Recent News and Happenings

***UPDATE FOR 5/9/08***

The Grannoms were dismal on the Yellow Breeches and the Hendricksons were not far behind. The good news………….the little Tan Caddis was present in record numbers!! A size 20 CDC Tan Caddis fished on the surface with a subtle twitching motion brought many trout to the surface. The little critters appeared daily from about mid morning to last light in the evening. Also, last light saw many Crane flies, size 18, buzzing along close to the water's surface and the trout doing what trout do when an easy meal is at hand. Night after night the Crane flies would strafe the water's surface and the trout responded. See Fly of the Week for Crane fly tying instructions.

Incidentally, it is not overly scientific but extremely effective when I see the three mallards, (two males and a female) that have taken up residence in my back yard, on the water picking off caddis and mayflies that pop to the surface. That activity is my signal to dress up and hit the water………the hatch is on!! The Hendricksons and Grannoms have now given away to the Tan Caddis. The Tan Caddis that is so effective on the Yellow Breeches is also effective on Spring Creek and the Little Juniata at this time of the year. Throw in Yellow Creek as another limestone stream that has an outstanding Tan Caddis hatch. I like loading up my fly boxes with a particular fly that is effective on numerous streams across the Commonwealth. I am now attaching another well-known mayfly to the end of my tippet in the evenings and that mayfly is the Sulphur. On Sunday, May 4, near dusk, the Sulphurs were on in sufficient numbers to bring a few trout to the surface. Stream conditions have improved after the last rains and are prime this evening. The Sulphurs should respond in increasing numbers. Just around the corner will be the Light Cahills and the end of May should see the appearance of the Tricos. Good stuff for fly fishers!!

I was fishing earlier in the day (May 4th) on Clark Creek with my son-in-law, Glenn Klinger, and the fish were up! It appeared the trout were taking the myriad of small bugs that were just off the water's surface. But after close observation the bug of choice was the green inchworm that will have many fly fishers referring to the critters as a "hatch" later in May. The wind was stiff and the infantile size green inchworms were blown onto the water's surface. Normally fly fisher get excited when the green inchworm is mature in late May, but this day the trout were up and taking the size 24 critters. Glenn and I were the only two fly fishers on the upper end of the fly fishing section. I scooped several of the immature inchworms and concluded that the size 24 midge nymph that I had tied using a natural and dyed green pheasant tail barbule would replicate the minute inchworm nicely. Glenn is new to fly fishing and I thought this might be is the prime opportunity to leave a lasting impression on him regarding terrestrial fishing. Only problem was that my fly box, with the imitations, was at home!

***UPDATE FOR 4/9/08***

On March 25, at 2:30 in the afternoon, I saw my first Hendrickson of the 2008 season on the Yellow Breeches. Albeit in a half hour only eight Hendricksons popped to the surface and, in an obvious lethargic state, rode the water's surface a distance of 50 feet or more before attempting to lift off the water. Only a few fish noticed the floating banquet menu. On March 30th, the Hendricksons were up and making a moderate showing in numbers. This time a few more trout noticed the protein meal floating above them. The following is the report I formulated that day while guiding Jim Rainey and fly fishing legend, Bob Jacklin, on the Yellow Breeches.

"Our Limestoner Banquet guest speaker this year was the well-liked and zestful Bob Jacklin from West Yellowstone, Montana. We enjoyed Bob's telling of his fishing experience on the LeTort Spring Run earlier in the day. Rocky Stump provided the guidance for the Letort fishing phase of Bob's weekend stay in the Cumberland Valley. Bob, a native of New Jersey and now a resident of Montana, has been a guide for nearly four decades on the various streams in Montana and other western waters. He has been recognized by the Federation of Fly Fishers as one of its designated Legends of Fly Fishing, just to name a few of his accomplishments. The following day I had the opportunity to guide Bob and Jim Rainey on the Catch and Release section of the Yellow Breeches. We were on the water from about 9:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. with a few minutes off the water for a brief lunch.

Bob fishes only his own hand tied flies and soon he caught and released one of Pennsylvania's 14 inch brown trout on a leech pattern. Later another good- sized brown trout was taken on Bob's well-known March Brown Nymph, the pattern highlighted during his special fly tying demonstration at the Limestoner banquet. But the grand finale of the day was the appearance of Hendricksons from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. The Hendricksons, although sporadic at times, appeared in sufficient numbers to bring up trout all along the section of water we were fishing. We learned a great deal about Bob's fly fishing and conservation history at the banquet. One of those accolades was that Bob is a Certified Master Casting Instructor and has the skills to accurately place a fly on a trout's lips if need be. Jim and I saw that pinpoint accuracy demonstrated when Bob placed a dry fly within the ring of the rise and caught his first fish of the year during a Mayfly hatch. As a chilled Bob Jacklin eased himself out of the waters of the Yellow Breeches, after a long, but productive day of fishing, he commented on our good fortune of having quality streams in the Cumberland Valley to fish through the year and of having a major appearance of a highly prized early season hatch like the Hendrickson in late March. I mentioned that another prized hatch, the Grannoms, would probably appear on the Yellow Breeches in a week to ten days and at times provide a roll-over hatch with the Hendricksons. See my article in the Fly Fishing Guide, dated April 2007, entitled Roll-Over Hatches. From the long stare at the beckoning waters he had just left, I got the feeling that Bob was mentally calculating how he could take a few days away from his East Coast speaking engagements to revisit our area!!"

The Hendrickson hatch continued to show an increase in numbers as the days progressed and the air temperatures reached the 60degree mark. On April 2 while fishing to the Hendrickson hatch at 2:30 p.m., I noticed several Grannoms flip flopping along the water's surface. Since my Hendrickson dry fly was not overly successful, I tied on a tandem wet fly combination of a Red Quill and a Grannom. This combination, I thought, should do the trick. Wrong!! The results were less than exhilarating as only two fish hit the across and down offering. The Grannoms ceased to appear but the Hendricksons increased in numbers. I then tied on a tandem of a Red Quill and a Hendrickson (Both flies were featured in a previous Fly of the Week pattern) and utilizing a down and across presentation, coupled with a slow but steady skittering motion, hooked numerous fish. The majority of fish took the Red Quill but a few took the Hendrickson. I should have replaced the Hendrickson with a second Red Quill but the action was sufficient and I did not want to take the time out to make adjustments. Those of you that have been in similar situations know the feeling. The successful technique was a result of watching the naturals pop to the surface and exhibit movement in a valiant effort to lift off the water. The majority of those naturals did not make it off the water. In contrast, the naturals that leisurely floated on the surface, sans movement, went un-scathed. As a result of that on stream experience, I plan to utilize the tandem dry fly skittering technique on other species of naturals (Sulphurs, Light Cahills, Caddis, BWOs, etc) as the 2008 fishing season unfolds.

***UPDATE FOR 3/15/08***

March is the month to douse the cabin fever doldrums of winter by getting out to fly fish. Several of us did just that and trekked over to Yellow Creek to fish the Fly Fishing Only section of the creek. The air temperature was a balmy 60 degrees, the water temperature was 42 degrees and overhead the sky was cloudless. The water was almost gin clear with a hint of a yellow mixer, hence the Yellow Creek name.

Ken and I had fished Yellow Creek a week prior to this trip and the conditions were somewhat similar but with a 40-degree air temperature and a partly cloudy day. This type of sky was conducive to the appearance of Little Blue Wing Olives, about a size 24, and Little Black Stoneflies, about a size 22. The naturals lasted from noon to 5:00 p.m., albeit sporadic at times. We caught and released about nineteen fish while fishing dry flies. A few fish were caught on nymphs but, when fish are working the surface, even sporadically, it is difficult for me to continue nymph fishing. The black stonefly patterns on the Fly of the Week link worked well. I was pleasantly surprised when fishing the larger Size 16 stonefly adult that trout would leave a holding area in a feeding lane and move as far as five feet to target the fly. Ken had success with an uncomplicated (simple tie) size 24 hackled LBWO. I watched one huge brown trout come up and sip Ken's simple LBWO and thought I best tie a few for future trips. Ken had tied two of the flies the morning of the trip to Yellow Creek and after we met, and while carpooling our way to our fishing destination, he showed me the LBWO's that he was going to experiment with that day. Unfortunately he lost the first fly almost immediately. You know the scenario, small hooks, small diameter tippet material. Ken was not about to give up the last fly to a fishing buddy. The fish were not overly interested in my parachute LBWO presentation so I switched to the stonefly offering and had a much improved day of fishing.

Now I am back on Yellow Creek with Tom and Scott as noted in the first paragraph. LBWOs appeared for a brief time shortly after the noon hour and the fish were very selective to our offerings. We only saw a few Little Black Stoneflies and they were in the air. It was a blue bird day with a clear sky and warm air temperatures. So without any supportive surface activity from the trout, we switched to nymph fishing. The Fly of the Week is the critter that accounted for several large rainbow trout with photos of the largest rainbow caught featured on the homepage. I was using a 6X fluorocarbon tippet and hooked, fought and released the huge bow in a timely manner.

A fly fisher from Johnstown told me he was not leaving Yellow Creek until he saw the fly that I was using. I showed the fly fisher the # 24 Beadhead Pheasant Tail nymph and he softly cussed that the dang thing was too small for him to tie, let alone tie it on a tippet. I have used the small nymph on many streams in the Pennsylvania, New York and Montana with success. The nymph is especially useful on all our Commonwealth limestone streams during the four seasons!

***UPDATE FOR 3/3/08***

Fly fishers have a net working system that incorporates many avenues of communication, for example, the electronic advantages, magazines, fly shops, face-to-face communications and plain old, but reliable (sometimes?) on the stream acquaintances.

Here is an example of the electronic advantage. If I need to know stream levels in a particular state like Montana, I electronically access that information by typing http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/current?type=flow. Real-time data will show long-term median flow, discharge cubic feet per second, gage height feet, water temperature and date and time. Typing http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/current?type=streamflow will provide the necessary real-time data for select streams in Pennsylvania and based on the data presented, I can proceed or postpone fishing trip plans.

I favor the face-to-face and stream acquaintance communication approaches because of the ability to ask questions and eliminate or diminish gray areas. The following is an example of face to face and stream acquaintance communications.

Gayle and I invited Marsha and Clark, and Jeannie and Scott over to the house for a light lunch of her home made vegetable soup, home made bread and a great dessert of Lava Cake, the yummy chocolate raspberry kind, and an exchange of fly fishing and fly tying information. Clark is planning to fish Montana in September. He has not fished the Bighorn, although he has fished many of the other well-publicized streams in Montana, and he plans to correct that over sight. Scott lives in the Leesburg, Virginia area and fishes the Yellow Breeches often. He also treks to Montana and has admirable recollections of many of that state's creeks and rivers. Clark and I met Scott on the Yellow Breeches many, many years ago and recognized that this man knows plenty about fly fishing.

It was about mid February when Jeannie and Scott arrived and the weather was COLD. We were in the clutches of one of those well- known Arctic Clipper systems. Scott brought fly tying materials to demonstrate the tying of flies that he uses on the Bighorn. He also brought three hand drawn maps of the Bighorn in the Fort Smith area. In 2003, Scott provided Gayle and me with hand drawn maps of the same area and we were able to wade fish the Bighorn and catch numerous and big fish based on those hand made maps. They were accurate to the letter or in this case, the riffle. I knew Clark was about to receive proven Bighorn advice and directions. Scott also brought Gayle some of his special flies that she really enjoyed using and with great success on the Bighorn. See Fly of the Week for a photo of some of Scott's favorite Bighorn flies.

A few days after Marsha and Clark and Jeannie and Scott and Gayle and I got together, I went into the Yellow Breeches fly shop and mentioned to Emily that Scott Douglas would be an excellent fly tier for one of the upcoming winter/early spring weekends fly tying demos that Emily schedules. She agreed and with anticipation of a great fly tying demonstration, I contacted Scott. He was enthusiastic about the opportunity to display and tie some of the flies that have served him well on the Bighorn and within the Yellowstone National Park. If you plan to fish the Bighorn, or the Park, don't miss it!!

***UPDATE FOR 2/10/08***

In early February, I was above the Allenberry Dam fishing to late afternoon risers. The sun was shinning and it was a great afternoon for fishing. I walked a half- mile up the trail that parallels the catch and release stretch with my Polish nose aimed directly at the warm sun. How great that felt! I was energized as I entered the water and I knew the trout were in trouble. The Purple Pearl was the fly of choice and the trout were receptive. It evidently replicated the midge emerger quite well. I would toss the Purple Pearl above a rising fish and would allow enough slack in the line to allow the fly to pass the fish and have drag set in. Drag you say!! What is with this indulgence of drag in flyfishing? As you are aware, all advice points to eliminating drag in these situations. But not this time! The Purple Pearl dragging, as it passed the trout, accurately depicted the natural midge as it frantically speeds across the water surface or spins in small circles, either laying eggs, or attempting to escape the holding gel of the water's surface. The result is usually the slamming of the fly (or natural) by a trout.

But this update is not about the Purple Pearl. It is about the small green stonefly that I scooped from the water on that same outing. Initially I thought the wiggling little critter was a Little Blue Wing Olive but I was uncertain because it balled itself up as I retrieved it and placed it in my fly box. It was not until later that I discovered the critter was a stonefly. At the house, at about 5:00 p.m., I placed the specimen in a small dish of water and what unfolded was a size 22 green stonefly. Three hours later (8:30 p.m.) the critter was a light gray color. At 11:30 it was a darker gray and upon viewing it at 7:00 a.m. the next morning, the critter was black! Interesting!! Could it be that the small stonefly first appears in green color? Prior to this encounter, I have only seen the small stonefly in a black color. Ensuing conversations with knowledgeable fly fishers resulted in not one of them having seeing a green stonefly on the Yellow Breeches. However, Mike Snody told me that he has seen small green stoneflies on Clarks Creek and that he was currently reading a book on stoneflies and would be on the alert for green stonefly information.

I sat down and tied several green stoneflies representing an emerger and an adult. Several days later, I then took my experimental flies to the stream for the ultimate test. It was late afternoon and the fish were up sipping what I thought were midges. But this time I did not offer the midge and tied on the # 22 green stonefly with a grizzly palmered hackle. I pitched to the nearest sipping trout and unfortunately was about two or three off the feeding lane. The fly drifted by unnoticed. A breeze stirred the previously calm water's surface and soon the surface was riffled. A size 22 stonefly, riding flush on the surface, is difficult to see. Add a wind blown riffled effect and two things happen………..the fly is undetectable and the fish stop surface feeding. I waited for fifteen minutes and it was obvious that the wind had set in for the remainder of the evening. Disappointed I left the water and returned home. When weather conditions permit the continuation of my experiment with green color stoneflies, I will report on the outcome. Green stoneflies interesting!!

***UPDATE FOR 1/4/08***

It was a short drive from the main road to the cul-de-sac parking lot and an added treat was the view of one of the most picturesque Lake Erie tributaries along that short drive. Near the turn off from the main road a small waterfalls was evident and I envied the view of the few homeowners residing on the opposite side of the tributary. It took eons of high water events cascading to the Great Lake to form this pleasant niche near Northeast, PA.

I parked the truck, got out and admired the fury of the 3-4 feet waves crashing on the little beach on the shore of Lake Erie and then I slowly walked about fifty yards toward the creek. The tributaries that flow into Lake Erie, from State Street in Erie out to the NY line, are labeled as Two Mile Creek, Four Mile Creek, etc. ending with Twenty Mile Creek (one of my favorites). Clouds overhead and warmer air had moved into the area and with the remnants of snow along the creek, the air was heavy and damp. My proboscis alerted me that fish were nearby. The musky smell reminded me of a fish hatchery when the wind is blowing in your direction. With a stealth approach I peered over the top of the concrete wall that was erected for erosion control purposes (I think) along the west bank of the tributary. Indeed my nose was correct as I viewed a hundred or more steelhead holding in the hatchery like setting. I eased from the wall and RAN back to the truck. Hundreds of steelhead and not another angler in sight WOW!! I have set up rods hundreds of times for my use and for client use but the mental image of those huge steelheads hunkered down by the wall waiting for me to catch them minimized productivity from my normally reliable fingers!

When guiding I attempt to bring out the best in clients by developing a climate of motivation, participation and opportunities. What I saw over that wall and the resulting non-nimbleness of my fingers caused me stop and adjust promptly and calmly. I told myself "you are guiding yourself so remain in solid control and go catch and release a few fish". Tony Dranzo, known as the Addicted Angler, had given me several flies that he has used with success while steelhead fishing in the Erie area and so I selected what appeared to be a # 12 pink ice micro chenille fly that I thought could resembled a fresh water shrimp or skein if one stretched the imagination (see fly of the week). Finally, with rod rigged, I returned to the creek. I drifted the pink fly through clear water utilizing a high stick technique because I felt any lateral movement of the fly would result in a foul hook situation. Near the end of the third drift a silver colored hen steelhead about twenty inches long took the fly and then stormed upstream. The 9 foot, 8 weight TFO rod handled the steelhead nicely and the release was accomplished in a timely manner. The high stick technique was interesting because as the fly and tippet drifted and bounced along the bottom, steelhead would move a bit to the side and allow the fly to pass. When a steelhead would show interest and follow the fly but not pick up the fly I would re-drift the fly through the same seam until the fish was hooked or showed no interest in the fly. It is vital to obtain a natural drift and place the fly close to the bottom and in the strike zone. Split shot and a strike indicator are essential to achieve the correct drift and detect a take in the strike zone! Although steelhead will boil the surface in the winter, my experience has been that fishing near the surface after November is not productive. My high stick approach was to drift the fly with succeeding casts across the pool. The width of the narrow holding pool would permit about seven cast presentations about three feet apart. The first couple of drifts the fly was visible and I closely observed the fish as they reacted to the fly. Several drifts later a huge male steelhead showed interest in the fly, followed it a short distance, seized the fly and when the hook was set, zoomed upstream. Steelhead scattered in all directions sending water splashing against the concrete wall! Unfortunately I was not able to turn the fish and the 4X tippet snapped. My heart was pounding while I re-rigged. I noticed a truck pull into the parking lot and two anglers got out and with spinning rods walked towards me. Both anglers were fishing minnows and set up on the top of the concrete wall opposite where I was fishing. I reminded myself that steelhead fishing is not like fishing our limestone trout streams where the majority of anglers will demonstrate a cooperative spirit and will remain a comfortable distance from other anglers. Soon a second vehicle arrived in the parking lot and two more anglers got out with spinning rods and they also fished from the top of the concrete wall. Shortly a fish was hooked and several lines were tangled. I thought back to a comment a friend of mine made that fishing under these conditions was known as "Combat Fishing". A third vehicle arrived and parked in the lot and three anglers got out and ended up on the wall. I felt dwarfed and have always prided myself on defining problems and planning solutions so I displayed a practical approach to solving this crowding dilemma. I left the area. I experienced about forty minutes of prime fishing and was grateful for the opportunity to catch several magnificent steelheads.

Leaving the parking lot I noticed the time was 4:45 p.m. and realized that in the Erie area football fans can follow what I call local teams………..Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. That Sunday, three of the four teams were playing 1:00 p.m. games, which are usually over at 4:00 p.m., hence the sudden influx of steelhead anglers. Another thought entered my mind as I drove away……….perhaps the communication convenience of the cell phone was to blame!!

***UPDATE FOR 12/22/07***

The Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter will be auctioning 2 copies of "CVTU's Favorite Flies", one at the Limestoner banquet, and one online.

The books will be signed by the contributors and will be accompanied by a fly box with the flies that are in the book.

Further information is available by contacting

Clark Hall
1785 Autumnwood Drive
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-5197
717-697-4549
clarkhall@comcast.net

***UPDATE FOR 11/21/07***

In early November a lake effect snow event hit the Erie area while we were on the second of three scheduled bow hunting and steelhead fishing trips. A lake effect snow event can occur almost any time in the fall and we have experienced as much as 30 inches of snow during such a three day event. The difference between a lake effect snowstorm and a standard winter storm is cold artic air moves over a large body of water (Lake Erie in this case) which is warmer, picks up moisture and then dumps it as snow several miles inland. Winds accompanying the artic air mass can wreck havoc on trees that have a sudden buildup of heavy wet snow. Trees with leaves are especially hard hit. Such a storm is frequently accompanied by thunder and lightening. This November trip the snow accumulation was only a foot! The event forced our daughter, Michelle and her husband, Glenn to pack up their pop up camper and leave the area. Pop up campers can be vulnerable to snow loads, falling trees and freeze up so they made the correct decision. Earlier Glenn had taken an eight-point buck with the bow but had not had the opportunity to fish for the numerous steelhead that were in nearby Twenty Mile Creek. Michelle was encountering bucks near her tree stand along with a huge black bear that was occupying the swamp that she was hunting. It was only a matter of time before she was successful with a bow kill. Leaving the area for both of them was a difficult but necessary decision. Gayle and I remained because we had been through numerous lake effect storms and our small, but well built wooden camp was a veteran of such storms. I eventually killed a four-point buck and Gayle saw several deer but had no opportunities for a good shot. The deer under her tree stand were either too small, young button bucks, or if large enough in size, did not leave the protection of the overhanging branches or present a broadside shot.

What about the fishing? The steelhead in Twenty Mile Creek were large and in good numbers. It seemed every angler had a huge rod bend at one time or the other. I watched one fly fisher take several large steelhead fish from a stretch of thin water. This individual reminded me of someone that had fished small mountain brook trout streams with exceptional success. He would cast thirty feet to the opposite bank and allow his tandem rig to be swept under the slightly eroded bank. The chartreuse color stick on strike indicator would come to a stand still and the angler would set the hook resulting in a huge steelhead erupting from the thin water and the action was on! It amazes me how fish that size can hunker down in thin water and go unnoticed. However, the water was slightly off color because of the recent rain and follow up snow in the area and that condition helped camouflage the steelheads. Other fly fishers in the area were experiencing success but in water that was a foot or two deeper. It was gratifying to watch the fly fisher work the thin water and out catch the other fly fishers in the deeper water. All the fly fishers were using pretty much the same flies, a tandem rig of size 14 chartreuse and cream egg flies or a tandem rig of an egg fly and sucker spawn. I wanted to use a late season cricket on the steelheads but did not get the opportunity because the lake effect snowstorm uprooted several trees near camp and one tree gently uprooted and laid across the roof. Chain sawing the tree off the roof and clearing the long lane of trees took priority. Several of us fished a limestoner a few weeks prior to the steelhead trip and did well using the late season cricket. The weather was miserable with temperatures in the mid forties and rain. But still we took huge trout off the surface with the late season cricket. The late season cricket is featured as the fly of the week. One of those fly fishers told me that he uses the cricket for steelheads with success so why not give the cricket a try next time out for steelheads.

***UPDATE FOR 10/16/07***

The third hookup of the morning prompted an inquiry from the fly fisher that was about 40 yards upstream of my position on the Yellow Breeches. It was about 8:15 in the morning and the air temperature was 64 degrees with the hint of a humid day being evident. The water temperature was 60 degrees and the Tricos were on the water's surface. A size 26 May fly can be hard to detect on the water, especially on riffled water, so I understood the nature of the question from the upstream fly fisher. "The fish are taking Tricos," was my response. The fly fisher was not familiar with the early morning Trico hatch on the Yellow Breeches so I waded out of the stream, walked the bank and reentered the water slightly above him. This approach did not disturb the fish that were taking Tricos below his position in the stream. I soon found out that the fly fisher's name was Paul and that he was from Michigan. I showed Paul the Trico dun that the fish were taking and then set about to downsize his tapered leader with tippet appropriate for fishing the minute Trico May fly pattern. Paul soon found out that having the proper tapered leader and tippet and the right Trico pattern did not guarantee success. It takes a few outings to hone the skill/timing necessary to hook up with trout taking Tricos off the surface…..just ask any veteran Trico fly fisher!!

The daytime air temperature had been about 10 - 12 degrees above normal from the last week in September through the first two weeks in October. Actually daytime temperatures were recorded as record highs early on during the second week of October. The Tricos were responding to the above normal air temperatures and the fishing was outstanding from about 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Several mornings, when overcast conditions prevailed, the Tricos were active to the noon mark! The morning unfolded with female spinners and duns on the water first and then male spinners making an appearance at about 9:30 a.m. What a mid morning banquet was presented to the trout with female and male Trico spinners and duns on the water at the same time!! Late season Trico fishing has always been my favorite time of year for fishing. The waters are not crowded with anglers, some fall foliage is evident to color quilt the stream banks and the fish are aggressive. The dun Trico is featured as the fly of the week for good reason.

***UPDATE FOR 9/29/07***

The last update highlighted the West Canada Creek, a tail water fishery, about a six-hour drive from my home town of Boiling Springs. My first encounter with the WCC was positive considering the limited time available to fish. The few fly fishers on the stream that mid August trip were friendly and provided helpful information. There are times when you fish new water that a bond forms immediately with the stream and one can't wait to return to learn more about its features, i.e. hatches, holding areas, riffles and pocket water, depth and hopefully spunky trout receptive to timely fly patterns.

That opportunity to return to the WCC occurred a month later and with the hint of autumn foliage on several trees along the stream bank, Ken Okorn and I eased ourselves into the 62degree water. It was evening and trout were up taking caddis flies. Tom Blair, whom I met on the previous trip to the WCC was relaxing on the opposite bank talking with a friend. Tom informed us that the caddis had been active all day. Tom likes to use a Klinkhammer style caddis fly when the trout are actively taking caddis naturals. I made a mental note to tie a few and add them to my caddis fly box. I had moderate success with a size 18, X Caddis fly, but Ken caught more and bigger fish on a Parachute Slate Drake. Ken was fishing about fifty yards upstream of me where the water tumbled over good-sized boulders and then suddenly slowed because of the boulder-less and scalloped bottom. The water depth at the base of the boulder-less transition area was four to five feet deep. Overall, the trout were up in the rapidly moving water that was two to three feet deep where I was fishing but they were 10 - 12 inchers. Ken was fishing in the deeper, less turbulent water and catching trout in the 11 - 14 inch range. All the trout we caught were chunky, reflecting the abundance of food available to them. Tom and the few other fly fishers I talked to on the stream reinforced the presence of 14 - 17 inch trout that they have been catching on the WCC. I thought that perhaps the next trip should be of several days duration and not the evening and next morning fishing blitz on the way to the West Branch of the Ausable River.

I always thought of the Slate Drake as a noon to evening bug in late May and early June and then again in mid September to mid October. Ken and I had only a few hours to fish the following morning before packing up and heading to our next fishing destination, the West Branch of the Ausable River. The Slate Drake offering turned out to be just the ticket for early morning fishing on the WCC. That short fishing excursions on the WCC solidified the Caddis and Slate Drake as must have patterns in the fly box! The Parachute Slate Drake is featured as the Fly of the Week on this site.

We arrived on the West Branch of the Ausable River, outside of Lake Placid, after getting settled into the village house we were renting. Our plans were to fish in the morning and again in the evening and in between spend quality time with our wives. We would canoe the Saint Regis Wilderness Canoe Area, walk the picturesque three miles around Mirror Lake, visit the numerous quaint shops on main-street of Lake Placid, check out the 1980 Winter Olympic facilities and memorabilia and enjoy some fine dining. One evening, while returning from fishing near the Ausable Forks, and driving through Wilmington, we noticed that Fran Betters' fly shop was open. Fran, as usual, was at his tying station tying flies for the numerous walk-in and mail order customers. Fran was congenial considering the late hour and shared with us his thoughts on catching Ausable trout. He generously offered stream access tips. I always feel it is polite and respectful to make a purchase at away fly shops and so Ken and I bought two-dozen of Fran's innovative and effective flies. Between Fran's Isonychia version and Ken's Slate Drake pattern we did OK. I find the Genus Isonychia confusing because the Slate Drake (common name) from what I have read depicts the body as reddish-brown but Fran's and Ken's patterns incorporated a dark gray dubbing material. Fran uses muskrat dubbing that he has carefully selected for color and texture and Ken uses a poly dubbing. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in capturing a natural, which would have been beneficial, since it is from captured naturals that I work up my patterns for dry fly fishing. Further research was necessary. So on my return home, I again went through my library of fishing books and found what I was looking for in Charles Meck's book on Patterns, Hatches, Tactics, and Trout. On page 278 Charles gives a Slate Drake dry fly pattern that copies many Isonychia species and the body can be dark gray poly or muskrat.

Ken and I continued fishing the lower reaches of the West Branch of the Ausable River because the upper reaches near the Olympic ski jumps were murky with drifting aquatic weed parts and silt. At the local fly shop in Lake Placid we learned that a pond in the headwaters of the Ausable was being drained into the river and DEC was investigating the matter.

A good formula for September and October fishing of the West Branch of the Ausable River is to drive the road (River Road and Route 86) that parallels the stream form the Olympic ski jumps to Wilmington, a distance of about 13 miles, and look for rising trout. Numerous pullovers are present and a stealth approach to the rising trout will put you in position to catch them. The stream does meander from the road at times and, again, find a pull over and follow one of the paths to the stream. Select a pool or pocket water stretch and observe for naturals and tie on a timely fly pattern. Fran Betters suggested four flies for that type of fishing. Of course those four flies are the ones he has perfected over the years and they are the Dun Caddis, the Stimulator (yellow stonefly), the Ausable Bomber (Fran refers to it as the money fly when searching for big trout), and the Haystack (Isonychia). Besides the Slate Drake that Ken tied, we also caught fish on the CIA cream body, size 16, which can be found as one of the Fly of the Week offerings. Oh, as a licensed fishing guide in PA, I would be remiss not to recommend that on your initial trip to the West Branch of the Ausable River contact one of the many fly shops and hire a guide for the day. A guide will help omit some of the trial and error pitfalls that consume so much valuable time while on a destination fly fishing trip to unfamiliar waters.

***UPDATE FOR 9/1/07***

Fly fishers are interested in discovering new water and our recent trip to New York to fish the West Canada Creek, West Branch of the Ausable and Saranac River was rewarding. Gayle and I were concentrating on project water and our first quest was to contact the NYS DEC, Region 6 office to inquire about fishing the West Canada Creek. I spoke with Rodger Klindt, Aquatic Biologist, who was very helpful. An hour later, I electronically received a map and four web site listings from him. The map provided the location of the Catch and Release water and the websites provided fishing and lodging information. Gayle and I rented a lake view house on Hinckley Reservoir, a huge body of water, about six miles from the C&R area. The drive was pleasant through horse country to the designated fisherman's parking, which is near the Trenton Falls Scenic Trail. A short walk over a bridge to a path to the stream gives one a majestic view of this large stream called the West Canada Creek. The WCC conjured up an image of Penns Creek. But this is a tail water stream with water temperatures ranging from 62 degrees in the morning to 68 degrees in the late afternoon, much like the August water temperatures on the C&R section of the Yellow Breeches. The next contact was the NYS DEC Region 5 office and, unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the person that provided excellent information regarding the North Branch Saranac River and the Saranac River. She has been working in the Region 5 office as a seasonal for ten years and in spite of this, has not gained full time status because of budget limitations. Again I received maps of the streams, and pertinent information. An important part of that information is that NY has permanent easements along select streams and this allows anglers to walk along the stream banks for the sole purpose of fishing. However, the easements may be along one or both banks and this is the importance of the maps to prevent trespass. The easement purchases also allow designated parking areas and footpaths leading to the stream. Since Gayle and I lived in NY for several years and fished the West Branch of the Ausable extensively we knew what to expect on that stream.

Information gathered and lodging secured, our next step was to consult the Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide for stream information. If you need a primer on using the hatch and pattern chart then review the Beginners Corner in the May 2007 issue of the Fly Fishing Guide. Jerry Stercho does a nice job of guiding a fly fisher through the proper steps of securing the necessary information. As Jerry notes in his column, not all streams are listed on the chart. So what does one do if a particular stream is not listed? Ask questions of the anglers that are fishing the stream. For example, I arrived at the West Canada Creek Catch and Release section in the evening and fortunately met Tom, a retired detective from Albany, who had moved to the area to be close to the creek. He was compassionate and willing to share information about the stream. He felt the West Canada Creek was the top stream in NY and wanted to fish it as often as possible. Tom elaborated on the hatches and reached into his vest and offered me four flies that he had success with recently. He also pointed out various sections of the stream to fish. Later that evening after dusk I met Tom and two other fly fishers back at the designated parking lot and we exchanged information on each other's success or lack of same. Since I would be fishing at first light the next morning, the gracious fly fishers gave me suggestions/recommendations. Exchanging fly fishing information in a parking lot after a day's fishing is like having a fly shop handy. Midges, LBWOs and caddis were on the following morning but the big attraction was a # 14 foam beetle. I met a fly fisher, about 9:00 a.m. that morning, who uses a # 16 tan beetle and does well. He advised me to use a beetle fly, I did and I caught fish! Gayle and I plan to fish the WCC in May when the abundant hatches are on. According to the fly fishers in the parking lot, Quill Gordons, Olives, Hendricksons, Caddis, March Browns, etc. will be big ticket items.

NEXT UPDATE THE AUSABLE PORTION OF THIS TRIP.

***UPDATE FOR 7/28/07***

Trico fishing is a matter of black and white. Get on the stream after first light, look at the naturals that are floating by and determine black or white and adjust accordingly. You are probably asking what is the fuss over black or white? Female tricos have a whitish abdomen while the males have a distinct black abdomen. Actually, the males appear as all black from end to end so select your offering according to the naturals on the water. One other observation, female Tricos are a bit larger than the males so again tie your offering accordingly. Most anglers have the foregone conclusion that only female Tricos are on the water at first light and tie on the female……makes sense except that is not always the rule. This season of the Tricos has been a bit off. The Tricos appeared in numbers large enough in late June to bring the trout to the surface at first light. In early July the common one/two format of female Tricos after first light and males spinning out about 9:00 a.m. has changed and now male Tricos are spinning out at first light. This format continues well into the month. What has become of the female Tricos? A friend of mine reports that female Trico spinners have been observed late in the evening…………go figure!

Strange Trico activity is not reserved for the Yellow Breeches. I was fishing a mountain freestone stream above State College when I noticed fish up sipping in a large pool and the takes reminded me of the Trico hatch on the Yellow Breeches. I maneuvered to catch a few naturals and was astonished to find a small # 30 Trico male spinner on the surface. That evening at camp I tied the Trico on the smallest hook I had, a size 28 and hoped for the best for the next morning. About 9:30 a.m. the fish were up and sipping, Trico fashion. I tossed the # 28 sparsely tied male Trico to the nearest rising fish. I waited in anticipation as the fly floated on by without a take. Two more casts and a "fly first presentation" produced negative results. A few casts later I hooked and released a nice brown trout. Two more trout fell to the oversized Trico but it could have been better if the fly offered had been a size or two smaller. Amazing that a slightly hook size larger than the natural went ignored. This trip did reinforce that 3/0 UNI-stretch in light gray makes a wonderful Trico spinner wing. I will have the correct size fly imitation the next trip to camp next week.

***UPDATE FOR 7/7/07***

The fourth of July is known for patriotic celebrations that culminate in impressive displays of fireworks. For the Holiday, some fly fishers leave this area and some fly fishers come in. For those fly fishers that stayed in the area and those who came to the area, the fireworks happened at about 6:00 a.m. and stretched through 10:30 a.m. The smallish Trico mayflies appeared in good numbers as spinners on the surface of the Yellow Breeches. Trout sipped the minute critters until about mid morning and fly fishers enjoyed nature's spectacular fireworks event in broad daylight. A trout sipping Tricos or coming up and taking the Tricos with a hearty swirl and splashing sound often produced a taut line resulting in a trout that would explode like a miniature cherry bomb on the water's surface!

A few days earlier I was guiding Bill from Wisconsin and, as the Tricos spinners brought the trout to the surface, he caught a fair share of the surface sippers. Trout are less wary during the early stages of a new hatch and, over or under sized flies, improper tapered leader and tippet matches and less than perfect presentation will result in some trout caught. But as the hatch moves into consecutive days, the trout become aware of bad presentations, inappropriate flies, leaders and tippet material. Let's leave out the presentation from this equation, at the moment, and look at the flies and leader/tippet material.

The morning temperature on the 4th of July was 65 degrees and the Tricos were active. Several of us fly fishers caught a few fish early on but, as the morning progressed, the fish for the most part, ignored our offerings. The progression up to this morning was one of substituting 7X nylon tippet for 7X flourocarbon tippet material and downsizing the # 24 Trico to a # 26 Trico. The two major changes made a difference for a few days. But the morning of the 4th, something else needed to be done. I left presentation out of the equation because the fly fishers I mentioned were experienced and well seasoned Trico fishers and could place the minute flies with accuracy and fly first drifts. Bob, one of the veteran Trico fishers, from Cleveland, was vacationing at Allenberry Resort Inn and he caught and released a fair share of trout prior to the 4th morning. However, on the morning of the 4th, the fish were not amicable and we tossed a bunch of casts without catching trout. Bob started to catch several trout and I caught and released several trout. Bob was fishing about 50 feet upstream of my position and I told him, floatant applied directly on the Trico seemed to elicit more takes. He replied that he also had recently added floatant to his Trico and noticed the positive results. Tom, a veteran fly fisher from the area, who was fishing about 50 feet below me, offered that the treated Tricos were evidently floating higher out of the surface film and probably more representative of the natural Trico spinners. Made sense and it did make a difference.

***UPDATE FOR 6/18/07***

May is well known for the proliferation of Mayfly and Caddis hatches. By this time, the streams have produced the harbinger spring hatches of Hendricksons, Red Quill, Quill Gordens, Grannoms, etc.and the fly fishers have responded by fishing local streams as well as traveling to other memory producing streams. No major changes in May for the fly fishers as they continue to chase hatches as they did in spring. Exception! The "Biggens" of the hatches appear near Memorial Day.

One such stream where the "Biggens" hatches can be found later in May is Pine Creek in the Grand Canyon of PA fame. Imagine being on the Pine and fishing to Green and Brown Drakes, March Browns, Gray Fox, Sulphurs, BWOs and Caddis all in the same day! We plan our trip to Pine Creek to slip into the void of fly fishers between Memorial Day weekend and the following weekend. Those three days of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday offer some of the finest fishing to be found in PA. Our recent trip to Pine Creek was predicated on past experiences of great hatches and comfortable accommodations at the Hotel Manor. The Hotel manor is located at the confluence of Slate Run and Pine Creek. As usual the occasional black bear makes its appearance to thrill us and the other guests of the Hotel Manor. The critters come by the Manor either in the evening or morning or both ends of the day.

The deck of the Hotel Manor overlooks the confluence of Slate Run and Pine Creek and offers the opportunity to observe hatch activity as one enjoys fine food and a select beverage. Our weekday itinerary begins with a self- service adequate breakfast, unless one stays over the weekend when the stay includes a buffet on Saturday and Sunday. We survey the stream from the deck to note stream conditions and bug activity and then go FISHING! Access to the stream is a short walk for some early morning spinner activity. About 11:30 we return to the Manor Hotel for an early lunch and then move on to explore other sections of Pine Creek or continue fishing the Delayed Harvest stretch. The newly established Delayed Harvest area down stream of the Hotel Manor is impressive with long and deep glides. The rapids between the glides hold feisty trout and should not be bypassed to get to the beckoning rising fish in the glides. Imagine rising trout to a multitude of hatches and fishing the entire day without firing up the vehicle and adding carbon to further deteriorate the ozone layer. Mark Kauffman, of Manor Hotel, Tom Finkbiner of Wolfe's General Store and Slate Run Tackle Shop and others in that area are to be commended for their effort to have the mile plus section of Pine Creek from the confluence of Slate Run downstream designated as a Delayed Harvest section. A good friend of mine states that "A trout does not have to be "harvested" to have value" All of us need to support the non harvest or delayed harvest of trout where applicable for the good of the sport!

What about the hatches? As mentioned earlier, we encountered Green Drakes, Brown Drakes, March Browns, Gray Fox, Blue Wing Olives, Sulphurs and Caddis. The mornings gave us the March Brown and Gray Fox spinners along with enough Green Drake spinners to warrant tying on our favorite patterns. Early afternoon the green Drakes popped to the surface and the game was on for the next two hours with the big mayfly imitations. However, don't be misled by my "BIG" adage, because the Green Drakes of Pine Creek are about half the size as the Green Drakes of Yellow Creek or Penns Creek. A size 12 long shank hook would be sufficient. An ant pattern brought up a few fish in the mid afternoon as well.

Early dinner starting about 5:30 and lasting an hour or so put us back on the stream for the rising trout. Near dusk the Green and Brown drake spinners appeared and the catch and release of fish continued until dark. The fishing formula was simple. The feisty trout on Pine were taking something all during the day and it was up to us to determine what that something was and then catch fish. And catch trout we did! The trout we caught were in the 13 to 15 inch range and strong!

A few days prior to Pine Creek I was fishing a stream near the Maryland state line and caught trout over 20 inches. The ensuing fight was impressive but the event was mainly a tug of war, while the trout of Pine Creek went berserk and cleared the surface with tail dancing maneuvers and zig-zaging up and down the stream, all the time exerting impressive pressure on the rod and tippet. Fish the Delayed Harvest area at Slate Run and if you enjoy the same quality of fishing as we did, contact Douglas J. Austen, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission at dausten@state.pa.us and support the project. The project is being challenged by a few traditional angler in the Slate Run area that believe a trout has to be "harvested" to have value. Your support is needed!

***UPDATE FOR 5/28/07***

A cream color Caddis, about a size 18, was abundant the last week in April. They were on the yellow Breeches early in the morning, continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening. From a distance the Caddis appeared to be tan, but a day earlier, I waded out and netted twenty or so for a close examination. I found the Caddis were not tan as they appeared to be but were actually a crèam color. That evening I tied a dozen crèam Caddis to replicate the ones I had taken in the net. On a whim, I tied a dozen Caddis wet flies with a green or amber glass bead, a body of Hareline Ice Dub Caddis Green dubbing and a collar of medium dun hen soft hackle.

The following day I guided two young men on the Yellow Breeches. The fish were up as mentioned previously and taking the naturals off the surface. However, the takes were of naturals that were hoping along the water surface prior to taking flight. The Caddis would emerge, hop, well, actually skip about one to two inches above the water surface. The trout were keyed in on the hop/skip activity and motionless Caddis went unscathed. Mimicking the hop/skip of the naturals by twitching the fly brought several fish to the net but my gut feeling was that trout were actively taking Caddis Emergers prior to the naturals reaching the surface.

Yes, we could have concentrated on the trout taking naturals off the surface and continued to take a modest number of trout but I recommended tying on a tandem of Caddis wet flies that I tied the evening prior. One split shot carried the tandem of flies just under the surface and the serious action of catching trout began. My clients caught numerous trout with the tandem wet flies and after several savage strikes resulting in rip offs, they used up the wet flies I had tied the night before. I excused myself and walked the short distance to my house and sat down at the fly tying table. In twenty minutes I had tied several Caddis wet flies and returned to the stream. My clients tied on the freshly tied flies and the action resumed. A couple of hours later they ran out of flies. So once again I returned to the tying table and tied up another half dozen flies. The total catch and release of trout for the eight hours of fishing was impressive. At least another dozen trout were hooked and played before the fish came loose of the fly. Now you understand why the Caddis wet fly is featured as the Fly of the Week on this website.

The above was taken from my flyfishing journal and now approximately three weeks later the Caddis continue to make an impact when fishing the Yellow Breeches. Most flyfishers are coming out to the Yellow Breeches in the early evening to find a favorable spot in the creek and fish to the Sulphur and Gray Fox hatches. The Sulphurs and Gray Fox provide exciting and rewarding fishing well into dusk.

But this update is mainly about Caddis activity on the Yellow Breeches. So, follow this schedule and enjoy some exciting Caddis action. Near mid morning the fish can be seen as they aggressively take Caddis Emergers a foot or so under the surface. Shortly before noon the Caddis can be seen popping to the surface and, with the hop/skip motion, fly off after traveling 3-4 feet. Caddis activity can extend to early evening. Fish the Caddis adult with some degree of movement across the feeding lanes. Occasionally pull the adult style Caddis under the water and slightly twitch it for smashing action! A well known and respected fly fisher was fishing the Yellow Breeches recently and he fished from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and caught 18 trout on a CDC Caddis, 6 on an inchworm, and 4 on a V Midge - in that order. May is the one of the prime months for Mayfly hatches but do not neglect the stimulating Caddis hatches!

***UPDATE FOR 4/16/07***

The Grannoms made an initial appearance on the Yellow Breeches on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007. The next day the number of Grannoms had increased substantially and at 1:00 p.m. the trout were up feasting on the first major Caddis hatch of the 2007 season. On that same day at 3:00 p.m. a few Hendricksons appeared but the trout concentrated on the fluttering Grannoms that were attempting to take flight. The water temperature averaged 44 degrees; the afternoon air temperature averaged 40 degrees; the water clarity was good and the water level was favorable for wading. The combination of Grannoms, Hendricksons and at the same time a respectable number of Blue Quill and Blue Wing Olives brought trout to the surface from early afternoon to late evening. What is that saying? "It don't get much better than that?" I collected samples of the aforementioned bugs and placed them in a vial of Ethyl rubbing alcohol and took them to the local fly shop. Interest soared and as one fly fisher yelled out to me as I fished the Yellow Breeches, "Gene, I want to thank you for the sample vials in the fly shop." He went on to explain that he stopped at the fly shop over his lunch hour, saw the vials containing the Grannoms, Hendricksons, Blue Quills and Blue Wing Olives, then immediately called his boss and asked for the afternoon off. The request was granted and three and a half hours later he had caught and released 30+ fish. I then fished with him for a half hour before he left the stream and the fish were up and taking the Grannoms and Hendricksons. Talk about Roll Over Hatches action, it was superb!

A few observations while on the stream during the Grannom and Hendrickson roll over hatch activity. The cold weather prevented the Hendricksons from taking flight so they would listlessly float on the water surface with the obvious "Tall Ship" silhouette. The Grannoms would pop to the surface and flutter/hop a few inches above the surface and the trout would key in on them with a splashy rise. Any Grannom within two to three feet of the feeding lane were taken. However, a Hendrickson on the surface outside of the trout's feeding lane (say a foot or so away) would not draw a take. The Mallard Ducks and the Phoebees, an enjoyable bird in this area, took the rigormortis Mayflies with gusto. This was possible because of the lack of mobility of the flies due to the cooler air and water temperatures.

The Grannoms taken off the surface with a net revealed a chartreuse color woven into the body. My recollection of the Grannoms from the previous year did not contain the chartreuse tone in the body. I may not have been as observant last season and the chartreuse tone escaped my attention. I now rib the Grannoms with 6/0 chartreuse thread. The results are amazingly close to the natural's body. I will make note of this in the update in the previous Grannom fly of the week submission.

***UPDATE FOR 4/5/07***

This is an example of why the Fly of the Week is an important link on this website. It is not uncommon for fly fishers to email and ask about a particular fly. Read below how the Grannom became the Fly of the Week and then access the Fly of the Week for the tying instructions).

Gene,

Dwayne here, I fish in your backyard!

I have always been a little confused about what the Grannom is? Is it a form of the Caddis hatch?

Last year I hit a great hatch the 3rd week of April on the Little J. and the Elk Hair Caddis was very effective. I think you told me that you had a similar experience that week on Penns Creek. Was this probably a Grannom hatch or Caddis?

I would love to know how to recognize the hatch and what fly to use.

Thanks for the information.

Dwayne

MY REPLY to Dwayne..

The Grannom is an important caddis in early spring and can be blizzard-like in numbers. I have seen surges of Grannoms on Penns Creek and on the Little Juniata River. Last year in early April, the Yellow Breeches offered up the Grannom hatch in fair numbers and the trout responded.

The April issue of Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide has an article on Grannom and Hendrickson roll over hatches that I authored. The magazine is free and can be obtained at fly shops. That article will probably answer several of your Grannom questions.

Two flies are important during the Grannom hatch. The Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Caddis Emerger (found on my website under Fly of the Week) in green and black bodies and the adult Grannom tied on # 16 hook, with a body of Spirit River charcoal gray or Pseudo Seal in black. Black or Baetis CDC feathers form the under wing and gray natural deer hair form the wings.

Keep a tight line and a sharp mind.

Gene

***UPDATE FOR 3/18/07***

The April issue of Fly Fishing Guide, which is available in fly fishing shops across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other states such as New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and Connecticut is carrying an article that I had written. The article can be found on page 5 under the Fly of the Month banner. The article is based on the roll-over hatches that are occurring when you find that the most abundant visible bug that is present is not the critter the fish are taking.

Questions have been asked of me as to the best Hendrickson pattern to use in early spring when the critters appear on the water. Evidently fly fishers have a good grasp on the Grannom hatch and can imitate the hatch well because I have not received many questions on tying Grannom emergers and adults.

Hendricksons have intrigued me over the years and in 2006 the Yellow Breeches had a three week appearance of the Hendricksons. On March 27, 2006, I collected several Hendricksons soon after their appearance on the water surface and set about formulating a tying receipt from the real McCoys. The pattern proved itself under stream conditions that year and those flies were responsible for quite a few fish being taken. Currently I am tying a few dozen flies for the 2007 Hendrickson hatch that hopefully will make a repeat appearance soon.

Check out the Fly of the Week link for the Hendrickson pattern and tie up a batch. Should the Hendricksons appear on the Yellow Breeches in late March, you will be prepared for some exciting fly fishing.

***UPDATE FOR 2/27/07***

On a recent cold, but minimally windy Sunday, about 3 PM, while fishing in the catch and release area of the Yellow Breeches, I saw a rise form and cast a # 24 midge emerger a few yards upstream of it. The drift was good and the fish took the midge. After a better fight than I would have expected in 34 degree water, I had the frisky 12 inch brown trout within arms reach. Grasping the lower jaw with my thumb and index fingers and using a device for safely removing the recently ingested food from the trout's gullet, I released the trout and then placed the gullet sample in a small plastic container that I carry while fishing. I normally fill the plastic container with creek water and swirl the gullet contents for ease of identification. The air temperature was in the mid teens so I left the stream, hurried back to the house, got out of my waders and multi-layered outerwear and soon was at the kitchen sink. I was about to see what the fish had been eating within the last hour. My wife, Gayle, stood by with a saucer filled with cold tap water while I removed the sample matter from the small plastic container. I stirred the gullet sample in the saucer of water and we were surprised to see several midge pupae, alive and wiggling vigorously, among what looked like 50 to 75 dead midge pupae. Other interesting items contained in the gullet sample were numerous pale yellow pupae midge shucks floating on the surface of the water, a small mayfly nymph, adult midges and four Little Black Stoneflies about a size 22. The little stoneflies intrigued me because I normally see stoneflies in a larger size during the winter.

A few days later, after lunch, when the sun was bright and the winds low, I was fishing the Yellow Breeches with a small black stonefly (see fly of the week). The flies were easy to tie and closely resembled the naturals. The greased tippet floated the fly just under the surface and the trout responded. However, the best response occurred from about 3 p.m. on. While finishing the tying of the small stoneflies, the sight of the nearby gullet sample, which also contained numerous pale yellow midge shucks floating in the vial, prompted me to tie a midge shuck fly. A size 26 hook with a Stalcup trailing shuck in light yellow and a few dark dun CDC fibers as the thorax completed the simple fly. This fly was effective in the early afternoon and again later in the afternoon. My thinking was that the trout were taking the fly during the early afternoon when the midges were emerging to the surface and then struggling to free themselves. As the afternoon progressed and the midges left the water, the trout may have been sipping on the midge shucks. Perhaps the midge shuck contains some food value to the trout. I gained invaluable insight into what the trout were taking from that gullet sample and tied two useful fly patterns as a result. I may need to experiment with a shuck only fly and confirm that trout do eat the midge shuck after the midge leaves the water surface. The next fly of the week update will feature the midge shuck fly.

***UPDATE FOR 1/27/07***

CVTU has now published a book, CVTU's Favorite Flies - Fifty-three Productive Fly Patterns from Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited. When Fly of the Month was inaugurated in our monthly newsletter, members were challenged. "Do you have a secret weapon that you want to share with your fellow CVTU members? Do you have an invention that the trout just can't resist? Submit your favorite pattern...". The members responded, and this book is a compilation of over five years of Fly of the Month patterns. Some are classics, some are flies adapted from other areas that have been successful here, and some are inventions of the contributors. All are proven patterns that will be worthy additions to your fly box. The book is 6" x 9", 86 pages, and spiral bound to lay flat on your tying desk.

Books may be purchased at monthly members meetings and will be sold at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. I have a supply of books and anyone wanting to purchase the book can contact me. The book sells for $14.95 plus .90 tax. Shipping and handling costs, if applicable, are extra.