about, but its a start. Hopefully things will get better in time for April1st! Focus your fishing on the warmer days in the early afternoons when the bugs will be most active.
The Anglers Den Opening Day Jamboree is this coming Saturday March 28th at the Shop. Come join us for an Orvis Demo day, fly tyers, BBQ and stock up on all you fly fishing needs for Opening Day!
March 15, 2015 We had out shop trip to the Farmington today. After a good week up there with warm temps we were greeted with 35 degrees and wind. Matt stuck a nice fish right off the bat but the bugs did not cooperate and the wind make things difficult for us today. Everyone had a tug but only a bunch of fish came to the net. Small midges, and small caddis were the ticket. Driving up, we passed the Housy, and man the rivers are going to swell when this snow pack melts. Locally some fish have been taken on the East Branch on midges. So things are starting to move in the right direction. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Shop trip Sunday March 22 to the EB!
March 9, 2015 Wow, it actually hit 50 today! Things are starting to make a turn for the better. Had a good report come into the shop Saturday from the EB, and The Farmington has produced some fish as well. This weekend we are taking the show on the road to The Farmington River for the first of many of out shop trips. It is a free trip on Sunday March 15th! RSVP to me at frank@anglersden.net! The reports will be going weekly starting on Sunday night, and hopefully 2-3x per week soon thereafter! Small black stones are out and about as well as midges, get out, you just never know! Welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!
December 2014 Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! A HUGE thank you to all of you who have supported Hendrickson Spinner Fly Fishing and The Anglers Den. It was a great guiding year and I look forward to seeing all of you again next season! Reports coming into the shop have been on the positive side lately. The recent mild weather has had a positive effect on some bugs hatching and getting the trout feeding. Customers have been sating, zebra midges, small prince nymphs, and egg patterns have been taking trout. Look for the trout in the deeper holes. Warmer days have been producing more fish. The Housy is sill high, but it will fish decent through the winter. Egg patterns along with scuds, and stones are the ticket. The Farmington is producing some nice fish as well. Look for winter caddis, and olives to be the hatches. Again egg patterns, small olive nymphs and midges fished deep are your best bet. Czech Nymphing with a heavy anchor fly and a small dropper has been the rig of choice. Small streamers fished low and slow are also taking some fish. The Farmington looks to be the place to be on those nice warmer winter days!
November 2014
The fishing has continued to be hit or miss. Reports coming into the shop have told us that egg flies, scuds, zebra midges, and olive midges have been taking fish. Look for fish in the slower waters, and on warm sunny days there have been tiny Olives on the water and the fish have been rising to then on The EB of the Croton, and the Housy. The water level on the EB is getting low again, hopefully this rain that is on the way will pump some much needed water into the system. Also cover some ground and don't be afraid to use a fly or two that have some dust on them. Something different might just get a strike! Keep at it! Remember our Thursday Night Fly Tying at The Anglers Den, 6-9 pm!
I have received a lot of well wished from people, thank you all very much! Im healing up very well and I plan to be on the water in January if not sooner!
Well my fishing year is coming to an end tomorrow when I have neck surgery. I will be good to go and I will be able to fish in February. Please check back as I will post any reports that we get into the shop, and our events schedule for the winter. Also I will be including some tying and fishing related information on the blog. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been supporting me, this site, and checking out the reports, I hope that I provided you with some helpful information!
Tight Lines!
November 2014
The fishing has continued to be hit or miss. Reports coming into the shop have told us that egg flies, scuds, zebra midges, and olive midges have been taking fish. Look for fish in the slower waters, and on warm sunny days there have been tiny Olives on the water and the fish have been rising to then on The EB of the Croton, and the Housy. The water level on the EB is getting low again, hopefully this rain that is on the way will pump some much needed water into the system. Also cover some ground and don't be afraid to use a fly or two that have some dust on them. Something different might just get a strike! Keep at it! Remember our Thursday Night Fly Tying at The Anglers Den, 6-9 pm!
I have received a lot of well wished from people, thank you all very much! Im healing up very well and I plan to be on the water in January if not sooner!
Well my fishing year is coming to an end tomorrow when I have neck surgery. I will be good to go and I will be able to fish in February. Please check back as I will post any reports that we get into the shop, and our events schedule for the winter. Also I will be including some tying and fishing related information on the blog. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been supporting me, this site, and checking out the reports, I hope that I provided you with some helpful information!
Tight Lines!
Fall brown 10/25
10/25/14 Croton I don't have many fishing opportunities left for this year. I will be having neck surgery in less than 2 weeks, so Im trying to get out a few more times. Reports from the Croton are encouraging for this time of the year. 2 reliable sources got some fish on small generic nymphs size 18 and smaller. They covered lots of ground during the afternoons. I got out for a bit this morning. Hardly any bug activity, but fish came on small frenchie nymph, and Czech nymphs. the fish are full of energy and will give you a good fight. The Housy is dropping fast and should be in real good shape by next weekend. The Farmington continues to give up numbers and quality, fish have been hitting beads up there as well as the usual staples, of small caddis, stones, and small olives. The Salmon River is fishing well with salmon and steel in the upper stretches and steel in the mid to lower sections of the river. Hopefully I will make a trip up there before surgery!
Please keep checking back, I will be posting reports from the shop, and our reliable sources during November and December, as well as other fly fishing related information! The Blog has been updated with information from my presentation this past week at the shop.
Tight Lines!
Please keep checking back, I will be posting reports from the shop, and our reliable sources during November and December, as well as other fly fishing related information! The Blog has been updated with information from my presentation this past week at the shop.
Tight Lines!
Some photos of Toby on a guide trip with me in early October. Toby lived in our area back in the early 70's and actually was a part owner in a sporting goods store that is literally 1 mile from my house today! He moved his family out to Oregon soon after that and the rest is history. He came back this October for a family reunion and I was honored to be able to spend time and guide such a great person and a really good fisherman to boot!. We traded stories of our experiences and trips past throughout the day. It was really cool to have him show me flies that he uses out west for trout and salmon, and he is a very accomplished fly tyer. He might live in one of the best places on the planet to fly fish because of the many different species of fish and types of water! Toby really enjoys swinging some streamers and he had two nice fish that broke off, but he did manage this nice bow on a streamer. He also learned some European nymphing techniques that will hopefully help him become a more successful and confident nymph fisherman. One the wind laid down in the evening, he battled some picky fish on the surface. He got some trout to eat, but we couldn't connect. As the light faded, we knew the day was done, but we had a great day in every aspect. Toby and I look forward to his trip back east next fall!
Some recent pics. I haven't been out too much, but here are some pics from this month from either the Croton, or the Housy!
10/11/14 The fishing continues to be lights out on the Housy. CT finished their stocking, head into The Anglers Den in Pawling, NY and Tom will direct you to the right flies and rigs! Today is an Olive day, don't let the rain get you down get out there and fish! Guide trips have been producing, fish are taking streamers, dries, and of course nymphs. Locally in NY all the rivers will be shut down on the 15th, except for the Upper East Branch. Steelhead and lake run brown fishing is getting under way upstate. Don't miss matt Walsh at the shop this Thursday Night tying his sweet Sucker Spawn Patterns!!
10/5/14 The EB continues to be very tough. Reports coming into the shop this week have not been positive. Think off the beaten path and get your nymphs down deep. The Iso hatch has never materialized. The Housy continues to fish well, but is seeing a lot of pressure. Olives, caddis, and midges are dominating the water. Look for trout to sip the Olives in the slower pools and Caddis in the faster water. I did see some Iso and stone fly shucks in the water today. The streamer bite has been good as well. I took this nice bow on a muddy buddy. The evening hatch of a mixed bag of bugs is going off around 4 pm and its not lasting too long, so get into your spots early and wait! CT has stocked the river the past week, and carry your printed license. The CT DEEP has been cracking down on people not having a printed copy. They don't want to see the email or it on your phone! Word on the street is that Pulaski has its first major salmon run this weekend. We are still waiting for a confirmed report from one of our shop regulars. Don't miss out on our Free Fly Tying Nights!
Fall is Here!
Are you ready?
What's New? We will be starting up Thursday Night Fly Tying once again with a new twist! Starting at 6pm we will have a brief Introduction by a Featured Tyer w/ tying demonstration (30min) followed by Open Tying from 630pm-9pm
(All are welcome, Shop will be open for Business during Evening Tying Session)
OCTOBER 9th - Paul Huchings - Articulated Pike Patterns, Mouse Patterns + Techniques & Rigging
OCTOBER 16th - Matt Walsh - Sucker Spawn Patterns for Salmon, Brown Trout & Steelhead
Future Tyer's to be listed.
I got a sneak peek today at Matt's Sucker Spawn patterns, don't miss either night!
I am presenting and tying on Thursday November 20th! I am going to try and make each week.
Fall is Here!
Are you ready?
What's New? We will be starting up Thursday Night Fly Tying once again with a new twist! Starting at 6pm we will have a brief Introduction by a Featured Tyer w/ tying demonstration (30min) followed by Open Tying from 630pm-9pm
(All are welcome, Shop will be open for Business during Evening Tying Session)
OCTOBER 9th - Paul Huchings - Articulated Pike Patterns, Mouse Patterns + Techniques & Rigging
OCTOBER 16th - Matt Walsh - Sucker Spawn Patterns for Salmon, Brown Trout & Steelhead
Future Tyer's to be listed.
I got a sneak peek today at Matt's Sucker Spawn patterns, don't miss either night!
I am presenting and tying on Thursday November 20th! I am going to try and make each week.
9/26-9/28/14 Croton Watershed The flows on the WB have been going up and down during the last couple of days. This morning the water was high and dirty. If you can time it right and get it on the way down as soon as it clears a little there should be some good opportunities to get into fish. The EB still seems on the stingy side. No olives this morning, but fish did rise to ants and they were active in the faster, deeper runs. There hasn't been bug activity in the mornings or afternoons. The water is much clearer on the upper reaches below the dam, and it has a tint to it in town. It might be a good time to start throwing some small streamers to get some strikes.
The Housy is fishing well. Most of the action is during the mornings or late afternoons to the evenings. Try and find the deeper holes in the shade. Golden stone nymphs, Iso nymphs and emergers, Olive nymphs, and some hare's ear are getting fish. Also its streamer time!! If you want a shot at a bigger fish, try and streamer. The evenings have seen spinners and fish have been feeding well.
9/20-22/14 Sorry for the lack of reports. My back issues have kept me off the water. The Housy is fishing well. Isos Summer Stenos, Olives, and Ants have been the bugs of choice. Spinners on the right evenings have brought fish to the surface. Golden Stone Fly nymphs, and Modified Hares Ears nymphs are working sub surface. The water has a nice chill to it, and the trout are responding well. I had Sammy out for guide trip, what a great time we had. He got some beautiful browns, and lost a monster of a trout on an Iso dry in the evening. He made a perfect cast and presentation, and the fish hammered it! The fish bolted upstream, but then decided to run back down and spit the hook. That's ok, he will get him next time!!!
9/14/14 I had the pleasure of guiding Randy and John yesterday afternoon on the Housy. We were greeted with a steady rain but emerging Isos and some rising fish. They managed to land some nice trout with some smallies mixed in on nymphs and dries. We worked each pocket and fishy spot we could find. There were some summer stennos and tiny olives coming off as well. The evening was shaping up great with the rain stopping, but no hatches or spinner falls. They guys did a great job and worked hard in tough conditions!
Locally there have been mixed reports on the Croton Watershed. Olives, and midges are the main focus of the trout and fishing is best at first light and during the cloudy days. The overnight temps should start getting the water temps down, and hopefully getting the afternoon/evening bite turned on.
9/5/14 The last few days have felt more like the middle of summer than the beginning of September. The heat has got the fish seeking refuge in deeper holes and in the shade. Most of the feeding is going on during the night and early morning hours. I was out for about the last hour of day light this evening, and I saw a handful of fish rise. Small midges and Olives were out, and I did see some Steno spinners, but not much activity. The heat is supposed to break Saturday night and hopefully some rain will get things moving again. With the cooler weather, look for the Iso's to start locally on the watershed. The Housy in Ct is running low and warm. Smallies have kicked into gear again, but the trout are feeding too. It's just too warm to target them, but they should kick into gear next week. Lots of bugs up there. Isos, Olives, Stennos, and spinners are dominating the water.
I hope to get back out Sunday morning, so look for reports to follow! Tight Lines!
The Housy is fishing well. Most of the action is during the mornings or late afternoons to the evenings. Try and find the deeper holes in the shade. Golden stone nymphs, Iso nymphs and emergers, Olive nymphs, and some hare's ear are getting fish. Also its streamer time!! If you want a shot at a bigger fish, try and streamer. The evenings have seen spinners and fish have been feeding well.
9/20-22/14 Sorry for the lack of reports. My back issues have kept me off the water. The Housy is fishing well. Isos Summer Stenos, Olives, and Ants have been the bugs of choice. Spinners on the right evenings have brought fish to the surface. Golden Stone Fly nymphs, and Modified Hares Ears nymphs are working sub surface. The water has a nice chill to it, and the trout are responding well. I had Sammy out for guide trip, what a great time we had. He got some beautiful browns, and lost a monster of a trout on an Iso dry in the evening. He made a perfect cast and presentation, and the fish hammered it! The fish bolted upstream, but then decided to run back down and spit the hook. That's ok, he will get him next time!!!
9/14/14 I had the pleasure of guiding Randy and John yesterday afternoon on the Housy. We were greeted with a steady rain but emerging Isos and some rising fish. They managed to land some nice trout with some smallies mixed in on nymphs and dries. We worked each pocket and fishy spot we could find. There were some summer stennos and tiny olives coming off as well. The evening was shaping up great with the rain stopping, but no hatches or spinner falls. They guys did a great job and worked hard in tough conditions!
Locally there have been mixed reports on the Croton Watershed. Olives, and midges are the main focus of the trout and fishing is best at first light and during the cloudy days. The overnight temps should start getting the water temps down, and hopefully getting the afternoon/evening bite turned on.
9/5/14 The last few days have felt more like the middle of summer than the beginning of September. The heat has got the fish seeking refuge in deeper holes and in the shade. Most of the feeding is going on during the night and early morning hours. I was out for about the last hour of day light this evening, and I saw a handful of fish rise. Small midges and Olives were out, and I did see some Steno spinners, but not much activity. The heat is supposed to break Saturday night and hopefully some rain will get things moving again. With the cooler weather, look for the Iso's to start locally on the watershed. The Housy in Ct is running low and warm. Smallies have kicked into gear again, but the trout are feeding too. It's just too warm to target them, but they should kick into gear next week. Lots of bugs up there. Isos, Olives, Stennos, and spinners are dominating the water.
I hope to get back out Sunday morning, so look for reports to follow! Tight Lines!
Early morning local EB Brown!
Isonychia Dun
My parachute Iso
8/31/14 Weekend Update: Locally on cloudy mornings we are getting some Olives sz.20 and the fish are sipping them. On the sunny mornings, these olives are below the surface, and use nymphs in the faster water. We are seeing some Summer Stenos around in the afternoons, and spinner falls in the evenings. Some sporadic Isos are around, look to your Dutchess County rivers for evening hatches. I posted a nice picture of an Iso on the Housy, and my parachute pattern that I love using when they are hatching. Over in CT, I scouted out The Housy for an upcoming trip and I was able to get fish nymphing the faster water, and I had a nice 16 inch brownie come to the net on my parachute Iso. The fish were very aggressive and fought well. I wanted to get them into the water as fast as I could, so not many pics.
These showers might get things moving a bit tomorrow, so get out and fish!
8/29/14 Last Friday of the summer for me. I go back to work on Tuesday, so another summer gone and another school year begins. I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has supported this web site and myself. I really appreciate it, and hopefully I have been able to provide you with some useful information that has helped you enjoy your fishing experiences! Its going to be a great fall, so stay posted to the reports!
Locally I was on the EB and there are still plenty of small Olives and 7x tippet is needed as the trout sip them from the surface. I did see some spinners last evening, but the fish were no too keyed in. Look for some ants and beetles in the water and float or sink them. We are still waiting for the Iso hatch to get going, but there have been some random sightings of a few. It wont get going until the air and water temps drop a little more. Float a dry dropper in the riffles and use the nymphs as well. The fish are starting to get keyed in on feeding subsurface and looking up again which is good, so you have to do some work to find some feeding fish. Take a look as well to the USGS flow charts and find a river that has had a push of water. That cold release will kick in the bugs and get the trout active. Also as it has been all summer, use your thermometer as well to find the cold water. First light/ late afternoonsinto dark are the best times. Check back as I will be making updates to this report throughout the weekend.
Get out this weekend and fish! Happy Labor Day!
These showers might get things moving a bit tomorrow, so get out and fish!
8/29/14 Last Friday of the summer for me. I go back to work on Tuesday, so another summer gone and another school year begins. I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has supported this web site and myself. I really appreciate it, and hopefully I have been able to provide you with some useful information that has helped you enjoy your fishing experiences! Its going to be a great fall, so stay posted to the reports!
Locally I was on the EB and there are still plenty of small Olives and 7x tippet is needed as the trout sip them from the surface. I did see some spinners last evening, but the fish were no too keyed in. Look for some ants and beetles in the water and float or sink them. We are still waiting for the Iso hatch to get going, but there have been some random sightings of a few. It wont get going until the air and water temps drop a little more. Float a dry dropper in the riffles and use the nymphs as well. The fish are starting to get keyed in on feeding subsurface and looking up again which is good, so you have to do some work to find some feeding fish. Take a look as well to the USGS flow charts and find a river that has had a push of water. That cold release will kick in the bugs and get the trout active. Also as it has been all summer, use your thermometer as well to find the cold water. First light/ late afternoonsinto dark are the best times. Check back as I will be making updates to this report throughout the weekend.
Get out this weekend and fish! Happy Labor Day!
8/22/14 This weekend is shaping up to be a nice weekend, but I don't know if all that sunshine is going to help out the trout. Fish are still taking some small midge larve, and are keyed into small Olive nymphs. The takes are very light and Czech nymphing has been most effective. There have been a few isos around, but its still a little too warm. However, I did see some at dusk during the week. I did take notice that that day was cloudy and the temps were only about 70 as a high. I had someone mention to me that they saw them as well that same evening. There hasn't been too much surface activity in the evenings, but I got a couple of reports that the mornings have seen some Olives. I went out before sunrise this morning, and got a bunch Czech nymphing the faster water, and I lost a beauty that ran me up river. The 6x never had a chance on the rocks. Honestly I had him under control, and he decided to show off and he took off. I was able to land one on a tiny size 20 Olive Emerger using the dreaded 7x on the surface. I found one really nice fish that was feeding on small Olives, but the first time I got him to eat, I broke him off on the hook set, and the second, I just didn't stick him hard enough to get that tiny fly to pierce! He can up a few more times, and it seemed like he had enough of me and swam away. I had a couple others rise just blind casting, but I could not stick them. The water temp was 66 this morning which was great, but late in the afternoons we are push and going over 70 in some areas. Use those thermometers, and find the coolest water you can. Its been an Olive type day so get out there this evening. I might just try and sneak away too!.
The crew after a great morning fishing!
8/17/14 The White Flies are winding down on the Housy, but the fish are still conditioned to rise in the evenings, this week will be your last shot. I got 4 nice solid trout on Saturday evening. The fish took white fly parachute, and a white wulff. I think this fall on the Housy is going to be a great one. The trout were spared the dog days of summer 90 plus degree heat, and the holdover numbers should be awesome. All 4 of the trout I got were nice and healthy.
Locally I had a guide trip Saturday morning with first time fly fisherman Jon, Gary and Ineke. They are from across the big pond, and they were looking to learn how to fly fish and hopefully land some fish! . We hit the 10 mile in search of some smallies and possibly a trout. We lost some fish while nymphing, but everyone connected on smallies either with nymphs or buggers. Mission accomplished, everyone had a great time and learned a lot about fishing, and I had a great time with them!.
The watershed has been slow, I got a couple of fish, and lost a couple Friday evening, but I had to work very hard for them. Look for fish in the faster water where some of the deeper holes are. There wasn't any activity at dusk, and the fish were very stingy. I saw mostly midges and a few sulphurs flying around. Remember keep your thermometer on hand and find the coldest water you can. With these chilly nights, the very early morning might be the best bet at this point. Those bugs will move around at first light and the trout will go on the feed. Also remember, high water will dislodge those bugs and put the fish on the feed, don't be afraid to fish after it rains!!!!!
September trips are staring to fill my calendar, so lots of scouting trips are in my future, stay tuned!
Locally I had a guide trip Saturday morning with first time fly fisherman Jon, Gary and Ineke. They are from across the big pond, and they were looking to learn how to fly fish and hopefully land some fish! . We hit the 10 mile in search of some smallies and possibly a trout. We lost some fish while nymphing, but everyone connected on smallies either with nymphs or buggers. Mission accomplished, everyone had a great time and learned a lot about fishing, and I had a great time with them!.
The watershed has been slow, I got a couple of fish, and lost a couple Friday evening, but I had to work very hard for them. Look for fish in the faster water where some of the deeper holes are. There wasn't any activity at dusk, and the fish were very stingy. I saw mostly midges and a few sulphurs flying around. Remember keep your thermometer on hand and find the coldest water you can. With these chilly nights, the very early morning might be the best bet at this point. Those bugs will move around at first light and the trout will go on the feed. Also remember, high water will dislodge those bugs and put the fish on the feed, don't be afraid to fish after it rains!!!!!
September trips are staring to fill my calendar, so lots of scouting trips are in my future, stay tuned!
8/12/14 Well it started a little later, but it got going very quickly. If you don't know what Im talking about...The White Flies! Got a bow, and lost another good sized trout on emergers, and the smallies were after the white wulffs. Check out the video to see The Blizzard in action!
8/11/14 Well it has been awhile, I just got back from vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC. I did a red fishing trip with Capt. Douglas Miller and did we fish the most pickiest reds I have ever come across. I did manage one, and missed a couple of others, but the fish were just not feeding. There was so much bait in the water, and it was very stained from the rain, so who knows! Its was an awesome challenging trip to say the least, he is absolutely the best in the area. His web info can be found on my links page.
Tom from The Anglers Den says locally things have been going good for the middle of the summer. You can find options in the Croton Watershed, but use your thermometer, and focus on early mornings/evenings and look for shady spots. The rain headed our way will do wonders for the fish! Think tiny Olives, and terrestrials along with your favorite go to nymphs.
The Housy is seeing White Flies and some Isos, so get out there and fish past dark! The rain will bump the river up again and might make it unfishable, I will try and hit it later this week and weekend. Smallies and trout are in the mix which is great! Smallie fishing during the day has been good, use bigger streamers to avoid the dinks!
My article from Live The Wildlife Online Magazine "Housatonic White Fly Mania"
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/ltwl-hunter-online/M0485604001380996169
The Farmington has continued to fish well, nymphs, midges, and terrestrials during the day and Sulphurs, Isos, and spinners at dark.
I have 3 weeks of summer vacation left, so I will hopefully be out in full force, the fall is looking to be a good one! rips are being booked for September already! Get out and fish!
Tight Lines!
Tom from The Anglers Den says locally things have been going good for the middle of the summer. You can find options in the Croton Watershed, but use your thermometer, and focus on early mornings/evenings and look for shady spots. The rain headed our way will do wonders for the fish! Think tiny Olives, and terrestrials along with your favorite go to nymphs.
The Housy is seeing White Flies and some Isos, so get out there and fish past dark! The rain will bump the river up again and might make it unfishable, I will try and hit it later this week and weekend. Smallies and trout are in the mix which is great! Smallie fishing during the day has been good, use bigger streamers to avoid the dinks!
My article from Live The Wildlife Online Magazine "Housatonic White Fly Mania"
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/ltwl-hunter-online/M0485604001380996169
The Farmington has continued to fish well, nymphs, midges, and terrestrials during the day and Sulphurs, Isos, and spinners at dark.
I have 3 weeks of summer vacation left, so I will hopefully be out in full force, the fall is looking to be a good one! rips are being booked for September already! Get out and fish!
Tight Lines!
7/30/14 Locally the fish have gone into shut down mode unless there is some sort of hatch going on. Its time to get ready for the Iso's and fall Caddis. Olives in late afternoon, spinners towards dark, and very early, first light are the times you want to focus on.
The Farmington is fishing well. Stones and Cadiis imitations sub surface, and in the evenings, Sulphurs, some Iso and spinners at dark.
We are trying to get the TV Show On the Fly on you tube. I filmed it with Leigh Smith. As soon as it goes up I will post the link! One show is on the local fly fishing, and the second is about warm water fly fishing.
Ill be in South Carolina for the nest week, so the reports will resume when I get back. Stay tuned some Redfish, and shots at Tarpon are on the menu!
7/25/14 The East Branch on Brewster was 66 degrees at 7:30 am, and some areas were clear, so there were good conditions to fish. The high sun and very low bug activity made fishing difficult and getting the fish to eat was almost impossible. The guys learned some new nymphing techniques that hopefully they will apply on their own. They each were able to get a fish on, but strikes have been very tiny taps, and seemed like today's strikes were even lighter. Lots of guys out looking like they had the same results. The fish are definitely off their opportunistic feeding patterns, and are only feeding when there is some bug activity. You can get lucky if you stick a fly right in front of their nose.
I had some time in the afternoon 3:30-5:30 to go back to the river to see if there was anything happening. I really never get a chance to go at that time so it was nice to check things out. Small Olives size 18-20 were coming off and the fish became a little more active, but the small hatch only lasted about an hour. Got some fish, but back in the water they went very quickly.
7/24/14 Quick Report The lower East branch of the Croton was 68 and running stained. Nymph the pockets and deeper holes. You need to be on the bottom, but there is a lot of debris in the water so you will loose flies, but the fish were feeding this morning. We saw tan caddis emerging, but no risers, all the fish came on nymphs. I will have a report tomorrow after my morning guide trip! The bite shut down about 10:45 am.
The Farmington is fishing well. Stones and Cadiis imitations sub surface, and in the evenings, Sulphurs, some Iso and spinners at dark.
We are trying to get the TV Show On the Fly on you tube. I filmed it with Leigh Smith. As soon as it goes up I will post the link! One show is on the local fly fishing, and the second is about warm water fly fishing.
Ill be in South Carolina for the nest week, so the reports will resume when I get back. Stay tuned some Redfish, and shots at Tarpon are on the menu!
7/25/14 The East Branch on Brewster was 66 degrees at 7:30 am, and some areas were clear, so there were good conditions to fish. The high sun and very low bug activity made fishing difficult and getting the fish to eat was almost impossible. The guys learned some new nymphing techniques that hopefully they will apply on their own. They each were able to get a fish on, but strikes have been very tiny taps, and seemed like today's strikes were even lighter. Lots of guys out looking like they had the same results. The fish are definitely off their opportunistic feeding patterns, and are only feeding when there is some bug activity. You can get lucky if you stick a fly right in front of their nose.
I had some time in the afternoon 3:30-5:30 to go back to the river to see if there was anything happening. I really never get a chance to go at that time so it was nice to check things out. Small Olives size 18-20 were coming off and the fish became a little more active, but the small hatch only lasted about an hour. Got some fish, but back in the water they went very quickly.
7/24/14 Quick Report The lower East branch of the Croton was 68 and running stained. Nymph the pockets and deeper holes. You need to be on the bottom, but there is a lot of debris in the water so you will loose flies, but the fish were feeding this morning. We saw tan caddis emerging, but no risers, all the fish came on nymphs. I will have a report tomorrow after my morning guide trip! The bite shut down about 10:45 am.
EB Bow!
7/20/14 The water temp on the EB in town this morning was 66 @ 9 am. No bugs coming off. I did a lot of walking and managed 9 ranging from 8-15 inches, both browns and bows. Focus on the late evenings in areas that have been in the shade, and early mornings. I was out from 6-9 am. Fish came in the faster waters Czech nymphing. Now off to do some yard work!
7/18/14 Quick Report Floated the WB of the Delaware on Thursday. There were a good mix of sulphurs, and olives on the water with midges and some tricos mixed in. Long leaders and quality presentations are key to dry fly fishing. Find some good nymphing water and think small size 16 flies. If you find a rising fish, cast to it!
Croton Watershed Most of the rivers and becoming too warm to fish. Put your thermometer in before you fish. I got a reading today at the EB of 68, which is really pushing the envelope. Nymph with small black caddis, zebra midges, and your favorite mayfly nymph. Think small! Remember all those big flies in the spring have left us their babies to imitate! Caddis might take a fish in the fast water, and look to use beetles and ants at any time.
7/15/14 Local Update The rivers in the area are in full summer mode. Currently the rain has the rivers rising, and they will probably be unfishable for a couple of days. recently the EB has had a murky tint to it, even before this rain, so don't wait till its crystal clear, as soon as they drop, get out and fish. The fish will be feeding heavy because lots of bugs will be dislodged. The trout will be looking for these bugs during the high water and even after it drops. This morning the EB had very little surface activity, and the fish were very picky below the surface. The takes were very subtle and felt like the flies just bumping rocks or branches under the water. Once again tiny caddis, and midge larve were the ticket to trigger some takes.
7/18/14 Quick Report Floated the WB of the Delaware on Thursday. There were a good mix of sulphurs, and olives on the water with midges and some tricos mixed in. Long leaders and quality presentations are key to dry fly fishing. Find some good nymphing water and think small size 16 flies. If you find a rising fish, cast to it!
Croton Watershed Most of the rivers and becoming too warm to fish. Put your thermometer in before you fish. I got a reading today at the EB of 68, which is really pushing the envelope. Nymph with small black caddis, zebra midges, and your favorite mayfly nymph. Think small! Remember all those big flies in the spring have left us their babies to imitate! Caddis might take a fish in the fast water, and look to use beetles and ants at any time.
7/15/14 Local Update The rivers in the area are in full summer mode. Currently the rain has the rivers rising, and they will probably be unfishable for a couple of days. recently the EB has had a murky tint to it, even before this rain, so don't wait till its crystal clear, as soon as they drop, get out and fish. The fish will be feeding heavy because lots of bugs will be dislodged. The trout will be looking for these bugs during the high water and even after it drops. This morning the EB had very little surface activity, and the fish were very picky below the surface. The takes were very subtle and felt like the flies just bumping rocks or branches under the water. Once again tiny caddis, and midge larve were the ticket to trigger some takes.
Big fish can be taken in the summer locally!
Tom's first fish ever on the fly!
Jun's first EB Brown!
7/12/14 EB Croton The river is in its summer mode. The water was 67 degrees and had a stain to it, but it did look like it was clearing as the morning went on. I took Jun, Talal and Tom out this morning. We had some picky fish in the first spot, but we were getting out feet wet with Czech nymphing techniques. We saw a few rises, and them we moved down river to a little faster current where we had some takes. Jun, and Tom both landed some trout. Tom got a nice 14 inch rainbow that was very healthy. Talal had a couple of swipes on his ant, but couldn't connect. We then moved back up river and tossed some ants and beetles. Jun connected on a really nice brown. It gave him a great fight. He put the cast right on the money, and he set the hook at the right time when I yelled lift. Talal had an awesome swipe at a beetle, but missed the connection. It was Tom and Talal's first time ever fly fishing and all the guys did a great job while having a good time learning something new. 3 good friends got to enjoy what out watershed and sport has to offer!
There wasn't much bug activity on the surface, but we had hits and connections on tiny black caddis larve, modified hare's ear, and Czech nymphs. Your thermometer needs to be used, please make sure the water is not too warm!
There wasn't much bug activity on the surface, but we had hits and connections on tiny black caddis larve, modified hare's ear, and Czech nymphs. Your thermometer needs to be used, please make sure the water is not too warm!
7/11/14 I took a break from the trout and fished for some bass out of the kayak this week. Most of the bigger fish have moved to deeper water, but the smaller bass are in the shallows look for them in the shade. I hit bass on my flies from Fat Cat Flies. The inshore game in the salt is slow. The bait is in thick, small spearing are all over the place, but there are no fish on them. Hopefully the blues will make an appearance very soon!
I was able to get up to the WB of the Delaware with my good friend, who was making his trout debut this season. He and his wife have been a little busy with his 3 year old, and his newborn daughter. We got into fish right away as the sulphurs started to come off right as we hit the water. I took a nice brown and got 3 others to eat, but could not keep them on. The fish have definitely started to begin their very finicky feeding habits. Perfect presentations will be the only things that will draw strikes. We floated looking for bigger fish, and we had some chances. Once the sulphurs stopped the olives, the tiny olives were out in full force and I was able to land another fish. Size 20 emerger was the ticket. We looked forward to the evening, but the hatch wasn't as good as the midday one. I did get a nice rainbow on a sulphur parachute, and that was the last one of the day. Some sporadic rises and picky fish right at dark put an end to a great float!
Im doing a local guide trip on Saturday, look for a report to follow!
I was able to get up to the WB of the Delaware with my good friend, who was making his trout debut this season. He and his wife have been a little busy with his 3 year old, and his newborn daughter. We got into fish right away as the sulphurs started to come off right as we hit the water. I took a nice brown and got 3 others to eat, but could not keep them on. The fish have definitely started to begin their very finicky feeding habits. Perfect presentations will be the only things that will draw strikes. We floated looking for bigger fish, and we had some chances. Once the sulphurs stopped the olives, the tiny olives were out in full force and I was able to land another fish. Size 20 emerger was the ticket. We looked forward to the evening, but the hatch wasn't as good as the midday one. I did get a nice rainbow on a sulphur parachute, and that was the last one of the day. Some sporadic rises and picky fish right at dark put an end to a great float!
Im doing a local guide trip on Saturday, look for a report to follow!
I love the spots and blue hue to this guy I got on Friday evening!
|
7/4/14
Happy 4th to everyone and thank you to all those who have served or who are serving in our armed forces. Also a huge thanks to all of you who have supported me The Anglers Den and this site. I really appreciate it!!! I put some pics of the fish in my FB page Hendrickson Spinner. Arthur left behind high, murky water, but the trout didn't seem to mind. I Czech nymphed up some nice hungry fish this evening despite the conditions on the East Branch. I did see a few fish rise, but big weighted nymphs were the ticket. There are a lot of nymphs in the drift because of the flush of water, so use your favorite stones, mayfly, and caddis nymphs I size 10-14. Get them down and you can get away with your 5x tippet. Things should improve quickly so get out and fish before it gets too warm! 7/2/14 I'm back in town and I will hopefully be getting out. The weather looks very unstable for the next few days, but that could kick things into gear in the salt. The freshwater rivers need this blast of water, and when the water clears things should be good. Get out in between storms, but be careful and mindful of lightning! |
Your first fish on the fly is always special!
Greg took his first trout on a Czech nymph rig!
Schoolie action on the fly!
Greg's nice bow taken on a sulphur parachute. His first ever dry fly trout!
6/27/14 The flow had been cut back on the EB and WB of the Croton. Sulphurs, caddis, and midges are in the mix. The fish are still keyed in, and they are always looking for a meal. I took Greg out for his first ever freshwater fly fishing trip. Greg brings a lot of saltwater spin and fly fishing experience to the table, and he grasps the trout concepts and was hooking up in no time. He also managed to get a bunch of trout to eat dries, and landed this nice bow! I hit the salt in search if the cinder worm hatch which can make saltwater fishing just like dry fly fishing for trout. I got into a great hatch, but no stripers to be found. First time that has ever happened to me. I did manage some keeper fluke of the fly rod which is also fun, Ill be back at it tonight. On Saturday morning, I did manage some schoolies of the fly rod. If you are targeting the salt, focus right before high tide when the fish are close to the shore. they are pushing right back out with the outgoing tide because of the lack of bait on the beach and flats. Next week, Ill be fishing from the yak to try and get myself in better position to get some good fish. Ill be out of town for my little brother's wedding for the next 4 days, but ill be back next week updating the reports!!
When they put it up, I was interviewed by John Kovach host of The Yankee Fisherman Radio Show, the link to the interview will be posted here! Enjoy!
http://www.hanradio.com/4702-news/yankee-fisherman/627-yankee-fisherman/
http://www.hanradio.com/category/news/yankee-fisherman/
6/24/14 Its been a while. I was in Colorado this past weekend visiting my brother. I was able to get out on The Upper South Platte River. What an incredible place that is loaded with trout and fisherman. My new buddy Jay took me out Sunday morning and we were in the hunt for big fish. He spotted a god looking fish in this tiny spit of water that was surrounded by three huge boulders oin each side. Jay saw him feeding below the surface, but he did rise once, I threw a tan Elk Hair Caddis, pulled it under and wham he smacked it. He ran me all over that little piece of water, and he jumped twice. What a big fat bow! Jay said he has never seen a fish that big hooked up before from that river. It was like fighting him in a tiny bathroom, and he ran between my legs and broke me off. I felt like Michael Spinks 90 seconds after Tyson knocked him out so long ago! I will be back next summer to go find him again! Recently the reports out of the Croton is that there has been some action in the mornings, and the evenings have been either hit or miss. Look for rivers that are still flowing cold because some of the rivers especially the WB are starting to warm up. Get your fish in and get them back into the water asap. The Housy and Farmington are still fishing well using nymphs and dries, but the evenings have been the most productive. I will be out this evening scouting for a local trip on Thursday, and I will be hitting the salt looking for cinder worms starting Thursday Night. Reports to follow!
6/14/14 Happy Father's Day! I was able to doge the storms and hit the Housy Friday evening. Fish are still hitting golden stones and sulphur emeregers while nymphing. There wasn't much of a sulphur hatch, but the storms could have had something to do with that. The fish were on the Iso parachute, but then the thunder and lightning came. On Saturday, I did a late afternoon guide trip with Mike. Mike learned how to Czech nymph and a few of my techniques for fishing emergers. He got fish using every method we used today and in almost every hole we fished. He was very excited about learning new things and being successful! Big trip tomorrow, taking my 2 boys fishing!
6/12/14 Croton-- I hit the WB this afternoon. Action was pretty consistent. I saw midges, and caddis on the water. The trout were feeding opportunistically and rises here and there were consistent. I fished a caddis nymph with a sulphur emerger Czech style and I was able to get fish in almost every spot that I hit. I looked for the deeper holes, but smaller trout were feeding in the shallow riffles. The water is at a good flow, but I like it just a little higher. No big fish, but the fish were aggressive and fought very well. I got out to the EB this evening, and the bugs were once again thin, but the sulphur emerger fished in a Czech rig was key until almost dark. The surface activity started, with fish coming on a sulphur parachute and sulphur emerger fished in a dry dropper. Got some bows that were in the 12-16 inch range. The EB is much colder than the WB, but I would say the WB has some more caddis hatching. The fishing is good, dodge the rain and get out. Its great trout weather!
A local 20 plus!
6/9/14 Hit the watershed for the last hour of daylight and the fish were popping despite a small hatch of sulphurs. Landed 2 nice bows, sorry for the pic, the camera man was off tonight! The flows are on the low side, but the temps are perfect. get out and fish in between the rain drops, just hope we don't get too much at one time! Ill be bouncing around this week in the afternoons to check things out locally in the watershed and CT, check back later in the week for more reports!
6/7/14 Had a Farmington Guide trip on Saturday afternoon with John and his father in law Bo, who is in from Oregon. Tons of small black caddis, tan caddis and a small amount of sulphurs. The water temp was 59, and the sulphurs were very thin, but the trout have been trained over the last couple of weeks to look up for them and Bo connected on a bunch of his first Farmington fish, one of which was this awesome trout, his largest landed ever from a river. He lost one that was bigger that took my sulphur soft hackle emerger. The guys had some action right at dark during the spinner fall. I truly enjoyed spending time with them.
6/7/14 I had the trip portion of my Saltwater Fly Fishing Class Hosted by The Anglers Den. I took Frank and Capt. Greg out to apply what they had learned, and they did a great job. We got into more sea robins than we wanted, but the lack of bait, and cold water temps have kept the bass off shore. Frank did connect on a schoolie, and actually got into a bunch the weekend before. Hopefully the cinder worms will come off this weekend and get things started!
Capt. Greg looking for some action!
Frank with another sea robin!
6/4/14 Got out for the last part of the day this evening. Tough day, fishing was needed! The sulphurs started to come off around 745 pm or so, and the fish were going crazy. The bigger fish came out of hiding and started to feed very aggressively. I landed 2 including this box, but missed two nice ones as it was pretty much dark! I know no excuses, but believe it or not it happens to all of us more than we would like to admit ! The water is in great shape on both the EB and WB, lower floes, clear water and its cold! The rain will help a little to put some more water in the system. I have to get out and fish the morning, but that wont happen until next week. Things are hot everywhere, get out and fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the spots on this guy!
6/1/14 It was a variety for me this weekend. I hit the salt on my kayak Saturday morning out of Westport, CT looking for some bunker and the big fish that usually eat them. I found a nice pod, and I had run offs from blues and a couple of stripers, but I was unable to hook any. The blues were crushing the bunkers as soon as I was able to snag them and before I could get them to the yak to live line. I did hear some pops in the shallows on my way out when it was dark, but I didn't see any small bait inshore. I did get a report from Frank who is taking my salt class that he managed some schoolie bass on the fly rod off the Fairfield beaches. Hopefully the sand eels and spearing will invade the coast this week, and things will open up! Sunday evening I was able to get out and fish the Housy for some trout. I czech nymphed using stones, hares ear, and sulphur wets to net more browns than I could count. I even got two smallies! The fish were very aggressive and fought really well. Its obvious that they are on the feed! Around 6:30 I switched to dries and landed more up to 16 inches on sulphurs, isos and march browns. Fish were jumping out of the water to eat the mayflies as they were leaving the water! The Housy is red hot right now, and the flows are good. It is starting to get on the warm side, hopefully some cool nights will keep the temps down for a bit longer. The Croton Watershed continues to give up fish. nymphs and dries are taking fish with the sulphurs being the major hatch right now. Look for spinners in the evenings and just before dark as well. I have a busy week ahead I need to tie nymphs and salt flies, my salt class trip is Saturday morning, and Im running a family fishing clinic in Carmel, NY on Sunday morning. Happy fishing this week!
5/29/14 Croton Watershed There is a mix of caddis and sulphurs on the water. Try nymphing the mornings with mayfly nymphs, and caddis larve and pupae. The sulphurs are hatching in the mid afternoons, and are going till dark. There have been spinners for about a week at dusk, and some nights it runs right into dark. Look for the bigger fish to be on the feed in the early morning and late evening. The flows are pretty good right now, but some rivers are a little lower, so you might have to drop down in tippet size. I had very good action this evening on sulphurs and spinners, and my friend Dave had the same on a different section of the EB. This is shaping up to be a good month, it the water levels stay where they are. Take advantage of it, the fish are feeding, and the weather is great! Stop into the Anglers Den for all your flies and equiptment for the Watershed, Housy and the Catskills! Good Luck!
He didn't want his picture taken and tried to get away!
Housy Brown!
5/27/14 Croton Watershed Got into sulphurs and spinners towards dusk. Nothing big, but it was nice to see fish active. I also nymphed up a few using a pheasant tail, and sulphur nymph before the fish were rising. There are also some small caddis around size 16. The levels are down on the EB and WB, and some decent reports are coming in! Put the powerwashers, shovels, rakes, hedge trimmers down and get out and fish! June is the best month of the year to fish! Many species are avaialble!
5/26/14 Housatonic River, CT Water was up and stained, but caddis nymphs took some fish in the faster seams. I did manage one brown on a white bugger, and one on a sulphur parachute. The fish haven't realized that the hatch is on just yet. It will blow wide open when they do! There were also some reports of March Browns on the upper sections of the upper TMA.
5/23/14 Took a scouting mission to the CT coast to look for some stripers. I hit a bunch of my spots, but only one fish was home, and not a lot of bait out there just yet. I would guess to say that things are 2 weeks behind out there.
5/22/14 Croton Watershed The rain is swelling the rivers and adding a tint to them, but hopefully we can dodge the bullet and have some good fishing this weekend. Caddis are still hatching throughout the day and into the evening. Look to use some pupa if the fish are not rising. There were some Olives this afternoon, and the Sulphurs have started. I saw some this afternoon, and between the rain drops this evening, there were a good amount emerging. The fish were feeding in the film, and were even coming out of the water. The sizes ranged from a 14 to a 10. Things hopefully will improve this weekend!
5/26/14 Housatonic River, CT Water was up and stained, but caddis nymphs took some fish in the faster seams. I did manage one brown on a white bugger, and one on a sulphur parachute. The fish haven't realized that the hatch is on just yet. It will blow wide open when they do! There were also some reports of March Browns on the upper sections of the upper TMA.
5/23/14 Took a scouting mission to the CT coast to look for some stripers. I hit a bunch of my spots, but only one fish was home, and not a lot of bait out there just yet. I would guess to say that things are 2 weeks behind out there.
5/22/14 Croton Watershed The rain is swelling the rivers and adding a tint to them, but hopefully we can dodge the bullet and have some good fishing this weekend. Caddis are still hatching throughout the day and into the evening. Look to use some pupa if the fish are not rising. There were some Olives this afternoon, and the Sulphurs have started. I saw some this afternoon, and between the rain drops this evening, there were a good amount emerging. The fish were feeding in the film, and were even coming out of the water. The sizes ranged from a 14 to a 10. Things hopefully will improve this weekend!
Jeff's first ever trout on the fly!
Jeff is getting the hang of this fly fishing thing!
Sam is hooked. Its his first time fly fishing ever. The smile is worth a 1000 words!
Croton Watershed
5/15/14 I had the pleasure to guide Jeff and his nephew Sam this afternoon. It did take me back when I first started fly fishing. My Uncle and I started together fishing the East Branch almost 20 years ago and we continue to fish together to this day. I hope that in 20 years Jeff and Sam will have the same types of memories that my Uncle and I do. This afternoons spotty weather actually provided us some action with caddis nymph imitations while fishing with indicators. They guys were brand new to fly fishing for trout, and they did a great job learning and applying their new skills. They got their first batch of trout on sub-surface caddis imitations and we moved onto a nice pool where there have been some nice dry fly action. Sam's first ever trip included him battling a couple of really nice browns on dry-droppers. The take and the battle has got him hooked for life! Jeff who has experience fishing for the big boys in the salt, used his new Mystic and Orvis combo to land a nice group of trout while nymphing. I love seeing the smiles on a face after they land a trout. Its the reason why we fish and guide. Jeff got to feel the excitement of dry fly fishing when a nice big fat brown exploded on a caddis dry as soon as it hit the water. He gave him a run for his money, but the old battle tested brown broke him off. The range of emotions in that 30 seconds is priceless, and it will be his motivation! We saw some caddis, but they were not as heavy as Tuesday evening. The water is pushing 60 in some places, and the good thing is that the trout are feeding quite well sub-surface, as we saw many flashes. A great way to spend an afternoon and evening
5/13/14 Things are in post Hendrickson mode. Hendy spinners were out this evening, but not in great numbers. The caddis are emerging from mid afternoon thru late evening. Fish are feeding on top and below, I saw some nice flashes this evening sub surface. I even got some to eat on a tan spinner right at dark. We are supposed to get a nice batch of rain Friday night, hopefully the water will help some of the rivers that are flowing a little on the low side. Keep your eyes open for sulphurs, I did see a couple of rogues this past week! Good luck and Tight Lines!!!!
5/9/14 I took a drive this afternoon, and fished a little this evening. The WB and EB are still high, but they are clear and are giving up some fish. Look for the slower seams and get your nymphs down. There are a lot of sticks and small branches in the water, so really get a feel for the area you are fishing. You will get hung up on them, or even worse, they can cut your waders if you hit one hard enough. Not really any insect activity except for midges, but the drizzle could have had more to do with that than the high water. I didn't see any Hendrickson duns, hopefully we will get a few good evenings of spinner falls. The Dutchess streams seem to be a good levels, and The Catskills got some rain, but dodged the bullet. Get out and fish!
5/15/14 I had the pleasure to guide Jeff and his nephew Sam this afternoon. It did take me back when I first started fly fishing. My Uncle and I started together fishing the East Branch almost 20 years ago and we continue to fish together to this day. I hope that in 20 years Jeff and Sam will have the same types of memories that my Uncle and I do. This afternoons spotty weather actually provided us some action with caddis nymph imitations while fishing with indicators. They guys were brand new to fly fishing for trout, and they did a great job learning and applying their new skills. They got their first batch of trout on sub-surface caddis imitations and we moved onto a nice pool where there have been some nice dry fly action. Sam's first ever trip included him battling a couple of really nice browns on dry-droppers. The take and the battle has got him hooked for life! Jeff who has experience fishing for the big boys in the salt, used his new Mystic and Orvis combo to land a nice group of trout while nymphing. I love seeing the smiles on a face after they land a trout. Its the reason why we fish and guide. Jeff got to feel the excitement of dry fly fishing when a nice big fat brown exploded on a caddis dry as soon as it hit the water. He gave him a run for his money, but the old battle tested brown broke him off. The range of emotions in that 30 seconds is priceless, and it will be his motivation! We saw some caddis, but they were not as heavy as Tuesday evening. The water is pushing 60 in some places, and the good thing is that the trout are feeding quite well sub-surface, as we saw many flashes. A great way to spend an afternoon and evening
5/13/14 Things are in post Hendrickson mode. Hendy spinners were out this evening, but not in great numbers. The caddis are emerging from mid afternoon thru late evening. Fish are feeding on top and below, I saw some nice flashes this evening sub surface. I even got some to eat on a tan spinner right at dark. We are supposed to get a nice batch of rain Friday night, hopefully the water will help some of the rivers that are flowing a little on the low side. Keep your eyes open for sulphurs, I did see a couple of rogues this past week! Good luck and Tight Lines!!!!
5/9/14 I took a drive this afternoon, and fished a little this evening. The WB and EB are still high, but they are clear and are giving up some fish. Look for the slower seams and get your nymphs down. There are a lot of sticks and small branches in the water, so really get a feel for the area you are fishing. You will get hung up on them, or even worse, they can cut your waders if you hit one hard enough. Not really any insect activity except for midges, but the drizzle could have had more to do with that than the high water. I didn't see any Hendrickson duns, hopefully we will get a few good evenings of spinner falls. The Dutchess streams seem to be a good levels, and The Catskills got some rain, but dodged the bullet. Get out and fish!
West Branch of The Delaware
5/7/12--With the flows and weather lining up I decided to make a trip to the WB of the Delaware. The water temp was in the low 50's. Blue Quills, Tan Caddis, and Hendricksons made up the big soup. The Hendrickson hatch was good, but not as many fish looking up as one would think. That seemed to be the general consenus from the people I spoke with yesterday. Fish were rising in the slow pools, and targeting them was tough, but I did manage a 20 plus beauty on a Hendy parachute. There was Caddis activity during the evening, and I was able to get another nice one and a 12 incher on my tan caddis emerger. I broke another off on a rusty, but for the amount of bugs, I only saw a handful of rises. It was a great day to be on the river hunting big wild WB Browns!
WB of the Delaware Hendrickson Parachute!
5/4/14 I decided to change things up and make my first striper run this am to the Lower Housy. I had action morning with schoolies and a keeper thrown into the mix. The herring are starting to move in, I didn't see as many as I though I would. So I switched tactics and spots and I was locked in, and I left them biting. The fish were super aggressive. If they missed, they came back for more. All fish were taken on 5 inch super flukes on the spin rod. The wind was blowing hard from the west, and the tide moved very slowly. It was so nice to walk on the beach and finally taste the salt in the air. The night bite has been producing bigger keepers, that's next on the agenda!
5/3/14 Lots of people in the shop this morning heading up to the Catskills. The rivers up there are in good shape considering. The Hendricksons should really get going! Look at the Dutchess County rivers and streams, they might be your best bet locally right now!
5/1/14 Just as things were getting good mother nature dropped over 2 inches of rain on us. Rivers are obviously up, but watch those gauges and as soon as they become fishable get out there! The Catskills might be fishable by the weekend, and look into some of the smaller rivers in CT. Catastrophic drift will get the trout feeding, and they will be looking up when the water drops a little!
4/27/14 Saturday was another very good day. The rain from Friday night bumped most of the water in the area back up a little, but the bugs were still out. Hendricksons began a little later, but they were steady till about 3:30 or so. There were a mix of caddis and olives thrown into the mix. Czech nymphing yielded some nice pretty bows, and Hendricksons took all the brown on top in the afternoon. Some real feisty little browns! Look for the Hendrickson hatch to really get going this week, and possible spinner falls by the weekend. I did notice that this week, the trout were moving into faster water, so hit those areas when nymphing. The water rose some Saturday night as we got some more rain, but things should stabilize and drop this week. They are calling for showers for mid week, but the rest of the week looks great and into the weekend as well. Be on the lookout for some evening activity this week! The Housy in CT is dropping, and the Hendricksons are on there as well as the Farmington. Reports in The Catskills indicate that fish activity is increasing every day, and on the warmer days fish are rising. It could be a very exciting next 7 to 10 days of fishing in the area, if you can get out go!!.
4/25/14 Guide trip with Doc went great. We hooked up with a bunch of fish Euro Nymphing, then the action heated up with Caddis and Hendricksons on dries! Doc did a great job today hammering the fish!
5/3/14 Lots of people in the shop this morning heading up to the Catskills. The rivers up there are in good shape considering. The Hendricksons should really get going! Look at the Dutchess County rivers and streams, they might be your best bet locally right now!
5/1/14 Just as things were getting good mother nature dropped over 2 inches of rain on us. Rivers are obviously up, but watch those gauges and as soon as they become fishable get out there! The Catskills might be fishable by the weekend, and look into some of the smaller rivers in CT. Catastrophic drift will get the trout feeding, and they will be looking up when the water drops a little!
4/27/14 Saturday was another very good day. The rain from Friday night bumped most of the water in the area back up a little, but the bugs were still out. Hendricksons began a little later, but they were steady till about 3:30 or so. There were a mix of caddis and olives thrown into the mix. Czech nymphing yielded some nice pretty bows, and Hendricksons took all the brown on top in the afternoon. Some real feisty little browns! Look for the Hendrickson hatch to really get going this week, and possible spinner falls by the weekend. I did notice that this week, the trout were moving into faster water, so hit those areas when nymphing. The water rose some Saturday night as we got some more rain, but things should stabilize and drop this week. They are calling for showers for mid week, but the rest of the week looks great and into the weekend as well. Be on the lookout for some evening activity this week! The Housy in CT is dropping, and the Hendricksons are on there as well as the Farmington. Reports in The Catskills indicate that fish activity is increasing every day, and on the warmer days fish are rising. It could be a very exciting next 7 to 10 days of fishing in the area, if you can get out go!!.
4/25/14 Guide trip with Doc went great. We hooked up with a bunch of fish Euro Nymphing, then the action heated up with Caddis and Hendricksons on dries! Doc did a great job today hammering the fish!
They are hatching!
Doc with a nice little wild brown on a Hendrickson!
East Branch Brownie
Croton Watershed
4/22/14 I took a walk this afternoon just to scout for a guide trip on Friday. I was looking for some bug and fish activity. The tan and black caddis were out, and they had some fish rising to them. I also saw some Blue Quills, but the fish weren't rising to them. I got out in the evening for a little bit in between rain storms, and took the temp at the Upper East Branch. It was 51 and since its sill spilling a little, that is a good sign. I took a couple of rainbows this evening on nymphs, but there weren't any risers.
4/20/14 Over the last few days the insect activity and the fishing has picked up. Water levels are stabilizing, and the insects and fish are responding. The water is clear and cold. Mornings can have early brown stones, olives, and midges. The afternoons Blue Quills, and some sporadic caddis are around along with some bigger brown and black stones. The week looks good weather wise and the temps will be in the 60's. The Forsythia in my yard has begun to bloom, and that means the Hendrickson's are not too far away!
4/17/14 The snow and cold nights didn't help, but I did see more sub surface activity today. Fish came on tan Czech nymphs, PT Nymphs and Black Stone nymphs. I didn't see many rises at all, but I did see some Blue Quills (14&16) flying about in the mid afternoon. There still are small olives and midges around. The water is coming down and warmer temps are on the way. Look for rivers that the levels are dropping, but on the clear side.
4/14/14 Things continue to improve on the watershed. All the rivers are fishable, and are clear for the most part. The insect activity is increasing, and the fish are starting to look up. This morning lots of action with midges, tiny Blue Wings (sz. 18) and some Tan caddis (sz 16 &18). Mid-day still continues to be dominated by stones. The wind has been an issue at times especially in the evenings. Sunday evening, the wind kept the bugs and fish down. Try and focus on rivers that are on the warmer side. Make sure you are staring to carry your dries and light tippet, because this time of the year you never know when the bugs will show up!
4/10/14 With the warmer weather, the stonefly activity has increased. I saw a lot of stones out this afternoon, along with tiny (sz.20) Olives, and midges. The wind kept the surface activity low, but the fish were feeding below. Start to use your tiny mayfly nymphs with a midge dropper. The flows are coming down on the East Branch in Brewster, hopefully the activity will increase. I spoke to a gentleman today that said he got a couple on midge emergers, and I managed some on tiny size 18 Copper Johns. The weekend looks good with a little rain forecasted, but the air temps will be very good into next week. Look into the Dutchess county streams, and the Croton Watershed for this weekend.
Word on the street is that the Hendricksons are just beginning in Southern PA! It will be about 3 weeks or so until we start to see them.
4/6/14 The water is dropping, but with the rain forecasted, they could be on the rise again. Midges are dominating the water. If you can find some rising fish, try emergers, and tiny nymphs. Things are still a little slow out there, but fish are being caught. A mix of stocked fish and some holdovers.
4/3/14 I got a little time to get out this evening. With the last few warm days, and dropping water, things should be picking up a little. I ran into a nice midge hatch this evening. I started out with a nymph rig, but once the fish started to rise all around me, I had to switch up and try some midge dries. It was nice to cast to rising fish again, its been over 5 months! Got this chunk on a bugger. Hopefully we wont take too much of a step back with this little rain and cold front we are going to have tomorrow and Saturday!
Little Spinners first rainbow stockie! They are his favorite!
4/2/14 SURFS UP! The water flows around the croton watershed are very high! Look for rivers where the water is fishable, but as soon as those flows drop, get out there! The fishing is uaually good after high water. The bug activity is still very slow. Some brown stones, and midges are around, and there is not much in the drift. You dont have to be the first one on the river, as the fishing is usually better in mid to late morning, but the crowds have been out in full force. Hopefully things will quiet down after this weekend. The water temps are still very cold for this time of the year, but once they warm up, the bug activity will increase, and hopefully the trout will begin to feed!
Opening Day is tomorrow! Check your flows, they are high, but some are changing as we speak. Throw some meat, and some bigger flies in the high water. Check back for reports!
Opening Day is tomorrow! Check your flows, they are high, but some are changing as we speak. Throw some meat, and some bigger flies in the high water. Check back for reports!
Its about that time when the water starts to warm up just a tiny bit each day. NY and CT have started their stocking for the upcoming season. NY opens April first, and CT on April 19th, however the Trout Management Areas on certain rivers in CT are open to fishing all year long. CT stocks those areas first, and does a great job with nice quality fish! Locally, our waters are still cold, and the trout are just starting to feed a bit. On the Housy, stoneflies are the main food source, I even saw some adults flying around on Thursday during a guide trip. Bo came all the way from Texas for business, and decided he wanted to spend some time fishing. Its was a beautiful day, and he did manage hookups, but the lethargic trout made it very difficult to stick. We worked very hard, and he had a great trip! Hopefully business will bring him back east for some time with the Hendricksons in May! The water is still flowing at about 1500 cfs, but it is clearing. The EB continues to be stingy for holdovers, but it should be stocked by opening day. This week and through next weekend, Ill be hitting the water in full force, so stay tuned for more reports!
A March steelie!
The Salmon River is flowing at a low 285 cfs, and the fish are stacked up in the deepest holes and pools. The crowds are in full force, anyday its not a blizzard and too cold. The upper river is where most of the fish are, but the lower river still has some freshies coming in. Look for the fish to go into spawning mode soon. Pale egg flies, stones, and brown or olive nymphs are the ticket.
Mike and Frank admiring a beautiful steelhead!
Salmon River Pulaski, NY 2/20-21
Things are in late winter mode in Pulaski, NY. The snow is melting a little from the recent rain, the river is rising, and the fish are on the move and are getting ready to begin spawning. With the nice weather on Thursday, the crowds were in full force. It is what it is, and you have to have the mindset that you are going to see lots of people. Most are going to be very nice and pleasant, and some not so much. My friend John and I went up for our yearly February trip, minus our friend Anthony who couldn't make it. We had great weather on Thursday sun/clouds, and Friday we fishing in perfect steelhead weather, rain sleet, wind, and changing temps. I can say I was delighted with this weather since last year it was 20 degrees one day and minus 1 the next. Thursday was a numbers gathering day and we accomplished our goal. I did land a dime bright steelie that was about 18 inches long, which was pretty cool to see such a small silver steelie. We only took a few picks but here is one nice male I landed. My Friend Matt DeLorenzo www.getemwet.com, The Hungry Trout, joined us. He landed a nice steelhead that might have had fewer that 25 spots, what a cool fish. It was great to fish with him as always.
That isn't the Brooklyn Bridge in the background!
Friday we set out to get some fish by working a few different areas. We played with about a dozen fish total, and brought a bunch to the bank. The rains and melting snow bumped the river up so for the afternoon, we decided that we wanted a shot at some fresh fish. We headed down river, where we found some very high and stained water, perfect freshie conditions. We worked very hard for only one fish, but it was worth it. The silver steelhead ran me into my backing going down river. I couldn't chase because the water below me was too deep to wade, so I fought him on the rock I was standing on, and finally I was able to get onto the bank, and John did a great job netting him.
Once again it was great trip, and we had a blast! I have know John for a long time and we have fished all over the place together. He was one of the two people to first bring me up to the Salmon River way back when. He is one of the best fisherman that I know, so its always nice to be able to pick his brain and share stories of trips past.
As for tactics, long leaders, 3x tippet, and various estaz eggs, and sucker spawns. Nymphs will do the trick as well, and if you are in a lull, throw something that has been in your box for a while, you just never know what they will hit!
As for tactics, long leaders, 3x tippet, and various estaz eggs, and sucker spawns. Nymphs will do the trick as well, and if you are in a lull, throw something that has been in your box for a while, you just never know what they will hit!
Fishing Reports
Nick with a nice Steelie from our December Trip!
2013 Year in Review
A snow day Brown 12/14/13
Fishing Reports
East Branch of the Croton Brewster, NY November 2013
The river still continues to give up some fish. It responded well to the quick high water release, and then the sudden drop. It cleared rather quickly. Its not a numbers game these days as the fish are settling into their winter mode. The water temp is averaging between 40-44 degrees F. The flow is still in the in 70's cfs. Look for the fish to be in the deeper holes and cuts, however a few can still be found in some faster water. Elocin and I hit the mid section of the river on Friday afternoon. She was able to take 2 browns, and I found a nice rainbow in a deep hole, and a decent brown. When we got there around 1:45 pm on Friday, we saw some fish feeding on midges on the surface. It was nice to see them feeding. The sun was out and the air temp was in the high 30's. I did make it out for an hour or so on Sunday. I saw Eric H, who I got to meet for the first time in person. He had a good day bringing 2 browns to the net, and he lost 3 more. He said that the fish were keyed in on sz. 20 hares ear nymphs, and that they were taking the flies softly. Continue to use scuds, egg patterns, midges in various colors, and some small caddis larve, and don't forget, to downsize on your tippet!
The CT rivers are starting to get into better shape after the rain. The Farmington is fishing well, and The Housatonic should be in good shape by the weekend.
The CT rivers are starting to get into better shape after the rain. The Farmington is fishing well, and The Housatonic should be in good shape by the weekend.
One of Elocins brownies
I love the colors on the fall bows!
Salmon River Pulaski, NY
The Salmon River in Pulaski, NY continues to have its good and bad days. The flows have been pretty stable for the most part and consistent for periods of time. The problem has been the inconsistent weather. One day mild, the next day single digits, and windy with snow. The fish have not responded to the changes, and hopefully the weather will turn to winter, and the bite will improve and at least become more consistent.
Continue to use your go to egg patterns, and start incorporating more nymphs in your offerings. Sometimes showing them something different will trigger a strike from a weary fish.
Continue to use your go to egg patterns, and start incorporating more nymphs in your offerings. Sometimes showing them something different will trigger a strike from a weary fish.
Guide Trip
I had the pleasure of guiding Mike this past Sunday on the Salmon River in Pulaski, N.Y. Mike is a very accomplished fly fisherman, especially in the salt where is he constantly taking monster stripers on the fly from the shore or on his boat. Mike battled frigid temps in the single digits, a northwest wind that was blowing at about 20 mph at times, snow, and steelhead that were not too happy with the weather either. The flow was dropping throughout the morning, but the temps remained very cold. We were able to get into and battle some fish, including two nice chrome steelies. Mike had a real nice fish under control, but the fish decided he had enough, jumped and broke off. We were unable to get any to the net, but Mike worked his butt off all day long! He is looking forward to a spring trip, and it was a pleasure to guide and spend time with such a gentleman!
Mike in the UFZ.
Mike working a run right before hooking up with a fresh chrome steelhead!
Sometimes the scenery on the Salmon River is just awesome!
A nice late day steelie on a recent trip to Pulaski, NY
A recent Bow taken on a yellow and pink glo bug!
The East Branch of the Croton continues to give up fish. Midge larve, and small olive nymphs are what the fish have been taking. The fish are starting to key in on egg patterns, and scuds as well. The flows are getting on the low side (77 cfs), so focus on deeper holes and pools. Hopefully we will get some rain and they will finish the work on the dam soon. The water has some silt in it from the work they are doing, so its a tiny bit off color.
The Housatonic River continues to provide some consistent fishing. The flows are in the 500 cfs range and it is running clear. Midges and small olive type nymphs along with stones, scuds and egg patterns are the ticket for nymphing.
Check out The Anglers Den FB page!
The Housatonic River continues to provide some consistent fishing. The flows are in the 500 cfs range and it is running clear. Midges and small olive type nymphs along with stones, scuds and egg patterns are the ticket for nymphing.
Check out The Anglers Den FB page!
Fishing News
End of the Year Wrap Up!
Well its finally here, then end of the year! Look for some new things from Hendrickson Spinner Fly Fishing.com in 2014. New types of trips, fly tying at The Angler's Den, saltwater classes, and presentations for both freshwater and saltwater are all coming in 2014. Also in the Blog Section of this site, we will be including some information articles, fly selections, entomology, and happenings. The reports section will be slowing down, but we will keep you up to date on any special outings or trips. If you take a special trip somewhere, and you want to share a picture and a story, send it to me in an email that can be found here.
Gift Certificates are available for the holidays. Just fill out the contact form, and call today!
Gift Certificates are available for the holidays. Just fill out the contact form, and call today!
Most NYS rivers close on October 15th. Check with the NYS DEC for the regulations on your favorite piece of water! Here is a link to The NYS DEC page where you can find all of your fishing season information. http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html#View
Showing the Joan Wulff Fly Fishers my secret fly tying materials! What a great group of anglers!
The Presentation for The Joan Wulff Fly Fishers on "Fly Fishing The East Branch Of the Croton in Brewster, NY."
This NYC Watershed tail water section is open all year long, and runs from the East Branch Reservoir to Diverting Reservoir.
With its abundance of various food sources, the wild and stocked brown and rainbow trout, at times can make this river technical for even the experienced angler. My vast knowledge will shorten the learning curve for the newcomer, and sharpen the skills for the more experienced angler. I will be discussing, regulations, access points, safe wading, hatches, and equipment, including various rigging techniques that are successful on this little gem of a river. I have developed and used many successful seasonal “go to flies” that I will share during the presentation. Also, I will be taking you on a virtual field trip to the river, so you will be able to see firsthand thru the eyes of a guide.
When Thu., November 7, 6:30pm – 8:30pm @ JWFF Monthly Meeting
Where: Ridgewood United Methodist Church 100 Dayton St. Ridgewood, NJ 07450 (map)
My article from Live The Wildlife Online Magazine "Housatonic White Fly Mania"
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/ltwl-hunter-online/M0485604001380996169
My Article from Live The Wildlife Online Magazine "Western Long Island Sound Fly Fishing"
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/7a7df65727b936954e9da2bbd/files/LTWL_JULY2013_FNL.1.pdf
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/ltwl-hunter-online/M0485604001380996169
My Article from Live The Wildlife Online Magazine "Western Long Island Sound Fly Fishing"
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/7a7df65727b936954e9da2bbd/files/LTWL_JULY2013_FNL.1.pdf
Tom from The Anglers Den, Pawling, N.Y. and Frank (Hendy Spinner) Checking out late winter action on The EB Croton.
