[Bamboo]

I've been listening to all you Steelheaders long enough and figure it may be time to see what the attraction is.

Considering spending a couple days at Oak Orchard Creek (NY) about the last week of October or first week of November. I'm told there will be salmon, brown trout and steelhead that time of year. Having fished for trout almost exclusively, I feel ill-prepared for this kind of fishing.

Any help on gear, flies or other advice would be greatly appreciated. How about the crowds? Should I be looking for a different destination?

TIA

Bamboo

[mozes]

I never fished the Oak, but I fished Salmon River NY and Oswego NY. Here are a few notes:

1. If you can't stand shoulder to shoulder combat fishing - DO NOT GO
2. If you get upset by watching people keeping a foul hooked fish or trying to foul hook a fish – DO NOT GO or don’t look around.
3. You should be ok with 8 to 10wt rods or with a noodle rod.
4. Use Fluorocarbon tippet anywhere from 8 to 12lbs.
5. A lot of people use Chuck and Duck with running line or plain mono spooled on the fly reel.
6. DO NOT tie flies that take more than a few minutes to tie – If the fish are there you will lose a lot of flies on break offs or due to snags.
7. If you use led split shot buy it in your home state (No led in NY under 1/2oz)
8. If you add weight your hook cannot be more than 4ft away from weight.
9. Only 1 steelhead/trout limit
10. Take a look at my post for a view of my fly boxes.


Good luck,
Don’t let the crowds get to you!

[SmallieHunter]

Bamboo,

I was suppose to be at the Oak the last week of the month but because of the accident those plans fell through. However there is a forum outing in Erie, PA Oct 27th - 31st. It's about two hours west of Oak Orchard your more than welcome to attend our get together there will be quite a few guys from the forum there. There should be a ton of Steelhead in the streams at that time as long as we get a little rain.

If you really want to hit the Oak talk to Pujic he has been there before and did well with the lake run browns.

[Pujic]

Hey Bamboo,

Graham and I might run into you up there during the last week of Oct. I've always targeted brown there but the odd incidental chinny, steelhead or even coho are inevitable.

The most common flies include the ever popular egg sucking leeches, egg patterns, PT nymphs and small bead heads. You should bring an 8wt if you plan on messing with the salmon. Otherwise a 7wt should do. Be prepared for crowds as it's a very well publicized place, like Mozes said.

Here is a link to some more info and pics from our trip last year, hope you find it useful:
http://onlineflytyer.com/article_oak2003.asp

Cheers,

[Graham]

At the right time of year Oak Orchard creek is full of fish, gill-to-gil,l and full of those trying to catch them, often elbow to elbow. For those unaccustomed to fishing close quarters tensions can run high especially when you are trying to drift a fly to a huge brown, across a gravel bar, and someone wades to within 10 feet of you and casts across your line. The strange part is that after a week of this crap you almost get used to it and become tempted to do the same to others, especially if you traveled far and must catch fish. Too many fishermen, a relatively small area to fish, filled with fish that would be considered a fish of a lifetime in other waters keeps folks coming back. Surprisingly I have never seen fists fly. My advice is to be on the water at dawn, find a gravel bar and become a barnacle and stay put. Even though I live in So Cal 2004 will be my 8th consecutive year fishin the Oak, “area”. Without being specific I can tell you that most every stream between Buffalo and Rochester will be full of fish and careful reading of local maps can put you into productive wadeable water with out any crowds. This is where Nick and I will probably be. BTW…the oak has awesome winter fishing for steelies without the fall salmon and brownie crowds. The most memorable thing I remember from the Oak is watching a guy catch a huge, rotten, mangy looking spent salmon with large white blotches of fungus and listening to this guy insisting, as he put in on a stringer, that these are the best to eat, just rub molasses into the sores for the best eatin fish meat ever.

[Bamboo]

Thanks all for the feedback.

Not sure that combat fishing is something I'd look forward to but guess I can put up with it for a couple days. Maybe I'll spend some time with some topo maps of the area before I get there!


-Bamboo

[Graham]

Hi Bamboo,

If you are just targeting trout a good 6wt will work and an 8wt helps if you want to land salmon, without having to walk the dog downstream and battle to regain your original position. If I had to fish with only two flies they would be a chartreuse nuclear roebug and a violet crystal egg. Purple and blue flies kick ass on the Oak. BTW.. I tie many different nymphs in blue and/or purple and they work very well in the Sierra's even on selective trout.
The Oak is sort of combat fishing but there are lots of fish and I have met many interesting people there some of which have become friends. My advice is to stay away from the zoo at the dam, fish as far downstream as possible, get on the water as early as possible, use 10lb flourocarbon tippet, Teeny sink-tip such as T160, T200 or mini-tip, use a 4' 15lb Teeny leader, 3-4" tippet, get into position in front of a gravel bar, cast up stream, mend line, pull in the slack to feel the strike, drift over the gravel and lower the rod and drift through the deeper water.

I mentioned before finding other streams on a topo, just make sure they flow into Lake Ontario. Sandy creek closer to Rochester will have lots of water this year as well as Johnson creek and the Burt Dam area.

I'm not sure how to ad or show photo's in the replies to this list, give me a clue and I'll post pic's of flies that will work on the Oak. I will be there from Oct 23-30.

Graham

[Graham]

I meant to say 2-3' Tippet not 3-4"

The best source for local Oak Orchard info is:
http://www.orleansoutdoor.com/conditions.htm

Graham

[Graham]

Oak Orchard flies

[SmallieHunter]

Sweet box Graham! I love that purple egg, very nice.

[Bamboo]

Doesn't look like anything in my box! I guess I need to lay in some different materials and get busy tying.

Thanks for all the info.

Bamboo

[Graham]

The purple eggs work amazingly well!!!

I put a base layer of thread on a hook, push the egg over the point, often using small needle nose pilers, put a drop of zap-a-gap on the thread and push the egg into final position.

You can order the egg's here:
http://www.bobmarriotts.com
click on "online catalog"
click on "Fly Tying Materials - Body Materials"
click on "Egg Body Blanks"
click on "Hareline Krystal Glo-Balls"
click on "Hareline Krystal Glo-Balls, Flo.Violet, Regular"

I will have other boxes of flies with nymphs and buggers but chances are I will catch plenty of fish on purple and chartruese crystal eggs and thinner bodied flies with a white egg yarn tied on as a veil. The larger flies have at times been very productive especially the blue ones which the steelies sometimes like and the red ones when it's cloudy atract the browns.

Graham

[Graham]

http://www.flytyingforum.com/uploads/galle...6b5610e5800.jpg

Nick with a nice brownie, notice we had this stream to ourselves, while the cowds were a few only o few miles away on the Oak.

Graham

[HATCHBOMB]

I'm heading to the WNY area the first weekend of Novemeber. We're gonna fish the Oak on friday, then head westward along lake erie making our way back to MI. How are things shaping up? I've read some of the reports and they seem to be conflicting. Will the pressure be a bit less by fishing on friday? I want to try some of the lesser known streams if the pressure is too great on the Oak. What maps should I consult? Thanks for any help...

[HATCHBOMB]

I'm also looking for suggestions as to where we could stay thursday night that is somewhat close to the Oak. I've been having a hard time finding places on the web, except for the nearest Days Inn which is in batavia. Any lodging suggestions???