Trico's & Caddis

OK got to Bald Eagle and of course had to pee as soon as I go to the stream bank, wow rising fish. Look there is one of course I was too fast but he would still come up and look at it but not take, dam wish I had another rod with me rigged with a small PT and a New Zeland strike ind. or a buddy along with another rigged rod. All in all I landed 4 really great trout from 16 to 18", two browns that jumped out of the water and ran great, two rainbows ( 1 with marks in her mouth) the other one under a tree just sipping. Had two other really good fish on that I could not hold (using a Scott 8'8" light #2), they ran straight to the other side under junk- not their first rodeo. Had other fish come up and just either refuse my fly or not complete the eating process- you know how that is- how did I miss that! One of the really good browns was in water that's about 7" deep and just picking Trico's off as they came down. I saw a lot of other fish taking small lt. tan caddis off the top or just under the surface! Sure makes we want to try and carry another loaded rod with me because a "2" weight can only do so much. Yes I could use another heavier rod but that Scott 2 is just a dream to catch large fish on. a caddis with a suspended emerger would have really came in handy, a bubble back adult with a nice organzia tan caddis emerger!! Did try an ant but ZERO, no one even looked at it. Bald Eagle is nice because you can get your self even with the trout and watch what they do as your offering comes to them maybe that's why I miss some, just can't hold myself back.
  All in all a really good day. The boys at Paradise said they had a good Trico spinner fall in the project, they are there every day!
  I think Penn's is still just might be a bit too warm yet.

A few ideas for nymphs

As I stated I have been reading the old English classics about nymph fishing and more and more coming to believe that real fur or fur with some new material is the answer to the bodies of your tied flies. I have long been a champion of rabbit fur for stonefly bodies and hare's ear for the bodies on some clinger style ties. As you read the old authors you get a sense that all they used were a few types of furs, of course they did not have the wide variety of materials that we have but neither did we 40 years ago! I use rabbit, some muskrat, beaver and of course Aust. opossum, all natural or dyed. Take a look under some of the stream rocks and you'll see most of the insects are a dirty tannish darker brown or olive and maybe a few very dark olive or black (Iso.) color. I use either wood duck or partridge for tails and legs. My sizes for this time of year tend to be smaller #16 thru #20 and not weighted. Give them a try and see if you agree, fur is best for most of our needs. Yes I do use a lot of newer materials and have good use for them in certain areas but natural materials just seem to tie and work better.

Go Now

Guys and gals- if you can go fishing. Upper Penn's and Spring or Bald Eagle have just a ton of small hoppers in the tall grass along the banks, not big yet maybe a size #12, dark yellow green is the color. I have not seen a year that the populations have been this high, beetles have been OK- not great but ok, according to Steve S. @ Fisherman's Paradise seek out wild grape vines and look for a good beetle population, if you find them go ahead and fish them!
  The water temps have gone down a bit due to the cooler nights but during the day the sun is very hot, but at least try it.
  For fun I have been reading the old English authors about fishing the chalk streams, a bit hard to read due to the old style of writing but they have some good insights about fishing nymphs.
  Oh also do not forget ants- wet or dry seem to be the ticket during any time of day.

A wonderful time of the year

OK Penn's is just way too hot to fish for trout but smallmouth are good to go, anywhere below Glen Iron will work well- streamers of poppers will get them going! I have about every size popper one could want and find that if you cast across and near the bank and let it sit before giving it a pop your on with any size bass that is in the area.
  This time of year it's Trico's for me, you will see pods of fish rising to them or just one lonely really good fish to try for- I like a downstream float if I can possibly get that to work if not upstream is fine if your tippet is long enough. I us a #22- 24 straight big eye hook with "2" long splayed tails of clear material and a dark olive mole fur body with a down wing made of macramé clear (white) yarn that is not thick- your fly needs to be in the film not on top! If it's low humidity the spinner fall with be en mass and the bugs from upstream will feed our targets but if it's high humidity the fall will be over time and not large numbers at any given time- they get picky in this hatch.
  After the fall and the rises stop it's time to go find some good beetle and ant water- either plop a #12 black foam beetle or float a size #16-18 black of red ant under some over hangs- then get ready! Both takes can be really soft and almost not seen- pay attention.
  Both of the above can result in some really great fish for this time of year- if you go and have a great day- go home a write it down because those days are getting harder to remember or even have because there are just too dam many of us out there.
  Oh for my Trico tippet I have been using TroutHunter 6.5x and have had no problem getting them to eat unless your drift has drag!

He Won

My long time fishing friend died of Pancreatic cancer and his wife is dealing with the after effects- 100+ fly rods, 130+ fly reels and over 22,000 flies. In the past couple of years Paul became withdrawn and hesitant to fish locally because of over crowding, he preferred salt water and the Missouri River along with 1000 yard shooting. I have never fished with anyone who could cast as well as he could and was totally willing to help in any way he could. He would never become involved in any local or national organization other than the NRA, hell he never voted in any election, never wanting to crowd his mental focus on fishing. He also was a OCD guy who would clean his line after every day he fished. I tied 1000's of flies for him and we were always looking for another angle to fool the fish. We fished for the past 40 years in some of the very worst conditions you could imagine but always managed to have a great time. When we fished we would take turns casting and either hooking or screwing up a fish then letting the other guy take over but the only time in recent history did we fish apart was the 17 year locust fall on Bald Eagle- there were just too many really big carp to catch! I think that you might have one true fishing companion in your life and if you do remember the time spent. Never did we have this shit of someone going around the corner then telling the other one how well he has done but never when your together. I miss the coaching and kidding it makes for a far more enjoyable experience. It's fun sometimes to just enjoy the environment  but if you can share it, sure makes if better.
  He will be missed. Remember the saying "He who dies with the most win's" well he won

Hot hot

Penn's is getting to the point of being safe to fish during this time of year, temp's are getting close to 70 and that is just to high for us to stress the trout, try going lower below Glen Iron on down for smallmouth bass. Give the Susquehanna River a try for bass but the river is still a bit on the high side so be careful. If you want to get really nasty get a small boat with a trolling motor and launch at the Mouth of Penn's Creek/Middle Creek & Susquehanna Rive and go upstream to the Route 15 bridge and fly fish for muskies- so really big guys live here!!!
  Trico time is coming this next week and Spring & Bald Eagle have them, heck Fisherman's Paradise on Spring has a really great spinner fall and you can enjoy them from shore never getting your feet wet! Early morning on clear days with low humidity are the best, it forces them to egg lay fast before they dry out and the enmass falls really bring the trout up. Also now is the time to fish #16-18 lt. tan caddis, ants both black and brown (red) wet or dry and of course a #12 BLACK beetle plopped near the banks in shallow water- hold on!
  It's time to get creative with our time early and late are the key now but make sure you keep an eye on the water temps, lets not kill any fish by over stressing them. It's Art's Fest week in State College so it will be full of guys in the morning and evening so find a secret spot!

A hint about the new black nickel hooks

As I have said during this two year high water event tying flies has replaced fishing for a lot of us and during that time I have been trying new hooks from some different sources. I really like the new Fulling Mill hooks and find them to be really good quality as are some of the newer Tiemco jig type hooks BUT with the new black nickel finish comes a problem- thread turning! I have been using 6/0 Herd Howards prewaxed thread for most of my tying like (like 60 years) and have found it to be one of the best ever made but with the newer hooks I now find that I have to use Zap-A-Gap on the thread base just to make sure it is secure before adding any materials to the fly. I also have seen the same with some of the stronger power threads that I use when I'm tying big streamers or intruder style flies. I do think that it makes for a better lasting fly but who cares, hell I have too many now so if you loose a few or they come apart no big deal but for my own satisfaction I have begun to use the Zap on my flies. The only problem that I have found with using it is the dam bottle is hard to open after you have used it for a while, it builds up as you wipe the excess liquid off the brush- the stuff is hard to clean and if your not careful you'll glue yourself! Another problem is the fact it's not that easy to find in craft stores, they sell off brands and not real Zap-A-Gap, plus if you put too much on it takes a while to dry. Almost all new tying videos feature it at some point in the tying process, so if you have not used it give it a try, make sure you get the brush applicator for ease of use. I also have used it when I'm adding wing material to my intruders just to keep thread bulk to a min.
  Go ahead and keep tying, this moisture has got to stop at some point?