Notes from last post

Sorry the leader I used was a Trout Hunter 12' 6x finess leader, I used a nail knot to attach it to the 1 wt line and it worked really well. Gone are those Doug Swisher flour. green flat butt leaders of the past, they were really great in the day but with fly lines changing their tapers and materials they just would not perform as they did in the past! Just receive a shipment of Hens Spectra Dubbing, wow what great colors and it's easy to dub not like ice dub where you have to use a ton of wax on your thread. Give it a try if your liiking for a peacock subsitute.

1 wt. & Trico's

Was looking for an empty Sage 3100 spool and found "2" spools loaded with 1 wt fly lines and wanted to try them again for Trico's but they both had old Doug Swisher flat butt leaders on them and I had to chage them, heavens knows how old they were? I took the flat butt off and cleaned the lines then added a Trout Hunter 9' 5x finess leader to the end of the line. Checked just below Paradise and there were a billion Trico's over the stream, so I drove downstream looking for rising fish, found some spots that were good but drove to Milesburg to check Bald Eagle- a big fat "0" was going on there. Drove above Bellefonte and found a spot where the fish were eating, got ready and put on a dark olive #24 Trico spinner and 6.5x Trout Hunter tippet and got to working on them. I can tell you that a 6" on the 1 wt feels just great and the Scott very soft 8'8" #2 was the perfect rod for it. Just lined them up and maybe not the first float over them but they would at some time just eat the Trico. After about an hour & a half the action started to dimish so I tied on a #18 cinn. foam ant and cast to the banks, well they ate that also. I got to the head of the pool and wanted to get a bite to eat and move to another location that I have had great action in. Ate then drove up and walked to the tail of the pool and almost killed myself getting down the bank, started to wade up stream to avoid the drag at the tail out and became stuck in the mud on the bottom, this resulted in a 30 yard struggle to get upstream and not set foot on private land all the time not knowing if I could manage to get free in some spots. This was exausting to say the least and NO dam fish rising at all, no Trico's no takes on the small ant (the pool is very deep). I tied on a #12 black beetle and that was not the best thing to do on a 1 wt with 6.5 tippet! I cut the tippet off and used 5x and began to catch fish on the plopped beetle. If you do not get a take in the first couple of feet try and slowly bring the beetle to you before you make another cast, they seem to follow it quite a distance and the action triggers them to take. After I got to the top of the pool I had to get out on the road side bank, yet another adventure but based on the day and fall would not have made to sad. A good day to fish and learn Only used "3" flies the entire morning, not loosing any to the tree gods!

Trout Line Hooks DO NOT BUY These

Last Winter I was sent a e mail about some newer hooks at Trout Line by Lucian Vasies from Romania, so I ordered some up, a very easy and professional experience dealing with them. I ordered the Maruto Fly Hooks D9626 BL in #16, 18 & 20 and just waited to fine something to use them on. Well I decided to tie #20 (but tied short to give a 22-24 size body and wing) but use the larger gap. Tied up 49 of them and put them in a special box. I tried to use them the last two weeks and could not get 6.5X tippet material thru the eye, WTF, can you imagine what the hell is going thru my mind standing in the middle of Bald Eagle? I tried again this past Wed. and to no avail could I get the tippet thru the hook eye. I sat down at home and tried to put a smaller needle thru the eyes and guess what no go! OK I know why did you not see it when you tied them- stupid is as stupid does, now I have 40+ beautiful Trico spinners in a special box that for all their beauty are not useful at all- anyone want them.
  Lesson- check the eyes on the hooks before or after you tie the first one!!! I have never seen anything like it ever!

Trico Day To Remember

Today was one of those days that as an angler you will remember forever, as long as you have your wits about you? I checked Bald Eagle and found zero rising fish, hell not even the little guys above the gravel bar were not up. Drove up Spring Creek stopping along the way looking for the clouds of Trico, even at Hartle's bridge none. Got to Paradise and not till I turned around and drove downstream did I see the clouds of Trico's, I mean clouds! Stopped at the hole below Paradise near the cabin for sale and looked upstream and yes rising fish. Hurried to dress and get the "2" wt Scott ready for action but of curse had to stop and sample the ripe raspberries on the way. Climbed over the railing and waded up to the tail out and WOW everywhere there were fish up and in rhythm, this was about 7:45 and it lasted till about 10:00 AM in all I took 21 fish with at least 3 over 14" and most of the rest 9-12" and very few little guys. Just line the drift up and get it back on the water as soon as it got over them but had the check the tails because they are tied longer than normal to accurately imitate the naturals. At one point I waded into the sun and looked to my left and saw no less than 6 good fish scooting from the left bank! I used "2" flies the entire time, Trico spinners tied about 10-15 years ago, a #24 all black and a dark olive abdomen with a black thorax, they just took it if it had a good drift. The action petered out, then back to car but stopping to eat more berries, never can get enough of them.
  Drove up to Rock Road and fish a small section with beetles, taking "7" smaller guys before running out of space, I did not have the time to complete the entire section today but will be back to beetle them again. As I got into the water below the bridge I took a small guy with the first cast- never it that a good omen. Under the bridge I almost stepped on and very large brown that was just intent to stay near the bridge foundation but did finally swim away, mark this guy for next time.
  All in all one of those days that brings a smile to your face and give you pleasant thoughts to remember. The Trico fishing has not been this good in quite a few years and today made me happy to see that not all has been lost to development.

Lessons from yesterday. (7/8/20)

Trust your memory in terms of time of year and location when deciding where and when to go.
Get a good pair of cheaters (readers for your eyes) so you don't cut the GD leg off a new beetle that you just tied on. Remember to use an improved chinch knot when your tying on beetles, especial when your just lazy about the tippet size. Never never try to use 6.5x when your going from a Trico to a size #14 beetle- the knots keep sliding out and you get the curly tippet for proof you were just dam stupid. Try to work on a system of where to put your hemostat so you can get it unhooked fast in order to get flies out of trout mouths, I have mine attached to a small Fishpond chest pack on the left and can not get it unhooked when I need it, if I put it on the right it will tangle in my fly line*#! I may need to try and find the other unhookers that I know I have but some how seem to not know where they are.
  You know that your fly is right when the big boys just come up and roll on your fly, if that is the case you hit the pattern and size just right, think tan caddis.
  When your fishing beetles remember the best and most fish will be on the shore line and near some type of cover either on the bank or above. When your plopping beetles DO NOT be fast to set the hook, wait till you see the little swirl to lift, you will know when you get it right because the beetle will be inside their mouths- hence you need hemostats. I gave up "5" new beetles to larger fish because I could not get the dam hemo's out fast enough!
  When your fishing Trico's wait till you actually find a fish that is rhythm and it will be easier to time him out, if he comes up and just looks just let him rest for a bit and try again if he does the same check your fly, we tend to tie our Trico's with longer tails and some times they get messed up.
If they keep refusing your pattern put a #22-24 pheasant tail nymph about 6-8" below and try again. Make sure your using 6 to 7x and not anything heavier, the float counts.
  Finally make sure you know where the hell your wading staff is all the time, I dam near killed my self when I became wrapped in mine.
  DO NOT FISH PENNS

Trico's, Tan Caddis & Beetles

Today was one of those days you will long remember, 2 really big boys on a tan caddis along with a bunch of smaller browns in Bald Eagle from 7:30 to 9 AM, had 2 on a Trico spinner in the beginning but they gave me the finger with that pattern after the 2 I landed. I tied up 36 new spinners on new hooks and of course never took the time to make sure they eyes were open, there I am at 73 years old bitching about not being able to get the dam tippet thru the eye! There was no real Trico activety just yet, a bit to early in the month. The carp were making a ton of noise while they were spawning, sounded like a big brown eating stuff, scare the hell out of you. Off to Spring Creek above Bellefonte, 100% beetles and they ate them like candy! I used a all new beetle pattern with sparkle rubber legs and a pink foam hot spot on top, again when I finished all of them I used a shot of UV cement on them- and YES did not clear the eyes! Took 3 more really fine browns along with more than 10 others, most near the shore in less than 6" of water. No one around and the birds were alive and so was the dark mink on the far bank. Done by 10:30 because the sun came out and it got really hot. I need to clear beetle eyes, Trico eyes and trim some of their wings (got the length a bit too long).
  All in all a day to remember!