Happy Holidays!

Waterlands

Saltwater fly fishing inspired posters for my upcoming recital...

Fishing with a Friend

There are not many better ways to spend a glorious September day than to go fishing with a friend. We were on a pristine brookie stream for several hours, and ended the afternoon on the beautiful spring creek, throwing terrestrials to brown trout. Here's Jeremy with a nice brownie taken on a cricket imitation.

An Ode to a Cricket

Warm September wind and quiet afternoon on the Wisconsin spring creek were a dream-like combination for some cricket magic. Fish were everywhere, looking for a tasty meal delivered by the late summer zephyr. Glass rod delivered low casts and bent easily under the strain of wild, hungry browns. It was good time to be on the water-the fish gods were smiling!

A Day of Fishing the Cape (Fishless Photo Essay)

Last weekend I spent a day looking for stripers on the Cape Cod. Rainy and windy weather were remnants of distant hurricane activity, and I kept moving around looking for the best locations, covering beaches, estuaries, surf and flats... Unfortunately I did not find much of the bird and fish activity, and the single splash on a gurgler in a tidal creek was as close as I came to catching a fish this time... Nevertheless, it was a great day, and as it goes with fishing, there is always the next time!

Here is the panoramic view of Chapin beach in Dennis, during the low tide.

Sili-skin Baitfish

Getting ready for NE salty weekend...

Coldwater vs. Warmwater

I did a bit of both during the past ten days... Fishing was just OK, but still fun, nevertheless.

Fishing with Natalija

Spring creek looks so inviting just before the rain...

We are drifting a heavy nymph on the short line-Natalija is impatient...

Luck is on our side!

A quick pose just before the release...

Water Buttercups

Change

Last week I fished two lovely spring creeks-one in SE Minnesota, the other just across the border, in NE Iowa. I noticed the lack of aquatic plants, due to the recent floods-especially noticeable in Iowa, which suffered severe flooding. The creek's topography changed drastically. Slow pools became quick runs, and exposed gravel contributed to the very clean appearance. There was some damage to the banks due to erosion caused by raging currents. On the other hand, trout were just fine, happily feeding on nymphs in deep pools. There were no hatches, so I fished nymphs and deep running leech imitations during the mid-day pretty much exclusively on both locations. While the fishing was slow on Minnesota stream, trout were more cooperative on Iowa spring creek, even though you had to work for them.


Casting a beetle imitation to a lonely riser under the tree, without much luck...

These are some aquatic plants commonly found in spring creeks. (L to R: starwort, watercress, water buttercup. Plant drawings are public domain images, courtesy of Wikipedia.)

I haven't seen any thick water buttercup beds this year in SE Minnesota, since floods scoured the bottom and cleared the silt... Plants provide shelter for trout and nurture diverse colonies of aquatic invertebrates, such as BWO, scuds/cressbugs, Simulium larvae, certain caddis species, snails, etc. You can see photos of the same SE MN stream, taken last year here and here. It is always a challenge to land a decent sized trout in the middle of the weed-bed. Weeds also contribute to that classic pastoral look typical for chalk/limestone streams, regardless of their location.

NE Iowa spring creek after recent floods. It is much wider at certain spots, and you can see uprooted trees, fallen on the bank.

My only company on the creek during the entire day...:-)

Heavily weighted flies were necessary to penetrate deeper pools and faster than average current flows, due to recent rains. Most takes were gentle...

One-Feather Flatwing

Flawings are my favorite striper flies for hot summer days. They are sparse flies that can be cast with light lines, and they move so well with the current. I like to think of them as 'oceanic soft hackles', since classic wet fly presentations work so well with flatwing flies. I tied this one in baby bunker color scheme: white, cerise, lavender, gray, with touch of blue and yellow. The tail is one long, thin cream saddle, and two strands of rainbow flash.

Early Summer Moods

Pale emergers on the surface...



Hatching wets swung across...



Henri Bresson's La Peute, a French classic, fished either greased on top or pulled under...

Wit & Flatwings

My current favorite while tying flatwings...

Before the Storm

We arrive on the stream with the ominous light falling into the softness of the evening mist. March Browns (Maccaffertium sp.) are hatching quietly...


My wet imitation is inspired by Irish mayflies, the ones ghillies still use on loughs Sheelin and Corrib... an old fly in the New World.


I throw a gentle cast and yellow glass rod moves the line in a slow style. Fly line and the fly tango together on the rippled water surface... Little trout rushes to join the dance...


A quick pose before the freedom... Heavy raindrops are falling, while the thunder from the East speeds up our run to the car.

Red

Two red flies: "The Red Baron" Crease Fly (above) and the Bloodworm (below)

Going Deep...

When sun is high and surface is calm, heavy tungsten-head pupae save the day...short line style.