Keeping abreast of fellow bloggers posts can be very helpful sometimes. As an example this past Sunday I was able to fish beat #7 on the Nissequogue River here on Long Island because of reading a post by Morgan Lyle on his blog,
The Fly Line (definitely a blog worth checking out). Normally the portion of the Nissequogue that runs through Caleb Smith State Park is closed in October. However, after reading Morgan's post, I found out that the season was extended till November 13th due to the effects of Hurricane Irene. So I promptly reserved beat #7 and went fishing....or at least casting. For the entire session I managed two splashy refusals and one brief hook-up. The trout were there in abundance but many were sitting on beds so I knew they wouldn't be interested in any offerings and I left them alone. As for the others...I threw everything I had at them and there just were not any takers. I even used a newly tied fly that I call the Blue Demon Sakasa Kebari.
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| Blue Demon Sakasa Kebari |
I have read elsewhere that even though blue is not exactly the color that most trout see on their normal menu it does work. Therefore I tied this guy up one night and kept it in a little corner of my fly box. This fly along with a Royal Sakasa Kebari and a Killer Bug seemed to be the only flies that I used that generated ANY interest. I watched a number of Rainbows and Brookies moving here and there. Not a single one was less than 12" in length. This includes two gorgeous brookies that were less than the length of my 11ft Iwana away from me. One rainbow had to be between 16-18" which nearly made my heart leap from chest when my fly bumped him on the nose. Getting skunked as I have been the last few outings can get a little frustrating at times but I'm usually able to keep it in perspective. A day out on the water will always beat a day at work and just about anything else except time with my wife and kids. If anything, I can take away from this trip is the knowledge that the next generation of trout on the Nissequogue is on their way and that their rather large parents will still be there to tempt me to return as soon as April rolls around.
Blue Demon Sakasa Kebari
Hook: C49S Mustad, size #12
Body: Uni-Thread 6/0, Silver Doc Blue
Hackle: Hungarian partridge, white
Collar: Peacock herl
Tail: India Blue Peacock, blue body feather
Bummer about the skunk, it happens to all of us. This is what keeps us humble and the sport interesting though. My experience is that tenkara flies work often but not all the time. If you think about it, they are really just attractor flies in most cases. My experience this time of year is that fish are more likely to hit smaller flies (than the size 12 you used) and flies that are more imitative of actual insects. What techniques did you use?
ReplyDeletePS: btw, that Blue Demon SK is a nice fly!
Well that stinks, but it's still exciting to get out there and see some fish. I take it some of those sea-run Kamloops run in your stream there come spring.
ReplyDeleteKarel...I was generally fishing just upstream and across and letting the fly dead drift downstream and giving it the occassional twitch right in front of a trout. I also did a little sutebari. I agree that most of my tenkara flies are attractors but I also did use a #16 black midge emerger with a little snowshoe rabbit's fur (like a serendipity) and got nothing. Thanks about the fly.
ReplyDeleteF.R....There are supposed to be some real nice sea-run browns and bows further downstream in the tidal portion of the river come Jan and Feb but I have yet to get my hands on one of those guys. There was a rainbow taken a few years ago there that ran 10lbs. The payoff can be huge if one is willing to put in the time when it's 10-20 degrees out.
Good looking Demon.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the brookies had other things on there mind.
Thanks Brk Trt...As for the brookies, most of them appeared to have one of those biological "urges" that did not include food or shelter. They were beautiful to look at none-the-less.
ReplyDelete