Atmospheric Data:
- Air temp on Friday (02/16) was 38, Saturday (02/17) was 35
- Water temp on both days was between 30 and 33 degrees
- Section flows - City Park (02/16) 12 cfs, City Park (02/17) 55 cfs, North Hwy 85 (55-60 cfs)
- Echo 3 wt
- Lamson reel
- Rio line
- Rio leader and tippet 5x
- Lead fly: Umpqua Euro Jig; Dropper: RADiation Scud, Scud
Everyone likes Loverboy, right?! Yeah, we were certainly workin' for the weekend. So,we're going to get started with Friday, naturally. I was out pretty early that day - around 11am. I should note that I only fish when our children are napping. So, I'm pretty limited in what I can and cannot do when it comes to getting out and putting the work in. My motto is to make use of the time I have in order to feed my passion. When I arrived at the creek on Friday, I noticed something really strange. The creek was flowing really slowly. Checking RiverApp, I noted that the stream flows in the particular section I was fishing were WAY down. To be clear, they went from around 55cfs on Thursday to 12 cfs on Friday at 11am. This means that the stream was barely flowing. The section I was in is controlled by the USGS, and sometimes they alter the flows without any notice. Also, as an aside, I suggest downloading RiverApp through the link above. It pulls all USGS data for stream flows, and it will let you know what to expect from your local watershed. Anyway, we got into our first pile of fish relatively early. The onslaught continued from there. We were pulling them in left and right near the city park. Size wasn't a consideration when fishing this section. It's just good to hook up. When I was satisfied with the holes in the park, I moved to some of my favorite water along Highway 85. The entire stretch is good, but when it comes to specific holes - you're on your own. Some things you really need to earn. That's also why I don't give out fly sizes :). 85 fishing was excellent as well, and the fish did have a little more heft to them. It's time to head out when your feet start to go on you. In the end, we caught 8 fish....the biggest was around 18". A solid day fishing for a cool day.
Saturday Slump?
The real question is, could we follow up with another consistent performance on the water? The answer, as you'll find out is YES!!!!! Yes, you can. Use your data, use your technique, and you'll consistently catch fish. The flows were back up at the park, and they stayed stable along Highway 85. So, we had a little more consistency in how the stream was moving along. It's nice when the flows are relatively stable, because you know what to expect in terms of the current and the seams. While productive and fun, we needed to get on to some bigger, buckier fish. So, we traveled to highway 85 and started slamming the runs and holes in a couple sections of the stream. It was absolutely bananas on a couple holes and tailouts I was fishing. The funny thing is, I'm literally 500 feet from a housing development and putting on a clinic near the dirt walking path. Too bad I was the only spectator during this epic run. Most fist were in skinny, slack water-just pigging out on bugs that were flowing by. One fish I netted and release was so full of bugs - it was insane!
Wait, how did I know he was full of bugs? Well, if you didn't open the fridge (seine the stream) to see what's for dinner....ya gotta do a quick look in their tummy. This is where a stomach pump comes into play. It's safe, humane and a good way to see what the fish are eating. You can find one at River Oracle. It's Peter Stitcher's educational fly fishing company that turns regular dudes into sneaky, smart bug doctors. Subsequently, it helps you be more productive. Peter has a ton of good stuff to help you sniff out more trout.
In the end, Saturday was even better than Friday. We put over 10 fish in the net in a matter of 3 hours. If I could have stayed longer, I would have kept hammering fish. And not to sound cocky, but these aren't isolated incidents. Are they extremely productive days for winter fishing? Yes. Is it uncommon to stack fish up in numbers like these? No, it's not. But you must be sound in your techniques and use ALL the data available to you.
Our Approach: Nymphing - The Only Thing the French Got Right
Okay, maybe that's a little tongue-in-cheek. The French do many things well, but nymphing is among the best developments out of the country. Polish, Czech, French, and Spanish styles of nymphing are INCREDIBLY productive. These methods allow you to cover all aspects of the stream, and you're not simply fishing to uber-agressive fish. You're fishing to every single fish in the stream. We used a modified czech approach to work the stream on both days. I don't have a dedicated Euro Nymph rig yet, but I will soon. So, I made do with the 7'6" 3 wt. Essentially, I was high sticking all day. In addition, I fish with little to no fly line on the water. Yes, I'm still rigging with an indicator, but it's not necessary in most instances. Just watch your leader closely. Working super short drifts, I'm able to get the flies down - super quick. How? Well, using a method George Daniel taught me in Dynamic Nymphing.
It's a French method that uses the physics of your rod to help out. Essentially, one can toss a quick tuck cast and once the flies hit the water - raise the tip of your rod high. This motion forces the flies down in the water quickly, And getting to the bottom is essential in the colder months. Essentially, Euro Nymphing doesn't suck.
It's the deadliest technique I've ever used, and it leads to quality, consistent hook-ups. If you like railing fish - start doing this. Clicking on the link will explain it in more eloquent terms.
On Deck: Data Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
Well, that about gives it away. We're going to work on our data set throughout the week and get things updated. We'll throw down a few new charts and observations for y'all.
Fish Media:
I watched all my videos from yesterday, and I had some good footage. When I plugged the microSD in tonight....they WERE NOT there! Bum deal, but you'll have to settle for some photos for the time being.
Keep 'em wet,
MB
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