Caddis was the key

I tell you that it's Caddis time and it is! Fished the junction pool on Penn's the other morning, Elk & Pine keep it cooler than above Weikert. I arrived to a pair of Osprey sitting atop some of the dead Ash trees that line the banks of Penn's, they gave me hell for being there. It did not take long for the action to begin one here and one there, a size #16 or #18 Tan Bubble Back Caddis did the trick maybe not on the first cast but if you put it over them they ate it. I have noticed that in some conditions when you use the newer wide gap hooks it seems as if you come unhooked more often than normal or it might be that I'm just not reactive but it is something to be aware of. The unhooking seems to occur when a fish jumps or does the Chubby Checker twist under water below you! Did not see any spinners in the air, those dam Psedo's are not out just yet nor are the raspberries ready but the caddis are on. Total for the morning was 15 fish with 2 of them over 15", all nice and fat and colored up. I did not try an ants or beetles yet but that's the next outing on Spring Creek. You really need to try a dry dropper with a hopper or cricket and a #12-14 black wet ant under it, this is a killer duo. Stay away from Penn's below Poe Paddy because it just get too hot and with no rain all the trib's are running really low.

Raspberry & Caddis Time

It's that wonderful time of the year just before the Trico's, eating wild raspberries and catching lots of trout on small tan caddis in the morning! I look forward to this time of the summer because you can get a great snack and catch some nice fish. Be there early in the morning, use a caddis emerger wet fly style and wait till you see the tell tail rises from the fish, it is fine to hit them on the head when you see a rise, I think sometimes they may think that they missed the fly and will come right back and take your fly ASAP. A CDC Bubble Back tan caddis in size #16 or as it goes on longer a size #18 will do the trick, if you don't have a bubble back try a Sid Neff style pattern, it's nothing more than a body and a flared clipped deer hair head BUT never forget an Iris Caddis pattern that Blue Ribbon Flies from West Yellowstone first tied- they flat out work! After the morning caddis hatching is over try some ants & beetles, if your on a larger stream with a lot of shade try a large Chernoble Ant pattern- watch the wake that forms when they come for it. Remember when you fish a beetle make sure your fly "plops" into the surface and don't forget to fish the skinny riffle water- you will be surprised. Take care and watch the stream temp, if it's high just pick the berries and take a nap.

Cornuta (Drunella) Spinners in June

Was ready to fish the annual spinner fall on Monday night, everything was lining up just right, but! The temp. was good 78, warm in the sun cool in the shad, spinners ever where along the shoreline (they usually start out just off shore and then move to above the riffles. The water level was perfect, color was great and no one was around! Before the main event, it was #16 Tan Caddis on the menue, just about every fish that raised either made a pass or ate the caddis! I was using a modified CDC Bubble Back Caddis pattern that I have be fooling with for a while, I tie some stiff poly like material spinner style and then tie the Bubble Back as usual and trim the spinner style legs off, this helps the fly to land just right and keeps it just a bit high on the water, worked really well. You could also make a great case for throwing a BIG dry stonefly imitation into the riffles, there were many of the naturals just crashing around egg laying but you would have to cover a lot of stream to really be effective.
  As it happened the spinners did come down but not till almost dark and it seemed as if only the smaller trout were on to them, again the lowest section of the pool is where you want to be not in the riffles. These guys beat their wings to dispel their eggs and the trout key in to that action but if your stuck in the riff try using a ISO spinner, we see them falling about the same time. As I was walking out I looked up and saw a Zillion sulphur spinners above the riffle, too dam bad that I'm old and kust can't see that well to keep fishing after dark.
  Pattern is: #16 straight eye hook, stiff poly wing material tied spent (do not over wing this) 2- micro fibbetts for tails- split, black or very dark olive quill body with UV resin over it and black or dark olive beaver or mole dubbing. You will need to tie at least 6-8 of the pattern because they will destroy it. I also carry different variations just to give them something else to look at. The sixe is really a 15 but the actual insect has a very distinct hump in the thorax! This spinner fall can be a love/hate relationship affair but remember NOT every riffle/pool has them!

Bubble Back CDC Caddis

Tried to do Penn's again but Coburn was full at the old rail road bridge and the flat above it is a great Drunella (Cornuta) spinner spot. I decide to try Fishing Creek, not crowded at all BUT as I pulled into the parking spot near the top bridge "2" cars pulled I, one in front and one behind! One was a guide from Western PA and the client was from Ohio, he asked if it was OK to park and I said as long as I know where your going to fish and he looked at me in a huff, such a ass hole needs to grow some manners! Never would I have ever though of pulling in that close to someone. I was going to leave a note on his Ford Escape (dark blue) but I did not. He wore a brimmed hat and looked like a Amish fellow, just rude.
  The fishing turned out to be really good and NO one was near me all night, small tan caddis were the item of the night, yes there were Sulphurs but not enough to turn them on, oh maybe later close to dark but catching wild brown was the name of the game. Got one small Brook Trout that had the wild color- not stocked. The browns jumped on a #16 Tan Bubble Back CDC caddis, I did notice that either I really did not do a good job of debarbing the hooks or they took it that hard because I had to destroy some flies to get them out of their mouths. I also noticed that the deer hair I used on the smaller flies was not very stiff and seemed to become soft and not able to be gotten back in shape! All in all a very nice evening, the sun stays off the water there most of the afternoon and evening so it's not turning off the trout. There are about all sizes you need to have a good time a 15" fish there gives you a great fight and is in perfect shape. Need to tie a lot more of that pattern, you can YouTube CDC Bubble Back Caddis to see it. From now on this caddis will be very important through out the days.

And another night at Penn's

Ok Ok I know why, well I spotted "2" really good fish the other night and wanted to get a chance to try for them again. Both of these guys live in spots that most people would walk past over and over again. On the road side below Stan's concrete bridge, one was rising in about 10" of water, of course no access other than a bit downstream with rose bushes to content with when you did get a cast, timed him out and he took a Green Drake emerger BUT as soon as I set the hook he bolted across the pool as my line was tangled in the GD rose bush- gone!! Fish number two rose three times and would not even look at anything I put over him! Walked downstream to the next pool and low and behold there were "3" fish rising on the far bank, not great but you could spot them and wait for the right time, all of them took a Green Drake emerger, they ranged from 15" to 19" all fat and with really nice color. As I was fighting the last fish I heard car doors slam and it did not take long for "3" sports to appear at the shore, at that point I was done there and walked back up to see if the second good fish was ready, NOT! All in all a great day and had the water all to my self in the midst of a Green Drake hatch but I was out of there by 2:30 PM and not subject to the madness of the evening.
  Stay safe and remember the Olives, Sulphurs and ISO's are on the way