West Branch Tavern Fishing Report: A Lesson From The "Trout Whisperer"

So far Old Man Winter has spared us from below-freezing temps, so it only makes sense to hit the water while the weather lasts.

This afternoon Bob "Trout Whisperer" Volkmar and Blue stopped by the WBT to wet a line for an hour.  Temps were in the low 40s, with cloudy skies and a slight breeze, and water temps in the low 40s.  Water levels and flows were about as good as it gets.  We started at the Pavilion Hole, where I'd stuck a Brownie on Christmas day.  After about 30 minutes of nuthin', Bob moved down to a small hole just downstream.  The hole just screams fish.  But for some reason we haven't been successful, at least until today.

Bob had a tandem rig of a Mopp Fly and a Rainbow Warrior dropper.  As I was flailing away at the Pavilion Hole with my Fegg, Bob called out that indeed the hole held a fish, and brought a nice 8-10 inch Brownie to hand.

After a few more casts it was evident that the Brownie was king of the hole, so we moved downstream to the Meadow Hole.  I had lost a fish there on Christmas Day, and staying consistent, I lost the same fish on a rather weak set.

We next moved down to the Beaver Dam hole, but the water was kind of low, and we spooked a Muskrat, which no doubt ended fishing.  With a few minutes left, we moved upstream from the pavilion to a spot that also looks fishy, but really hasn't produced.  But once again, the Trout Whisperer did his magic, and stuck another 10 inch Brownie.

Nice to see that the trout are around and willing to eat.  Only a matter of time before the temps drop below freezing, but until then any day we can hit the water puts us closer to April.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

West Branch Tavern Fishing Report

Pretty good present....

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a limited out 2020 to all from Mikey D Fishing

Northern Hemisphere Fishing Report: From Browns to Bones

Two weeks ago Mary had some friends spending the weekend at the West Branch Tavern, a sign from the trout gods to find some fishable water.  So I booked a room at the Feathered Hook Fly Shop and B&B, and lit out for Coburn to fish Penns Creek.

Penns is one of the iconic trout streams in the east.  It's also water that can can reward an angler one day, then humble him the next.  Arriving at the fly shop on Thursday with enough daylight to fish, I stowed my gear, grabbed some egg patterns from the shop, and hit the stream.  The weather was not ideal but fishable; overcast with temps in the mid-30s, but no wind, some spitting snow from time to time.  But the water was low and in great shape as I parked at the cement bridge about a half mile downstream from the fly shop.

I waded upstream a bit to a spot that always seems to hold fish.

And for the next 45 minutes the trout gods smiled on me.  The action was literally nonstop, as the trout, mostly browns, acted as if they hadn't eaten in days.  Had I been a bit more adept with the rod, I would have landed at least 10 fish.  But I did manage two decent browns and a rainbow, so called it a day and headed to the Elk Creek Cafe for some victory brews and dinners.

As I said, Penns can take an angler from hero to zero in an instant.  And that proved to be the case the next day.  Conditions were almost identical, perhaps a few degrees warmer.  Went to the same place with the same water conditions and the same rig ...  and ... nada.  The trout had to be there, where else would they have gone?  But they certainly weren't interested in the egg, or any other fly that I tried that day.

Oh well, the up side was that warmer climes awaited.  The following Thursday Mary and I boarded a Delta jet with Captain DiPaola, and Mark Ponicsan and Dani "Frac" Fracalossi.  Destination was San Pedro Island in Belize.  We were met there by fellow tailgaters John and Deb Hupp and Dr. "Jim Beam" Hupp and his bride Meerie.  The objective was to watch the Army-Navy game without freezing our asses off.  But a secondary mission was to wet a line for Bonefish.

We stayed at the Mahogany Bay Resort, a Hilton property at the southern end of the island.  While we spent most of the 5 days just enjoying temps 50 degrees warmer than my time in Coburn, and the local food and beverages, we all got an opportunity to get out on the flats for a few hours.  John struck first blood on his guided trip with by landing a nice Jack on a spinning rod, following up with his first Bone, and even a hookup on a permit.

Mary and I ventured out the next day with the same guide.  We fished in water about a foot or so deep.  Saw a lot of small sharks looking for the same prey that we were hoping to tie into.  The guide had us on fish most of the morning, but it took me awhile to finally be able to spot them.  Despite not having used the 8 weight for a long while, I managed three Bonefish during the trip; one I actually saw, and the other two blind casting to the guide's directions.

Don't be fooled by the size of these fish.  On the flats there is plenty of room to run, and these fish are designed to move like torpedoes.  You know these aren't trout when a 15 inch fish takes your 8 weight reel to the backing!

Captain DiPaola booked the morning on our last day in Belize, and despite some morning storms which delayed his departure, he got some shots on Bones, and even a decent shot at a Permit.  Joe was also the only one among us who managed to convince some of the juvenile Tarpon that were hanging in the canals on the resort to eat a fly.

All in all a great trip, with a pasting of Army to boot.  On Wednesday morning blowing snow and temps in the 20s greeted us in Potter County.  Oh well ... in a few days we turn the corner and start getting more sunlight, with opening day a "mere" 112 days after that.  Only 112 days, plenty of time to ponder the mystery of the trouts.

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing

Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report: From the Bay to the Breeches

While tidal flows are certainly important to know when saltwater fishing, water temperature, especially in the fall, is critical to bay striper fishing.  As the water cools into the low 60s and upper 50s, the fish begin gorging themselves on the schools of bait fish that are getting ready to head south toward warmer waters.  But get below 58 degrees, which seems like the magic number, and the fish seem to start turning off.  From there it's only a matter of days until they also head to warmer mid Atlantic waters.

We were literally at that point on Veterans Day, with "clents" Brian Wagner and Joe Baylog.  Brian was the high bidder for an outing on the Mikey D auctioned during the TU Northeast Regional rendezvous last June, and brought along his chapter president to see if we might put a few in the box.

Since we were marking a lot of fish in Whitehall Bay, it didn't seem to make sense to leave fish to find fish.  And, on the upside, the weather was as good as it gets for fall.  Temps climbed up into the low-60s, with sunny skies and light winds.  The down side was the good weather had been preceded by a cold snap that dropped water temps down into the low to mid 50s.  Consequently, the fishing was definitely challenging.  We had several hookups, but not as many as we would have liked.  We did avoid the skunk, boating a 10-12 inch Flounder that took a Gotcha jig (a first for the boat), and one keeper Striper that went 19 inches.  Yet, despite tough conditions, we were fortunate that we had a great pair of anglers to spend a day on the boat.  It was certainly a pleasure fishing with Brian and Joe, and we promised them another opportunity in the spring. But the day was certainly a sign that it was time to pull the Mikey D and start looking ahead to spring.

Three days later we shifted from the salt to the fresh.  Our long-standing Navy football tailgate crew got together at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, PA, to enjoy a weekend and watch the Navy-Notre Dame game.  The resort is a little less than two hours from Annapolis, and sits right on the Yellow Breeches, one of the iconic trout streams in PA.  While some of our crew hiked the AT, and others chilled out, several of us tried our luck on the Breeches.  Weather was not bad; sunny skies the whole weekend, temps in the 50s on Friday, and low 40s on Saturday.  Water was very low, and the fish were spooky.  Which probably accounted for the lack of numbers.  Mary and I got skunked on Friday.  Saturday, though, took a different turn.  While Mary decided to hike, I, along with John Hupp, former White House colleague Mark Ponicsan, and Capt. DiPaola, made our way up the Breeches to fish "the run," a 200 yard or so creek that flows from Childrens' Lake into the Breeches.  The section normally hold a good number of trout, some real lunkers.  But these fish are also pretty savvy, as the stream is no more than 10-20 feet wide, shallow in most parts, is gin-clear, and easy to access.

As numbers go, it was an okay day.  I picked up two 12-inch Rainbows on a Rainbow Warrior, and tossed off a small wild fish as I was stripping it in.  But Joe enjoyed honors of the catch of day and the week.  We noticed a big fish just below the bridge that crosses the run.  It was so big, that its back was sticking out of the water at times.  It also had seemed to have something wrong with its mouth.  We left to head back to the resort, and Joe remained to work the fish.  It wasn't much later that he netted the 20-21 inch Brownie, caught on a tandem rig "dynamic nymphing." (high sticking for all you old timers).  Even in the thin water the fish was a challenge getting it to the net.  He even did the trout a favor, and re-positioned its jaw, which had been dislocated.

The afternoon was spent watching Navy get its clock cleaned, enjoying the company of great friends,  great food and adult beverages, followed by cigars and brown liquor at the fire pits.  If you're looking for first-class accommodations within a stones throw of great trout fishing, the Allenberry needs to be on your list.  As for the Mikey D, while the bay reports have unfortunately come to a close for a few months, the cold weather doesn't seem to give the trout lockjaw.

Tight lines,
Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report: Ole Man Winter Arrives

Skunked....

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing

Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report - 100th Blog Entry!

Dates: 23-25 October.

Times: Fished from 0730 to 1100 on Wednesday, 1200-1800 on Thursday, and pretty much all day on Friday.

Weather: Sunny skies on Wednesday and Thursday, cloudy on Friday.  Temps began in the mid-50s, climbing to the mid to upper 60s by the afternoon.  Winds less than 5-7 mph all three days.


                                                                    "Striper Thumb!"

Water conditions: The Bay was calm the entire three days.  Water temps around 64 degrees.  Perfect time to be on the water.

The fishing:  The Simrad did not lie: the Stripers were schooled up "bigly" in the river inlets, feasting on the baitfish that were moving in and out with the tides. So, while finding the fish was easy, catching them required a bit of work and perseverance.  The birds helped a little putting us on fish, but there wasn't the rampant blitzing action that you normally see this time of year.  Water temps were probably a factor, as the bay is still pretty warm.

The tide charts for the three days were also not ideal.  But, even with less than perfect conditions, we caught over 60 fish over the three days.  Although we made one foray down to Thomas Point and the South River, and marked a lot of fish, all of the catching was done at the mouth of Whitehall Bay and Severn River.  Most were in the 8-12 inch class, but we did manage a decent number of 18-inchers (on Friday), and boated 7 keepers between 19 and 21 inches.  Most fish were caught with 1 1/2 ounce Gotcha metal jigs.  Color didn't seem to matter that much; if the jig happened to be in the vicinity of a Striper, it hit it hard.  We also picked up a keeper on a top-water popper.

Overall a solid three days.  Hopefully the bay temps drop slowly to extend Rocktober into November.

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report: Lyman Run State Park

Yesterday's forecast was for sunny skies and temps rising into the mid-60s.

The question ... cut the lawn or go fishing?

Right....

So Mary and I headed out to Lyman Run State Park, about 45 minutes from the WBT.  The park is about 600 acres, with Lyman Run flowing through the length of the park.  Interestingly, the stream flows into the 45 acre man-made Lyman Lake, and then over the spillway to begin again as a small freestone stream.

According to a map that I purchased at the Kettle Creek Tackle Shop, there was a fly-fishing only section of Lyman Run.  But when we got to the park, and asked the rangers (who didn't really seem to know much about fishing in the park), they informed us that the FFO designation has been removed years ago.  But they also told us that the lake had recently been stocked.  So we decided to head to the lake first and check it out.

There is a small beach area that was closed for swimming, but no signs that said you couldn't wade and fish.  As we got down to the water, we noticed trout swimming all around, obviously unaccustomed to the change in their surroundings from the hatchery run to a 45 acre lake.  So we quickly geared up and waded in.

The sandy bottom extended out quite a ways, with the trout swimming around in pods well within casting difference.  It was almost like bonefishing; you looked around for fish, and then chuked your fly out to them, and waited for the take.  Rainbow Warriors dropped about a foot off a strike indicator or hopper was all it took, as we netted a good number of 10-12 inch Rainbows.

It was a fun couple of hours, but we were there to fish the stream.  So after a quick lunch we drove through the park looking for fishable water.  We began our search upstream of the lake, but the stream looked kind of thin with not much holding water.  So we ziggied back down below the dam, figuring the stream would be in better shape with runoff from the spillway.  Turned out to be the good choice.  The stream was in great condition, with those great holding spots that you'd expect to see in a mountain freestone stream.

The stream is stocked, but a gent I was speaking to earlier said that he had caught some wild fish in the lower section.  And we were not disappointed.  Although we only fished about an hour and a half, we managed several Brookies on October and Orange-bodied Caddis, topped off by a 14 inch pre-spawn Brownie.

On a somewhat philosophical note, there's a notion out in the angling world (and with people who don't fish) that fly fishing is an elitist sport.  Some of that stereotype is deserved.  But then again, I'd argue that mountain streams are about as blue collar as you can get in fly fishing.  Leave your copy of A River Runs Through It at home.  There's no 60 foot casts with size 20 dries on 7X.  And you can forget the "shadow casting."  In fact, there's no one casting technique that will cover all the situations you'll find on these streams.  These creeks are tight, with all kind of flora to catch your fly.  And to get to the fishy spots requires casting that would probably make a purist puke.

Your Cabelas rod and reel combo will get a fly to these spots as easily as a $2000 outfit,  because your only casting about 20 feet. And when I say casting, that's generous; your rolling, dapping, casting across your body, whatever it takes to get the fly to the right spot. 

Finally, mountain stream fish are not dandies.  More often than not if you put the fly, pretty much any fly that is bushy and floats, where the fish ought to be, and if the fish is there, it's going to eat.  Because that's what its programmed to do.  And if you're fishing is all about size, spend $10K and head to Alaska.  But consider when you get your Visa bill that it's really all about perspective; a 6 inch Brook Trout is king in these waters. And just as much fun to catch.

And it beats the hell out of cutting the lawn.

Tight lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Clinton County Fall Fishing Report: Young Womans Creek

Been awhile since we've had a blog post.  Fortunately, Bob "Trout Whisperer" Volkmar made the magic happen by suggesting that we head down to Renovo, PA to fish Young Womans Creek, a tributary to the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.

But first ... some fall foliage photos to set the tone:

Aside from hatch month in May, fall has to be a close second to trout fishing in Pennsylvania.  The days might be shorter, and the nights cold, but daytime temps climb into the low to mid 60s, and the Brookies and Brownies are prepping for their annual lovefest.  A great time to be on a stream.

We left the West Branch Tavern around 8:30, with temps in the high 30s and frost on the roof shingles.  By the time we got to the C&R section of the stream around 10 or so, temps were in the upper 50s, under sunny skies and no wind.  The water on this low-grade mountain freestone stream was low, but with recent rains there was a good deal of holding water.  Like many small streams, the key is realizing good water before you trudge through it.  A cast or two is all it takes to determine if a fish is holding.  If not, you just move on to the next piece of water.

With Caddis fluttering around the stream all day, we decided to stay on top, using Royal Wulf and October (orange) Caddis patterns.  While we didn't see fish rise, both patterns brought eager fish up.  Bob struck first within 10 minutes of wetting lines, a nice 5-6 inch Brookie that would set the tone for most of the morning.

Although we caught a good number of Brookies, we did hit the trout trifecta.  I scored first with a 10 inch Brownie that slammed my October Caddis at the head of a long pool.  Not to be outdone, Bob finished off the trifecta by landing a 15 inch Rainbow about a half hour later.

By 4:00 in the afternoon we were off the water and back on the road home, with a brief stop at the Kettle Creek Tackle Shop.  A great day on the water, with at least a few more weeks before Old Man Winter starts creeping into the High Lonesome.

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing