There Here!

It's that time of the year and they are here, Little Black Stoneflies "Taeniopteryx nivsalis" are everywhere, check out www.troutnut.com for a wonderful photo showing what the nymph looks like. Spotted the first one on my garage and more followed soon, the gulls were here on the river eating every one they could get. It just might be a bit early for Penns because it's frozen over in most spots but Big Fishing Creek, Spring and Bald Eagle have them. It's time to break out your #14 & 16 black stonefly nymphs and hit the water, the adults do ride the water but it's very hard to spot rising fish because they ride on the water so low and the rise forms are subtle. Our weather is not in our favor till next week but if you can spare a few hours go, at least one trout is better than sitting on your ass. Yea it's cold but that's what they make cloths for and remember the Patagonia R-1 gloves, they are killer.
   Check out Flyfish Food web site, they are now chucking around a 3 part tandem streamer!

Something to watch

I have been a subscriber to www.catchmagazine.net  for a few years and just marvel how they get the pictures and the movies to be as good as they are, must be the camera's not me! I received the new "Master Series season 5" DVD and I think it's about the best quality I have ever seen, it makes you feel as if your there in the cold damp rivers of the north west. There is one 10 min. film "Winter Run about
 two guys steelhead fishing and hooking a fish and running and climbing up and down cliffs just to land the fish, heck I don't think I could have done that when I was you let alone now. Every short film it absolutely the best quality that I have seen, order yours today or ask to brow mine to view it.
  Another kinky web site is www.ginkandgasoline.com/blog different but they have some really fine fly tying hints and patterns to view, a bit out there but still worth the look each day.
  No fishing this week, it's to cold to even leave the house, no where to put the snow that has fallen and now they are looking for more- it you see that groundhog put him out of his misery, any one for stew?

Dam Groundhog

Fished Thursday and Friday of last week on Spring Creek, it and a 2 to 3 mile section of Bald Eagle are open with no or very little shore shelf ice. Spring has good water levels and the Eagle is running just a bit high for comfortable wading (it gets dam cold when your in up to your hips), both have been having fair midge actively in the afternoon and a some BWO's if you find the right spot. Both days I fished scuds in the later morning and if you found an inside corner with a dark bottom and slower water the fish hit hard but you have to get down and fish very slowly, a #16 grey scud did the trick, the attached picture is one of the better guys from Friday- he crushed it.

 

On both days the surface activity started about 10:30 and continued till 3:00 PM, midges were first on deck but the fish were picky, you had to change to find what each wanted, of course I took three fish fast on a Griff's Gnat and that was that no more on it! I moved to better BWO water and found a few fish feeding like little pigs on the #20 emerger took if it floated well. Both days were a welcome break form the weather we have been having, the little Hog just gave me good reason to want a few Groundhog tails. Get out there if only for a few hours or heck cast in the back yard just to shake the winter blues.