Hope for the bettter

If you take a look at the USGS stream gauges for our area you will notice some very disturbing trends, low water for this time of year. It appears that we are going to have another low water year for the early season and who knows when the rains will come, I'll bet it will be during the Drake season then we will go dry. Our weather is off from the normal, yes we have a good amount of snow left on the mountains and it has melted as it should, little by day then freezing up at night but we do need some liquid to fall and get our streams up to more normal levels. look I love the lower water for this time of year but worry about later in the year. Heck Penns is down and that will not help for the future or what normally happens all the hatches come at once if the water warms to a above normal level, we saw this a couple of years ago and it was great while it lasted if you could get there when the main hatch comes off but miss it by a few days and they're gone for the year.
  Let's just hope we get some rain and keep it coming just enough to keep our streams in good shape. Just got some news that the rainbows in Spring Creek are on the redds, watch out for them!

Important Dates

Some dates to keep in mind for Spring. April 26th @ 9:00 AM in the Union County Sportsman's Club's parking lot R.B. Winter Chapter Trout Unlimited will begin the annual Penns Creek cleanup, I think it might be a 10 year anniversary for this event, please join us. Our numbers have never been large but the amount of items that we remove from the stream is amazing, it never ceases to make me wonder how all that plastic makes it out into the environment and it our streams, seems some people have never seen a trash can, please join us.
   April 22 & 23 please join The Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited complete the West bank stabilization of Spring Creek above the former McCoy Dam below Bellefonte at the former dam site, check www.springcreektu.org for details and a sign up sheet. They will have a fire company there to shuttle us across Spring Creek, if you know where this is, you need help crossing.
  This week has been black midges & little black stoneflies hatching everywhere, what are waiting for-GO. Have also fished to a wonderful BWO hatch on Spring Creek, #20 really dark Bateis, they ate like pigs, again this is not universal but a specific local event, find them and enjoy.

SOMETHING TO READ today- check out Gink and Gasoline web site for today and read his commentary on taking pictures of fish and killing said fish, brilliant and to the point. I agree with him 100%- what do you guys think?

Sign of the times

With sadness I just finished reading Fly Fisherman Magazine's article about the health of fly shops and noticed among the casualties was Kauffman's Streamborn in OR, that truly is sad. On any given day you could call them and ask for a special item or color of hackle/ fur and be certain that you would get it. Seems as if too many Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's have turned customers away from really good shops or maybe it was just a hassle to worry everyday if you could make payroll that week. If you find a good shop either local or on the net by all means spread the word and keep them going, if there is a bad one -well just don't support it no matter how much you need that thread or fur. The bad ones give the entire industry a very bad rap.
  OK it's time to fish, by this weekend we will be in the 40's BUT stay away from Spring Creek at this time of year, the bait and spinner guys are all over and it becomes just a pain in the ass to even look at them. Remember that at some time in March some streams are off limits- Bald Eagle is one of them. Big Fishing Creek is a great option and a #16 little black stone fly nymph is a great choice.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polar vortex

As most of you know we are suffering from a very cold winter, well not really according to Tom Clark we are only off by .3 of a degree! I have been fishing on Spring Creek because Penns has self ice and it's just not fun to crawl over that stuff, both the midge and olive fishing has been very good but you need to find the fish because they are not rising the entire stream. Fish some nymphs in the morning then look for surface activity about 10:30 AM and if you see some insects flying around but no rising fish pack up and drive to find the risers, if you find them it only takes 3 flies to get them, #22 Grif's Gnat, #22 Black down wing midge or a #22 olive emerger, you might want to carry a few buzz balls if you see some larger midge mating clumps but this is something that we normally do not see that many of. If your cold and don't want to fish ok then check out the Global Fly Fishers web site www.globalflyfisher.com-video and look for "Fly vs Jerks" 5 part video, it's about 2 fly fishers vs. 2 plug guys in Sweden fishing for Pike and the video quality is just superb, watch it and you'll agree.
  I also highly recommend the Catch Magazine site, yea it costs $12.00 a year but after you see the quality of the pictures and video you be hooked. While you are at it get the new Confulance flim "Way Points" DVD, wow it is that good, there are many others to fill the cold nights and keep you in the game.