West Branch Report/Lesson in Humility

JBP and I headed down to Hamden for some evening fishing and this time were joined by Bob Wikoff, founding member of TU Chapter 210 and all-around smart-ass and fishing legend. The weather was cool and over cast, and the stream had dropped 100 or so CFS overnight but was still a little murky. I would've thought the conditions were perfect. However, to quote Bob, there wasn't much going on tonight. That, of course, was after he had caught 20 fish in two hours. I myself caught 4 (a chub, and three browns 12" or less) and JBP caught a nice 15" brown, a 13" brown, and a small mouth. So basically, Bob out-fished us 3 to 1 all while taking time off to dole out pointers and smack talk and fly selection/tying advice.

And this is why I recommend to anyone interested in fishing, to get involved with your local TU chapter and/or Rod n Gun club. You meet some cool people and many are more than happy to show the ropes. Bob has 50 years of fishing experience from all over the globe and spent a decade or more as a guide, and yet he happily joined two rookies on a local stream just for the fun of catching stocked browns and the occasional chub and passing on a lot of knowledge and history in the process.

Beyond his knowledge of where to find the fish and which flies to use, the most impressive thing about Bob's fishing was his presentation and accuracy. When a fish rose, his fly was landing delicately a foot or two above it, first time, every time. Actually, I lied. The most impressive thing is that despite his history and skill, he was genuinely happy to be out there with us fishing and he doesn't care if it's a chub or trout, he just loves catching fish and bestowing knowledge.

Simple Stone Fly

Hook: nymph 2x long

Thread: black or brown

Tail: black or brown goose biot

Abdomen: black or brown dubbin

Thorax: black or brown ice dubbin

Wing: black or brown goose biot

My attempt at the stone fly nymph that the guys at TU's Dave Brandt Chapter 210 swear by here in CNY. 

East Branch

Tonight was my first trip to the famed East Branch. I headed out after work to a TU "Meeting on the River" but unfortunately ended up being the only one in attendance. I admit, I was disappointed as I was really looking forward to learning some new tips and tricks from the far more experienced anglers in my chapter.

It wasn't meant to be, but I had a beautiful evening with the stream entirely to myself for most of it. There was too much runoff from an earlier downpour at the Shinhopple bridge, so I headed up stream to a public fishing access between Shinhopple and Downsville. The water was very cold, very clear, and covered in a thick mist after the rains. Peaceful and beautiful. 

I didn't see any surface activity, and my prospecting skills are quite lacking at the moment so I didn't have much luck.  I tried swing a muddler minnow for a while, then switched to hi-vis hopper with a #18 sulfur tied on the bend about 18" off of that (I couldn't see the sulfur in the mist).  Finally, I switched the sulfur for a Prince nymph but got nary a nibble.  Absent rises, I really don't have a good strategy for finding fish. 

At one point, toward the end of my evening when I was doubting the presence of any fish in that damn river, a 20"+ rainbow drifted downstream to within a foot of my waders, held there for a solid half minute, and then casually drifted off downstream.  It was pretty amazing.  He didn't seem to care I was there at all.  He was so close I could see a large white mark on his snout and another on his dorsal fin (scars, maybe?).  And then, as I was leaving, a guy showed up in flip flops and a ripped t-shirt, casted out a panther martin on his spinning rod, and hooked another huge rainbow on his second cast.  I admit, it was some consolation to me when it broke his line and took off.