2017 Trout Season Opening Day Weekend in "God's Country"

Normally opening day up on the "high lonesome" is cold and rainy.  This year provided a nice change.  Above seasonal temps had the trees in bloom a couple of weeks early, the peepers croaking for mates, and the streams full of trout.

Joining me this opening day was long time friend John Hupp.  John arrived Thursday evening in time for bourbon and cigars on the deck.  While a bit frosty, the patio heater provided exterior warmth to complement the Jefferson's warming the insides.

Since the stocked trout waters in the county were not open to fishing until Saturday, on Friday morning after breakfast we headed out to fish the delayed harvest section of the Allegheny River, just above Coudersport.  Air temps were in the 40s, but throughout the day warmed into the upper 60s.  The upper Allegheny looks like a normal small freestone PA stream.  We started the day fishing nymphs to no avail.  I then tied on a wooly bugger and fished a narrow section of the stream.  As the trees prevented casting, I instead let the current take the bugger downstream, then paused and twitch-stripped it back.  On nearly every cast a trout would take a swipe at the bugger, many times I could see the fish coming up for the take.  A very profitable 30-40 minutes brought 7 Rainbows to the hand, all in the 10-12 inch range.

By the early afternoon we noticed caddis and mayflies coming off the water, and it wasn't too long before trout started rising to the flies.  John had his dry fly game on, landing three on a 16 Parachute Adams, while I manged another Rainbow and a Brownie on the same.

Having had a solid day, we headed back to "the lodge" via Mosch's Tavern and enjoyed some wings and beer to celebrate our victory over the trout before dinner another round or two of JEffersons, and a great Penguins' victory over the Blue Jackets.

Saturday morning marked the trout opener for Potter County.  For most anglers the day is more like a social event.  And if you fish the bigger waters, you're going to enjoy the company of anglers standing elbow to elbow.  We decided instead to spend a couple of hours on the west branch of Fishing Creek, a section of which runs along the back of the property.  We started at a neighbor's house upstream a few hundred yards, and fished our way down to the property.  Air temps again reached into the upper 60s, yet the water remained cold, probably in the upper 40s.  That and the sunny skies probably kept the trout down, as we managed only a couple of fish.  On the up side, we only saw three other anglers on the stretch, and engaged in the normal fishing repartee with them.

John having departed late Saturday morning, I waited until the early evening to hit the stretch behind the house.  Fellow fly angler Bob Volkmar showed up with his Black Lab "Blue" and we fished a couple of holes before retiring to the deck for a couple of Rte 4 IPAs before dinner.

Mary had arrived Saturday morning, so the game plan on Sunday was to check out "Knaub Creek," or rather the Genessee Forks that runs through his property.  Unfortunately, chores and weather conspired to keep us off the water. No matter, the trout will still be there when we get back to the cabin next week.

We could have spent more time on the water, I guess, but then we caught a decent number of trout for the time we were on the water.  The season is young, though, with many miles of stream to explore, and many trout yet to bring to the net.

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing

Ops Check Complete - Mikey D Fishing Ready for 2017!

Spring is here, temperatures rising, fish are moving and Mikey D Fishing is underway for 2017!



                                                 

Before Capt C.C. headed to PA for the opening day of trout season, we took advantage of warm, dry spring weather to launch Mikey D Fishing.   Time has taught us to go slow, be deliberate, and keep expectations in check on the first day to avoid disappointment and disaster. Prior to departure we inventoried all of our fishing and safety gear.   At the dock we took the time to check lighting, navigation, and propulsion.  Of course we had to make sure we left ample time to wet a couple of lines once we departed the ramp at Sandy Point State Park.  Though we are open to a variety of tactics and techniques, we have not invested any significant time trolling over the past three seasons.  Early season is often the time to troll, so we trailed a spreader with hookless metal spoons and two sassy shad jigs.  Water in the mid bay was clear (though perhaps not as clear as this time last year due to recent rains), air temps in the mid 70s with bay temperatures between 58 - 60 degrees.  There was a slight 5 kt breeze from the west on an incoming tide.  Seas were near calm.  A couple of hits was all the rig produced on this our first outing of the season, but it was by any reasonable measure a successful day of prepping, checking, launching, and landing.  Now it is on to April 15th and the official start of the trophy season!

Delayed Report: NE Florida Fishing Report, 09-11 April 2017

It's been a pretty quiet 2017 for the Mikey D Fishing team.  Fortunately, the fishing drought was broken last week.  Perhaps fortuitous that the 2017 Society for Military History's annual symposium was in Jacksonville, providing the opportunity to take advantage of the unseasonable warm spring to spend a few days on the water with "budding" guide, former squadron mate and long time friend Curt Toomer.

First, a note of caution ... Sunday afternoons are not the ideal time to put a boat in the water.  The limited number of ramps, made more difficult by weekend boating "gentry," makes parking a rarity.  Fortunately, we were able to get on the water around 2:00 in the afternoon.  Fished some creeks north of Mayport.  Temps were in the upper 70s, low 80s, water temps in the upper 60s.  Fishing with live shrimp, mud minnows, and soft plastics, we only brought one redfish (a three-spotter, though) and two bluefish to the boat.  An inauspicious beginning, but chalked up by a mid afternoon start.

Monday turned out to be a much better day.  Joining us was Curt's friend and inshore expert Kenny Richards.  We headed out from the dock in Curt's 15 foot Maverick skiff around 0900 or so and proceeded south to fish San Pablo Creek.  The morning was partly cloudy with temps again in the upper 70s, and water temps starting around 68 degrees, rising into the low 70s by the time we headed back.   San Pablo creek was your typical tidal creek branching out from the intracoastal.  No more than 100 feet at its widest, surrounded by tall grasses, and the home to at least one 8 foot gator, which slid into the water as we rounded a bend in the creek.

Today was about catching.  Almost immediately the snapper bite was on.  We boated 21, with two keepers, and probably twice that many having chewed off our shrimp and mud minnow baits before a hook could be set.  Included in the day's catch were two amberjacks, three redfish (Kenny boating the only keeper), and Curt's keeper flounder.  Unfortunately, a nasty front was forecast to roll in late in the afternoon before we could complete the North Florida Slam with a seatrout.  So, discretion being the better part of valor, we headed back up the creek, fished the grasses around a local marina (Curt nailing a red on his first cast) for a bit, then got off the water just as the rain was starting to fall.  The rest of the day was spent cleaning our catch for a splendid fish taco meal, courtesy of Curt's lovely bride Michele, who has graciously put up with our fishing and late night bourbon swilling for quite some time.

One of my rules of fishing is that you need to schedule three days of fishing to get one good day in. Tuesday bore out that maxim, as the front moved in overnight, with thunderstorms, wind, and heavy rains that didn't clear out until the late afternoon.  So instead we headed out to Black Fly fly shop, which has a restaurant, The Taproom," attached.  Enjoying a fried cobia sandwich and an IPA while watching episodes of "Silver Kings" on the bar TV was a pretty decent audible.

In all another great trip to the Bold New City of the South, and a nice way to kick off the 2017 fishing season.  With opening day of trout and trophy striper seasons just around the corner, time to dust off the fly rods, make sure the waders don't leak, and get out on the water!

Tight Lines,
Mike D Fishing