Fly Fishing the Rock

And so it begins

2010-02-05T13:11:00.004-03:30

So the 2010 Fly Fishing season has begun. The particular river I fished has changed somewhat. It is much more shallower and as a result a lot of the good pools no longer exist. The fish have adapted to change and found other lies to hold. Hooked into some fresh sea trout but my biggest fish of the day was a brown slink from last fall.

Hiatus

2009-12-08T17:44:00.002-03:30

Merry Christmas folks!

I realize I have been ignoring this blog for sometime now. The fly fishing season in Newfoundland is closed, I'm nearly done another semester at school. The ponds and rivers are beginning to freeze up.

I've put away the rod and taken out the shotgun. The vice has seen plenty of action, next year I am going to focus on improving my nymphing skills (brooks, czech nymphing). Of course there will be winter salmon angling going down. I've got a couple trips planned already.

This spring I may finally get around to taking video footage. Planning on putting together a documentary about fly-fishing here in Newfoundland. For now I am focusing on a writing project, which I hopefully one day will be able to have published.

Cheers

I am still alive

2009-09-14T22:46:00.003-02:30

Well I apologize for the delay in updating my blog. Life snuck up on me and through a random chain of events I was a little distracted! The good news is that near the end of the salmon season I did get the change to get out, and got some trophy shots before releasing some beautiful fish. Enjoy.

Have'nt been off...

2009-06-15T21:48:00.002-02:30

Incredibly...I still have yet to cast a fly over an atlantic salmon. Low water, heavy work schedual among other "things" have kept me off the rivers so far.

I don't know...I just don't get the same thrill when I go salmon fishing as do when I'm stalking brown trout. Browns here are so much more elusive and the larger ones are even more rare.

So , as I sit here and think about the summer...I do eventually see myself out on the water fishing for salmon...but of course...LATE AUGUST BROWNS! :D

The ultimate stress-reliever

2009-05-11T12:50:00.001-02:30

F;y-Fishing. Nuff said.

Success using the Brooks Method

2009-04-20T20:49:00.004-02:30

Well,

After a recent trip to a local river known for producing the odd brown trout, the Brooks method has shined.

Phillip, Mark, and I were off to this location in hopes of bumping into some fish. The weather was cool, hovering around 0 celcius. After fishing for around 4 hours at different spots we eventually ended up at our destination. The tidal pools were fished, and yielded no fish. Phill suggested that the fish may be lying out there and that we just could not see them. I agreed and said that the pools were indeed very deep, and a brown could easily be camoflagued.

I looked up river and noticed some nice pocket water and rapids. I turned to Phill and said 'Good luck' , as I headed up the river towards the pocket water. Once arriving I casted to a few nice plunge pools. Nothing. Another, nothing. Either way it was still my type of fishing, and I enjoyed the added challenge of fishing the faster water.

Eventually I came to a tiny plunge pool between two rocks. It was probrally two or three feet wide, I expected it to probrally hold at least a small brookie. Using Brook's high-sticking technique, I dropped my nymphs into the plunge pool and slowly did a clockwise drift. Once, nothing. Twice, nothing. Finally, on the third swing, I saw my leader tighten. Quickly rising the rod-tip I set the hook, on what I thought was the bottom. Phill and Mark down river looked over at me and wondered what was going on, as I was running up and down stream with my rod bowed over towards the rapids.

The fish put up a decent fight. Unfourtunately he decided to head upstream, against the current and that exhausted him very fast. I almost lost him twice around large boulders in which my leader became entangled. After a couple jumps and runs, which seemed to go so fast, five or ten minutes had passed. I looked down river and here was Phill, on Mark's back, crossing the river in order to get some pictures. Phill was not wearing chest-waders, so the guys improvised. A sight I will probrally never forget LOL.

Finally just as the guys arrived I tailed the fish. What a beauty. We figure he was between 4.5 and 5 pounds. A monstrous kype gave this fish an almost prehistoric look, and we all marveled at it's beauty. After a quick photoshoot, some hand-shaking, and a revival, the fish swam away on his own strength.

After eight years of hard luck, I had finally caught, my trophy brown.

Nymph Experimentation

2009-04-17T21:06:00.003-02:30

Well the winter trout season has officially come to a close with a breif hiatus until around mid-may when it re-opens for the summer. I'm pretty excited about salmon season, but even more-so about my new found nymphing techniques. There is just so much water out there to experiment with czech nymphing, hinged leader nymphing, or the Sawyer method.

All said however I simply can't wait to test my personal favorite, the Brooks Method, on the fast pocket water and plunge pools of some of my favorite rivers.

If this winter/spring has been any indication of the coming summer season, we're in for a time.

Super Spring

2009-04-13T00:14:00.002-02:30

Well what can I say. This has been my best spring to date. I learned how to effectively nymph and when to use a clouser minnow. I've hooked some big fish, landed some big fish, and lost some big fish. I've met lots of new fishing buddies on the rivers. This spring will go down as my most productive. Could'nt ask for much more.

Knee-Deep

2009-04-07T11:07:00.002-02:30

The day is April 5th, 2009. It's foggy, muggy, the moon is roughly 3/4th phases full. The blanket of fog which covers the river valley is so thick that the moon is practically blocked out. It's pretty close to pitch black, and there is no wind whatsoever. All I can hear is the crashing of the waves against the shoreline and the distant chatter of sea-gulls and dolphins.

The tide surges in and out, each time gaining strength. I feel the suction of the powerful ocean against my waders as I cast my line out into the darkness. I cannot help but feel somewhat nervous and in mercy of the waves. There is definately a feeling of respect for this powerful force. Strands of kelp and various marine life brush against my legs as the ocean heaves.

The seal furr streamer will be my fly of choice tonight. I pull my key-chain LED from my heavy fly vest and light up the mono-leader, just enough to make an improved clinch knot. My reel cries as I begin to pull line out. Casting at night is a rhythmic motion of loops and pulls. You can't see your fly line. You use your senses.

Your sense of hearing lets you know when to flick your wrist. Sometimes you'll feel the line tense up and you know it is time to spring the rod forward, charging up the kinetic motion requried to launch your streamer into the darkness.

Fly fishing at night really is something different. Try it sometime.

Phill is a lucky bastard

2009-03-29T03:11:00.001-02:30

Phill: <50 Me: 0

Northern Exposure

2009-03-24T21:41:00.003-02:30

So...in the early stages of planning an expedition to Labrador for this summer. Probrally last 2-3 weeks, hitting up some island salmon rivers along the way up north. Going to try and capture it all on film as well.

English class

2009-03-23T11:12:00.008-02:30

Sitting in english class. Hitting up the river when I get out of here...swing a few clousers for sure. Ryan caught the big one yesterday... Also. Have round two with Bill Rowe posted. Meeting saturday at the Blue Charm was canceled due to weather. I will keep you updated on when the new date will be. Hopefully we'll get a good turnout too.

Your on the air

2009-03-07T20:10:00.003-03:30

Okay so pretty uneventful saturday. Not feeling well enough to fish, and I've got a bit of school work to do. But I did get the chance to upload the recording of the call I made to VOCM on friday afternoon regarding the situation on the waterford River. Check it out.

Silver dollars

2009-02-26T20:06:00.003-03:30

Well headed down to the old waterford today with Justin F. Not too eventful, couple nice 16-18 inch fish landed. Mostly sea trout. River was cloudy from melting conditions during the day. Clouser minnow was the clear winner today. Not far behind was the blood worm. All in all a good day had.

Best Fastwater Nymph

2009-02-26T10:26:00.004-03:30

I'm not going to lie. I do it all the time. Almost everytime I get out on the river. Fast water. Rapids. Plungepools. Rattles. Falls. I'm a fast water fisherman.

Fast water over the years as just been so much more productive for me than fishing deep pools. I find that if you can get your fly over the right plunge pool at the right time of day, you may very well luck into the fish of a lifetime. Fish are just so much more willing to take when they're not deprived of oxygen. And we all know that fast water is rich in O2.

So the question arises, what exactly do you fish in a plungepool or stretch of fast water? In my opinion big flies in general work better. Fish are more willing to take in fast water. This is a fact. However if given a choice a hungry fish would most likely go for a larger fly rather than a #14 gnat. This is because the amount of energy he'd have to expend to eat up that gnat in fast water probrally would be greater than the energy he'd actually gain from it...I know...clear as mud right?

When your fishing fast water for trout, use nymphs. Big nymphs. The heavier the better. Smaller fish will take to nymphs just like salmon take to a dry fly, but the bigger fish are a little more weary. You'll have to use heavier flies such as Czech nymphs to get down a little deeper. My personal favorite, is the bitch creek.

This fly is just too good! It works year long, gets lethargic trout moving during warm weather, and it's real easy to tie. When you show another fisherman the bitch creek they'll usually say what the fuck is that?

You can mix it up too. The bitch creek really does'nt immitate any particular pattern...It's more of what they refer to as an "attractor fly". I don't really believe in the idea of attractor flies. I'm of the opinion that a fish won't take something unless it at least SOMEWHAT resembles something they've eaten before. So mix it up. Tie it in sizes and patterns to match local aquatic insects.

They'll also be suprised when they watch you reel in a fish out of the fastest stretch of water on the river. :)

12:00Am...

2009-02-26T00:01:00.004-03:30

So It's 12:00am. I should be studying, or sleeping rather. But here I am, blogging. So tomorrow I have a wonderful day planned at MUN...getting back a polsci mid-term, studying some german, passing in some English work...AND GOING FISHING!

Phill got the big guy last trip...so here it is...