Merry Christmas to One and All

This time of year always seems to tough.  The constant hustle and extra tasks to do associated with the season, in addition to the always hectic every day rat race can make things tough.  But I have two special little elves that remind me why the extra work is worth it.  With Christmas nearly upon us and the big man soon making his yearly night time sleigh ride, I would like to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas, a Happy and Healthy New Year and good will to all now and throughout 2014.  May it be filled with joy. May Santa leave your stockings full of flies and tippet and not lumps of coal.

The North River Killer

North River Killer

I have not had a lot to post about lately.  Work has been tough with lots of long hours and I have not had much of an opportunity for any outdoor action let alone fishing. I figured it might be a good time for a quick post.  I had a lot of success this year with a Killer Kebari. This includes some rather handsome rainbows on the Nissequogue late in the season. Chris Stewart originated the Killer Kebari and ties his with a brown hackle.  I, like Paul Vertrees, prefer my killer with a grey Hungarian partridge hackle. Despite the effectiveness of this fly I still like to "tweak" flies like this from time to time. I call the fly pictured above a "North River Killer".  The only difference between it and the original is the addition of Krystal Flash in the hackle. I didn't have a chance to fish it this year but I plan on it as soon as I can next year.  For anyone interested the recipe is below.

North River Killer

Hook: Mustad C49S scud hook, size 12

Hackle: Hungarian partridge, color grey & several strands of pearl colored Krystal Flash tied in 

Thread: Pearsall's gossamer silk thread, color brown

Body: Shetland's spindrift wool yarn, color sand & colored with a prismacolor marker, color also sand

Squid'n

 

First catch of the night

This post is about time I recently spent on the water.  However, this post will not include and mention of tenkara (well, maybe not), rod and reel, or beautiful wild brook trout.  This time the quarry was squid.  There are several times a year when the right conditions present themselves to catching these fascinating, quick and delicious creatures.  On an incoming tides after dark, all that is required is a bucket, headlamp, long-handled net and some patience. Simply spot them and get a net into place before they dart away and quickly scoop them up....while trying to avoid the spraying black ink. On Saturday night I tried my hand at this for the first time and met with some success.

I managed to catch about a half dozen squid.  I planned to have these guys for lunch on Sunday but as I prepared to clean them I could not help but be fascinated by them.  This was especially true when witnessing the movement of the chromatophores.  These are the little brown spots visible in the picture.  They are used in communication displays, as well as camouflage.

Like many other aspects of Nature, the time for "squid'n" will only last for a short time. Hopefully, there will be a few more trips in the near future.  While netting them is the best method some were trying to catching them with rod and reel.  Who knows....I may eventually be the first to land a squid on a tenkara rod.

Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns

Halloween has always been one of our favorite times of year and it's always seems to fly by so quick. This year in an effort to extend this festive time of year one more night the family made a trip to a Long Island Halloween attraction... Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns.  The RISE features over 5000 carved pumpkins with several groups of pumpkins carved according to certain themes like superheros, the solar system and NY sports teams.  The unseasonably mild weather made the walk through the jack O' lanterns a very pleasant way to spend a Friday evening. Now with Halloween 2013 now in the books hopefully everyone had a safe and happy night and received a bag full of loot.

Our own little RISE

My little "renaissance vampire" and "peacock fairy princess" 

The End To Another Season

October 15th....It's not just another Tuesday. Unfortunately it's the end of another season...Trout season in New York State.  Although I live on Long Island where trout season can last all year on most waters, it closes down in, for the most part, in the rest of the state.

I would count the 2013 trout season as another successful and enjoyable one.  There were some new waters fished here and there and some very memorable trout. Some new tenkara rods and lines were tried out....and my rod collection continues to grow.  However, in the end my most enjoyable trips remain as always the trips to those "thin blue lines".   The brookies may not be large but they are absolutely beautiful and the mountain settings in which they are found and all they have to offer to the eye are hard to beat.  These pictures and the memories associated with them are all that remain of a recent trip. Now begins the wait until April 1st 2014 and the beginning of the next trout season (with the exception of a few trips here on the island I hope to squeak out before hunting season).

Last wild brook trout of the year

October...

Sunrise over the Hudson Valley

October is my favorite time of the year.  The changing colors, picking apples and pumpkins and the beautiful weather make this time of year hard to beat. After watching a spectacular sunrise I chose to go for a small hike along one of my favorite streams on the Mohonk Preserve...the Coxing Kill.

Split Rock

The Coxing Kill is not the biggest, fastest or most spectacular stream that one can hike along. It's simply a small mountain stream making it's way to the Hudson River and eventually out to sea.  But there is something about it that I find very compelling.  I look for any opportunity to spend time along it's banks and take in it's various scenery, wildlife and moods. It is never stagnate...it is always changing. No two days are ever alike. Today was another chance to see what's new.

  

Unusual tree near split Rock

Just a few reminders of what comes after Halloween

A hike in the Shawangunks was not the only bright spot on this gorgeous autumn day.  A trip home around this time of year always includes a trip to the pumpkin patch and the orchard with my family to pickup some apples, cider donuts and cider.

Alina and Bella in the pumpkin patch

One of the girls favorite part of the autumn trip home to nanna and papa's house is the cider donuts at the orchard and we always have to take the "back of the car" photo.  Seems like the size of the back of the car is shrinking. Family, apples, hiking, fall colors....who could ask for a better October day?

Just for comparison...pic from 2010

Autumn on the Nissequogue

Looking upstream on the Nissequogue on beat 7

 Autumn is starting flex it's muscles here on Long Island as some brilliant colors are beginning to pop here and there. I was able to get out for a while today to take a little of it in before it's gone in it's customary "blink of an eye."  Many of Long Island's spring creeks are not only challenging to land a few trout but are a great place to feel like you have removed yourself from the "rat race" without having to travel very far.  There is remarkable peace and quiet to be found here.....not mention some large trout for those willing to have some patience.

Walk to beat #7

Looking down stream on beat #7 with the dam in the foreground and my new Tenkara USA  4.5 level line on the left side of the picture (It's visibility is superb)

When I fish this beat I usually concentrate just below and just above the dam.  I can always count on trout hanging around there. Today was no different. I landed a number of rainbows in the 15-16" range that were all very solid fighters with some heft to them. I took them all on a #12 Killer Kebari (like those tied by Chris Stewart except that I used a grey Hungarian partridge). The only one that posed a problem was one rainbow that proceeded spit the hook, which flew over my shoulder and hooked my right shoulder blade.  That was not fun.

First rainbow of the day.

Although I had been casting to rising fish and was aware of at least a dozen good size trout, I was amazed to find 25-30 trout swimming in close formation on the opposite bank as I exited the stream.  The Nisseqougue is an exceptionally clear stream, which makes it easy for the fish to see you and more difficult to catch them.  You would think the same could be said for the angler but their coloration was more than enough to fool me and keep them hidden despite being only 10-15 ft away from me.

Casting platform on one of the fish ponds with some Canadian geese

Today was another good fishing day and I was reminded that with the changing of seasons upon us that we should all enjoy them as much as possible because they will not last forever.

A bench along the trail to rest after a "weary" day of fishing