Fish Pictures

[niveker 0]

Nice fish, DF, sounds like a great  hour on the water.  Thanks for the report. 

I had the same multi-hatch situation you describe on the stream a few weeks ago, with a few small caddis thrown into the mix, but there was absolutely no top water activity from the trouts. 

Yellow sallies I always thought referred to yellow stones. The other mayflies you mention I just refer by size and color when I'm fishing.  We all know the fish don't care much beyond size and general color, though you'd never know it looking at my fly boxes. 

 

 

[Chasing_Tails 0]

Headed out to the marsh in hopes of finding another nice redfish for dinner this week. The tide was supposed to be high at 0730 and then i'd get most of the outgoing until noon or so. The water color was the normal muddy color but there seemed to be a lot of protein scum and debris in the backwaters. Very little wind so most of the areas were glass. After trying my normal snook structure spots on the way in, and finding no one home I went to the main creek to see if the tarpon had showed up yet. I didn't see any last week, but they typically move in about this time of year. After rounding the bend I saw exactly what I was looking for, rolling tarpon, and lots of them. 

Topwater has always been my go to juvenile tarpon, and nothing has worked better than the simple gurgler in white. First cast had a good sized tarpon, probably 15-20lbs sky on the gurgler, but completely missing the fly. A few casts later and I finally had my first solid hookup. Even though there were larger fish up to 30lbs in the mix, the smaller fish were voracious. 

Ended up jumping 12 total, bringing 5 to the boat. The sun was getting higher and the tarpon were slowing down so I figured it was time to head into the flats to see if it would be a slam day (adding a redfish, trout, and snook), but the tide decided to never turn and just went slack with the only thing moving were mullet. 

But, not much better than turning the creek bend and finding rolling silver.

..

 

 

[feathers5 0]

What a great day for you. Congrats!

[DFoster 0]

On Saturday I was fishing a river that I know but at a new location when I caught this micro small mouth.  I'm pretty excited about this little guy. In the few years I've fished this river I have met several old timers who have said that it once was one of the best Small Mouth fisheries in the state.  Then they disappeared with most people blaming the catch and eat crowd for cleaning them out.  One guy I met told me that he hadn't caught or heard of anyone catching a Small Mouth on this river in years.  I'd like to think that maybe a comeback is on-

 

Sunday early morning-  The first brown on a #18 flashback nymph. Then they started rising.  The other 4 came on #20 Griffith's gnat and Matt's midge patterns.

[DFoster 0]

On 6/10/2023 at 8:38 AM, niveker said:

Nice fish, DF, sounds like a great  hour on the water.  Thanks for the report. 

I had the same multi-hatch situation you describe on the stream a few weeks ago, with a few small caddis thrown into the mix, but there was absolutely no top water activity from the trouts. 

Yellow sallies I always thought referred to yellow stones. The other mayflies you mention I just refer by size and color when I'm fishing.  We all know the fish don't care much beyond size and general color, though you'd never know it looking at my fly boxes. 

 

 

I did some internet research and you are correct, Yellow Sallies generally refer to Yellow Stones.  These were May Flies and as far as I can tell they were probably what are commonly called "Pale Evening/morning Duns".  15 years on the stream and I'm still working on the Entomology-

[niveker 0]

19 hours ago, DFoster said:

15 years on the stream and I'm still working on the Entomology

Fun to do when I can catch and photograph a bug and take it home to look it up, but when the fish are rising and my brother asks what I'm throwing, the answer is: 'Small and yellow!'

[caloosa bug 0]

A couple little peas I picked up on my way to Key Largo last week. 

[feathers5 0]

11 hours ago, caloosa bug said:

A couple little peas I picked up on my way to Key Largo last week. 

Those are such beautiful fish.

[DFoster 0]

7 hours ago, feathers5 said:

Those are such beautiful fish.

 

18 hours ago, caloosa bug said:

A couple little peas I picked up on my way to Key Largo last week. 

Pretty fish!

[DFoster 0]

Two wild browns from yesterday- the first on a #14 Esmerelda winged wet and the second on a #20 Griffith's gnat.  A 3rd one simply missed my fly and try as might I couldn't get him to rise again- Oh well.

 

[niveker 0]

16 hours ago, DFoster said:

Two wild browns from yesterday

Nice.  Such variations in color and patterns.  First one looks like it could almost be a salmon

[DFoster 0]

23 hours ago, niveker said:

  First one looks like it could almost be a salmon

Now that you say it - it does look like a small salmon.  It was caught on the Quinapoxet which flows into Wachusett Reservoir.  Wachusett is home to land locks  but as far as I know they can't get past the obsolete 1905 dam to get into the Quinapoxet as they could 118 years ago.  The good news is that the locals I've run into on the river are saying that the state has appropriated the funding to remove the dam in 2024.  We'll see.

[niveker 0]

Interesting, ... I wonder.  

[DFoster 0]

"And last place in the best markings contest goes too..."  

 

[Steeldrifter 0]

1 hour ago, DFoster said:

"And last place in the best markings contest goes too..."  

🤣😆 That's hilarious.

But yeah wow...I think some other fish must have jacked the rest of his spots from him when he wasn't looking.