It's been too hot for trout fishing all month, so I went to a nearby warmwater stream to chase some panfish and smallmouth. Caught my first-ever pumpkinseed!
Tiny little fella but purty.
Last edited by John Dark on Sun May 14, 2023 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Was up in maine for the week, my sister and her bf got me beginners rod and starter kit (vest, too). Had a really fun week fly fishing in a lake. They gave me a crash course but they don't know a ton either.
I know very little, but it seems like a hobby I can get behind. Just read this whole thread which was great. Now in NJ, going to look for some local places to mess around and see what happens.
Gourmetbe, That's great! It sounds like you had a good time. A week in Maine sounds like a pretty intense crash course in and of itself, but if you want to turn to Youtube for some instruction, the best channels for beginners are Grog's Animated Knots and the Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxGQMCT70DALylKj9CQl2sw). In the latter, Tom Rosenbauer and casting instructor Pete Kutzer are both natural teachers and their vids are really helpful. Tom has a calming manner about him that reminds me a little bit of Bob Ross. Also, feel free to use this thread as a Q&A any time you like. JD
Last edited by John Dark on Sun Aug 16, 2020 5:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
This morning I went to a small state park that I haven't fished in a couple of years. Despite the water being extremely low and clear, I still had a great day: 7 or 8 caught, including three rainbows. About the same number hooked up or almost landed.
A couple of the rainbows.
No fish here:
Some bad news on the drive out...
I am pro-flax and take no pleasure in reporting this.
Last edited by John Dark on Sun May 14, 2023 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Back to my favorite little class A wild trout stream this morning. Woke up at 4:30, on the water by 7:15. Spent 8 hours hiking and fishing without seeing another living soul. Set a new personal best tally with 19 trout caught. All brookies, all but two on dries. At least 24 hooked up but shook free. Lost count of the strikes (50+). Water temps stayed 62 all day, which surprised me; I thought it would heat up, especially since the water was low, and I'd have to pack it in.
Went shorefishing today in the Atlantic Ocean (Northumberland Strait) from South Side Harbour, Nova Scotia, where I am riding out the pandemic as a Florida refugee. See my post in the Covid thread for clarification if you need a better explanation of what I am doing here.
I was pitching a greenback fly, which is typical for Tarpon in Florida, and managed to conjure two striped bass - my first on fly or on any tackle for that matter! I was psyched! I was fishing a 9 ft 8 wt (overkill), with a clear sinking line, double hauling maybe fifty feet straight perpendicular to shore where I saw the deepest water and little baits (herring? I dunno).
I immediately texted pics to John Dark, and he commanded me to post them in the thread, so here you go:
I'm going fishing with bait and spinning gear tomorrow in deeper water where there are known to be 25 lb striped bass, so will post a pic if I can get one of those monsters. My idea is to chum them up and if we can get big ones around, pitch the same greenback fly in (or possible a crease fly for some topwater action) and take one on fly.
So, my fishing trip to New Hampshire last week was a mixed bag. Even before arriving, I knew the water levels of the rivers were down to nearly nothing. The USGS gauges had them at 1%-5% of their normal flow. My airbnb host told me the newspapers said it was the worst drought since 1940.
The fly shop guys told me what I already figured, which was skip what was left of the rivers and hike in to the remote mountain ponds of the White Mountain National Forest. The state of NH stocks these via helicopter. Despite sounding pretty intimidating, all of the hikes to ponds were only 1.5-3.5 miles (one way), so doable, even with my lockdown lack of fitness.
First remote mountain pond (Sawyer Pond) was great, but I forgot some essential equipment and had to pack it in after just a few fly changes. Black pond (second) was on a day that was windy as hell and cold. Casting was a challenge, but I managed to get one. Upper Greeley Pond was perfect conditions and I wound up catching a mess of small brookies (twenty to be exact, a new single-day personal best). Saw a beaver -- unintentionally disturbed him from his hidey-hole just a few feet from where I did most of my fishing. Pretty sure he would have murdered me if he could.
Sawyer Pond
Black pond (me in the distance):
Upper Greeley:
One pissed off beaver:
Last edited by John Dark on Sun May 14, 2023 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
liquid garbiel wrote:tell me more about this beaver
While I was fishing, someone might have on purpose, but without malicious intent, kicked a small quantity of pine needles down into a mysterious opening on the pond bank, which caused a tremendous and watery thrashing down below. The beaver emerged from the waterside egress of his hidey-hole forthwith and swam around glaring at everyone.
Some things I know or have recently learned about beavers:
1) People are surprised to learn that beavers are native to and live in Florida. I guess because they are so iconic of the northern woods it's unusual to think of them living in Florida, but they do!
2) Beavers are driven insane by the sound of moving water - like, some scientist did a study where they put a beaver in a box and played different sounds for it, and when they played the rushing water sound the beaver lost it's mind. So that's one of the key things that triggers them to chop down trees and build dams to stop the moving water.
i've only ever rly done fresh water bass fishing. the lakes around me seem to have lots of bass, stripers, n hybrids. i could learn how to catfish maybe? idk how to start. i wanna get gear but like, can you do fly fishing around here? should i just stick to bass fishing again? i could go on a quest for a big five pounder