DFoster

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.

I'm glad they're back Steve, why do fish suddenly shut off?  Those are some beautiful trout!

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.

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!

On 6/6/2023 at 3:39 PM, flytire said:

i'm not sure of your response but i criticized the wax not anybody else who responded

 I realize that Norm, and please understand I took offense.  I'm just saying that Overton's has a great reputation and that perhaps you just got a bad one?  Maybe the guy mixing the stuff at the plant that day was hung over or just found out his wife was leaving him?  😦 You never know-

A great trip so far- Enjoy!

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-

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.

That's a nice Bow, you're off to a great start!

8 hours ago, Steeldrifter said:

Nice. 3rd one looks like a pretty decent fish for sure 👍

Thanks Steve- not big but a lot of fun on my 3 weight. 

When I got to the river late afternoon yesterday a fish were rising all over to a hatch of size 14 Mayflies.  I think they were Yellow Mays, Yellow Sallys or Light Cahills.  I can't tell the difference, maybe there isn't one - essentially the same fly with 3 different names?  If anyone knows please let me know.  Anyway it was a fly angler's dream, sadly I only had an hour to fish.  I tied on a light colored 2 feather fly in the correct size and got 2 Browns with a couple more missing the fly.  After a while they became non responsive to the 2 feather so I tied on an Edward's Para dun in light cream color.  I got a 3rd small brown and lost one before my time was up.

I wish you the very best of luck Steve, great weather and great fishing!

Nothing big on my last outing.  I caught a few fall fish and had a decent Brown (maybe 14"?) keep things really interesting by missing my fly on the surface twice.  This Brown came  on a #10 March Brown winged wet.  I don't know why but I love fishing traditional wets.

19 hours ago, Steeldrifter said:

 

Nice morning on a local river with my buddy Mark. Nothing big at all, just a bunch of little largemouth bass and a streamer eating creek chub, but a pleasant way to spend the early morning.

Pretty water!  

On 6/4/2023 at 8:43 AM, flytire said:

 

dried and crusty

I never doubted your statement Norm, just thinking you got unlucky and bought a bad batch?

1 hour ago, flytire said:

i have overton's wax (the newer batch, not the old batch) and it dries out even with the cap on 👎👎

I bought some Overton's roughly 5 years ago.  I think it's new batch?  I haven't had any issues with it drying up.  

On 5/28/2023 at 10:02 AM, flyflinger said:

This was very interesting, and thank you for sharing. 

Do you have any idea how it compares to good ol' Overton's Wonder Wax?  Or perhaps that comparison is best applied to the "dubbing formula" vs the one you show here which is the "tying formula".  It is impressive how well a good tying wax helps with thread slippage/avalanche . . .  

I frequently use wax, but I'm guess that those brave souls engaged in tying those intricate salmon flies would really use this to their advantage!         

Regards,

 

Tim  Flagler has a brief explanation of tying wax here-   I use the Semper Fly stuff because it's what's available, tying wax is hard to find in most of my local fly shops.  I'm amazed at how many American fly tiers don't use the stuff or even know the difference between tying and dubbing wax.  I pretty much learned to tie watching Davie McPhail and Oliver Edwards video's, both of whom preach "wax your thread".  That was all the convincing I needed.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF0tRNJpCQI&list=PL-x7IXRms3aXO5wQ1ab2yk2zi1otsswvD&index=9

This is how Davie McPhail prepares his wax-  I use this method because a small piece stuck to my forefinger remains supple and tacky from body heat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN4N92G14Xg&list=PL-x7IXRms3aXO5wQ1ab2yk2zi1otsswvD&index=31

1 hour ago, feathers5 said:

Smart fisherman. Nice job.

Thank you feathers.  Every once in a while the fish actually do what their supposed to do....

6 small browns from Friday and Monday.  The first 3 were caught on a #26 emerger.  There were thousands of small midges hatching on Friday afternoon.  I could see rise forms but they weren’t breaking the surface.  After no interest on anything in the size 16 – 20 range I tied a #14 weighted nymph on the dropper and a #26 Wicked Piss’a 30” below on the point.  All 3 were taken on a slow lift at the end of the drift.

A different river on Monday morning. I had 5 on with 3 making it to the net.  This time a #14 dark scud was the answer.

3 hours ago, niveker said:

Wicked busy here lately, but was able to spend some time yesterday on the water with my brother.  It was a heck of a day for hatches, small black caddis, small yellow stones, mayflies from #18's to #12's.  Alas, virtually no surface activity.    Lots of tippet wasted trying to figure out what was on the menu - I sat down to change flies and there were dozens of these small black caddis on my pant's leg, some in the process of hatching.  Seems all they wanted was small, dark soft hackles.  Funny, with all the bigger bugs out and about.  

 

 

 

 

 

Those are some beautiful natives!

18 hours ago, Mark Knapp said:

You are a fortunate dude Mr. Foster, to have such pretty water and fish to catch.

That's quite a statement coming from a guy who lives in a state with views that will take your breath away!  I thank the Almighty every day Mark. 

16 hours ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

Hooray… nice to hear that someone somewhere… doesn’t want to relocate to our state… 

To put it mildly, Florida was never meant to have the numbers we have now…

Rest easy Capt- I've been to Florida many times but I could never live there.  It's just to different for me.  But then again so is the Southwest and Southern California.  Nice to visit but they're not home.  The longer I live in New England the more I love it. 

Rainbow caught on a #16 Baetis flashback nymph.

Brown caught on a size 10 black Woolly Bugger

4 hours ago, niveker said:

Nice, DF.  I enjoy that type of fishing, but it can be challenging.  The fish are easily spooked and scatter at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary.    

 

Small streams for wild trout is my favorite way to fish.   Spooky natives are indeed a challenge and you got to bring your "A" game when it comes to casting.  Close range fishing means stealth.  I love the traction from steel cleats  but I hate the noise they make on freestone streams.  Felt works great for stealth but doesn't work well on dry ground.  I've fallen to many times while climbing down the really steep grades that surround my spots and I figure it's only a matter of time before I break a bone or a rod.  So it's cleats for now.

On 5/21/2023 at 7:26 AM, niveker said:

Yesterday I had a little time between work in the morning and my nephew's wedding in the afternoon, lots of dinks, one decent brook trout.  My crappy camera doesn't do justice the the reddish hue on this guy's belly.  I don't usually fish this section of the stream, a very few deep holes.  Sulfurs really started popping off just as I had to leave for the wedding.  

Beautiful fish and water.  On Saturday morning I tried a new location which the state say's is a cold water fishery.  In 2 hours of fishing I caught a lot of fall fish but no brookies.  It was a fair amount of work to get into this location, there are no real pathways.   It's nice water though and it's under a thick tree canopy.

After the heavy rains on Saturday afternoon the local river which got it's 2nd stocking, this time with browns was flowing nice.