Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
John, Thanks for that good report. I planned for some winter fishing this year but between the cold and snow have yet to get out. Last time on river was Dec. 31. Totals for the 2021 season: 28 outings, 6 skunkings; 39 fish in 68 hours. Not too bad. Jim Merritt
Anthony, Good to see your report after not hearing from you for a while. I noticed cicada holes in the ground along the trail past Farmhouse Run on June 2 and heard cicadas singing, although in the distance — not deafening like it was in cicada hotspots like Princeton. Saw none in the air, but I assume a few were flying about and perhaps landing on the water to be devoured by trout. On June 25, when you fished, I’m guessing we’d seen the last of the Brood X cicadas until 2038, so the fish that hit your overdressed cicada pattern were doing so out of some remnant memory from the recent hatch or just instinctively.
Mic Barna tried a #6 cicada pattern on June 7 at Blue Chair and had an experience similar to yours: “lots of takes but only one landed. I think it is such a big fly it is hard to get good hook-ups.” It would be interesting to see a big cicada pattern continues to draw strikes as the season progresses.
Between being away for 9 days and the current heat spell, June 2 was the last time I fished the club waters. Jim Merritt
Mike, I’m out of town this week, so no Musky fishing for me. I know from others that water temp hit 70 at end of last hot spell but was in the low-to-mid 60s before that. My guess is that with the return of cooler weather its now in the neighborhood of 64-68, a good range for trout. Jim Merritt
John,
Thanks for posting. I agree, things have definitely slowed up. I’ve been catching fewer fish and have been skunked on two outings out of nine, and when I have caught fish it’s been just a couple and they’ve been hard to come by. My regular nymphing standby rigs have been less effective — frustrating when, because of the pellet hatch, you know so many fish are in there but ignoring your flies. More of this in the next Musky on the Fly.
I second your kudos for Rowlie and Mike.
Jim Merritt
Rick,
Congratulations. I am envious. Your timing must have been right on. I saw this same thick caddis hatch yesterday in the Warren Glen section and the action was nil, at least at mid-day. Also saw it last week at Asbury up and down the entire stretch, including the Blue Chair/Upper Farmhouse pool. There were a few rises but they were extremely sporadic and certainly nothing like you’d expect given the blizzard of bugs. Yesterday I did catch one small fish (a state-stocked brown) with a bead-head caddis emerger at the end of the swing. Maybe if I’d tried that last week it would have garnered some interest, but I doubt it. Fish are mysterious.
Jim MerrittJohn, Will be there for sure — thanks and look forward to seeing you. In the meantime, will be tying up a few Little Black Stoneflies, nymphs and drys, and if the weather holds hopefully giving them a try. Jim
John, I’m deeply impressed. I don’t normally (ever, actually) fish the Musky in winter, but this mild winter has been the year to do so, and I would have but for a medical issue I’ve had to deal with. Our long-departed member Kenny Albright used to talk about the little black stonefly as a dependable winter hatch. If I don’t get out between now and April 1 this year I will aim for next year. Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights. Jim Merritt
Greg, I fished Warren Glen on Oct. 7 and Asbury on Oct. 9. On both occasions managed to catch 2 rainbows. Didn’t see much evidence of fish, esp. in Warren Glen, although obviously there are a few around. Rowlie says we’re stocking on Friday, Oct. 18, probably for the last time this year. Let us know how you did. Jim Merritt
Maybe it’s on again for some, but yesterday (Wednesday, Sept. 18) it was off — way off — for me. Perhaps it was the sudden cold snap or the fact that I only fished Warren Glen, but in two hours there I had zip — not even a bump, and every pool I tried appeared devoid of fish. Tried Squirmy Wormies, Mops, bead-head Prince nymphs, all usually dependable. Did we really stock Warren Glen Aug. 30, or did we exhaust our supply of stockers in the Asbury stretch and call it a day? Two days earlier I fished Asbury and got into three fish in the Beatty pools — didn’t fish the Farmhouse pools because Rowlie, Mike L., and John M. were cleaning up the area for the Saturday vets’ outing. Frustrated, I headed down to Riegelsville, crossed the Big D, then drove a couple of miles south and parked my car across from Lynn Island, a productive spot I last fished six years ago. Got a couple of decent smallmouths of 13 inches or so (keepers, if barely, although I released them).
Jim MerrittAnthony, Thanks for your posting. I’ve been out just twice this month, the first time on July 1, when the river was running 325 cfs and 68 degrees, not too bad. Caught 3 RBs, all on Woolly Buggers. The next time was July 16, before the heat bomb, when the river was at 360 cfs and 69 degrees, warm enough to comfortably wade wet. Fishing was dead, although at the end I did manage to hook into a single RB on a mop fly in the Beatty Pools. On both occasions there were no bugs or rising fish. As I write this the river is at 331 cfs and trending north after last night’s storms. I think we will be in this pattern for the rest of the summer. Jim Merritt
John, Congratulations! These days happen from time to time, and as you note, they aren’t entirely explainable. I fished the day before (Monday, July 1) and had both river sections to myself. I managed 3 rainbows, 1 in Warren Glen and 2 in Asbury, all on a Woolly Bugger (tried nymphs briefly, no takers). Saw no bugs or rising fish. The river was running about 330 and 68-69 degrees, so still on the high side and a little warm. I think you benefited from lower water (finally below 300 cfs) and as you say, maybe from a dropping barometer (although sometimes that can turn fish off). I’m out of town next week and don’t expect to be on the river again until mid-July. Jim Merritt
P.S. Thanks from all of us for your frequent postings.Anthony, Thanks for that encouraging report. I’m out of town this week or otherwise would be taking advantage of the relatively benign river conditions. I last fished on Monday, June 10, and also got into a few fish, landing some but getting a lot of bumps without hookups. The river had dropped to a fishable 320 cfs, but more rain was predicted, so I figured I better get out before it all went south again. Apparently other guys had the same idea, because when I arrived at the Asbury section at 10:30 I found three vehicles in the parking area. So I headed downstream to Warren Glen, which I had to myself. Wading and water clarity were marginal but okay. I swung woolly buggers and nymphs. Like you on Memorial Day, I found the fish hit with the fly dangling at the end of the swing but not on the swing itself. Yesterday we arrived on Martha’s Vineyard for our annual week here. I went out to the beach last evening and fished for half an hour with a small Clouser minnow and caught 3 scup (think saltwater bluegills, but bigger) and a striper; if I said the striper was 12 inches long I’d be exaggerating. — Jim Merritt
John, I fished yesterday (Tues., May 28), the day after you, with the water holding at 390 cfs but rising slightly due to a downpour that morning. I started in the Warren Glen section but found my usual spots too high and fast, so I moved up to the Asbury section. River was certainly higher than I like and a little green but with sufficient visibility. Had a total of probably 7 hits and landed 4 rainbows, 2 of 12 inches and the other 2 ca. 16 inches, all on a red Squirmy Wormy, figuring in high fast water it was more visible and enticing than a conventional nymph. Used a couple of split shot to get down. Mostly caught closer to shore, on the slower edge of runs, not the middle. River looks good all considering but I’m still waiting for it to drop to 200 cfs. See you at the Saturday vets gathering. Jim Merritt
Dreadful … couldn’t agree more. Storms dumped more than an inch of rain on the Musky watershed. The storms were very localized. We got some rainfall last night in Mercer County but it amounted to less than a 10th of an inch.
Take heart, John. The river is now running 623 cfs and dropping 100 cfs a day. This means it will be may be 330 cfs by Tuesday — at least marginally fishable and wadable. There’s a 40 percent chance of showers Monday night and Tuesday, which could bump it up, but no major rain in the forecast. Jim Merritt