Naugatuck Report - November 22, 2013 - You Can't Keep a Good Salmon Down (Carter's Bug!)

Nice to see you again, stranger

To say I haven't been fishing much lately would be an understatement. First, a stretch of good gigs kept me off the water. Then some guide trips got me back on the water, but not actually fishing myself. That's okay, my clients caught fish and I was happy. Then the flu took me off the water again, which was pretty miserable.

I had a pretty good streak going earlier this season. I don't know the exact figure, but I think I landed in the neighborhood of 15 salmon in a row without losing one. There were a couple I definitely should have lost in that stretch, but I got really lucky. The universe and the salmon struck back, however. If I look back at my reports, the last salmon I actually landed was a month ago, on October 21. Yikes! More alarming is that I've only fished three times in the space of a month. Losing that hour in the evening now prevents me from making any more end of the day fishing trips. I guess I'm happy I was able to fish as much as I did early in the season.  

So today was the day to end the streak and get back in the black. Of course, despite rain, the water is as low as ever. It's way too low. Not only does it prevent the salmon from moving, but it pushes all the anglers together. The water was warmer than I thought, topping out in the mid 40s. It was damp and cloudy, but the air temperature was relatively warm (50s). 

I thought for sure it was time to start sinking a fly. I thought wrong. They wanted nothing to do with a sunk fly. It amazes me that they're still going after the same stuff I was fishing in mid October. I rolled a few fish on a #6 Same Thing Murray and a #6 Mickey Finn. The only solid grab I had was on the MF, however. The salmon pictured above broke my dry spell, thank goodness. 

Blah blah blah...whatever...Here's the good part...

I met up with my friend Roger for couple hours this afternoon. It didn't take long for Roger to roll a salmon with his Matuka. A few minutes later, I saw Roger playing a fish. I went downstream to lend a hand with landing the salmon. I got the fish in the net, took a closer look and did a little double take when I saw the fly in its mouth. Roger caught that sucker on a dry fly! A proper salmon dry fly... a grizzly and white Carter's Bug! And well into November to boot! Roger mentioned that his friend took another on a Bomber a few days prior. So not only are the salmon still interested in wet flies fished high in the water column, but they're even taking flies on top. Despite cold weather and falling temperatures, it seems like the fish are still taking their cues from the water level more than anything else.

Check out the fly...a white & grizzly Carter's Bug!

Let that be a lesson to me. Just when I thought the salmon had reached the height of their unpredictability, they seemed to go that extra mile. I abandoned dries about a month ago. Sounds like I should have kept fishing them all along! 

Naugy salmon on a dry...welcome to the club, Roger!

I don't have many more fishing days left in me this season. Hopefully this wasn't the last one. Soon it will be time to start tying fancy flies once again.

In the meantime, enjoy this video of Bryant Freeman tying Carter's Bug...

Naugatuck Report - November 9, 2013 - Fussy, Fussy, Fussy

The Pearl...came soooo close today...ugh

It was a frigid morning and I had a feeling fishing would be tough today.The water, low like always, was around 44ºF when I arrived. It probably warmed a bit during the day, but I doubt it made it out of the 40s. These conditions can be a bit baffling. Low and cold is a tough scenario. I've caught fish on small flies (#10) on a sink tip, well sunk large tubes, conventional flies fished just under the surface, etc. Just about anything might work and there just isn't enough time left in the day to try it all.

I fished two rigs today, a 9' 8wt. with a 9' mono leader an 11'3" 7wt. switch rod with a 460 gr. Rio AFS intermediate head and mono leader. I used a variety of flies, from relatively small, light ones to heavy copper tubes. I fished most of the day with only two bits of action. 

The first came on a classic salmon fly called "The Pearl." I desperately want to hook something on this fly. I tied this G.M Kelson pattern for Mike Radencich's latest book "Classic Salmon Fly Patterns" (p. 182).  I've had success with a couple of classic patterns, but never with one tied on a blind eye hook. I tied a smaller version of the Pearl (#2) for fishing this fall. Today was the first time I had the opportunity to fish it. 

The Pearl - "Classic Salmon Fly Patterns" (Radencich, p.182)

I swung it through a reliable lie. A salmon rolled for the fly, but I couldn't get him back. I decided to rest the spot and try again after fishing through the pool. The next pass went exactly the same as the first. I rested him again and fished through the pool once more. The third pass produced a strong pull from the salmon, but that's where it ended. I thought I was going to finally catch my first salmon on a gut eyed fly, but it wasn't meant to be. 

The only other action came just before dark. I had exhausted all the sensible options, so I figured it was time to go to the Frances. I tied on a Black Frances (1" heavy copper tube) and started casting upstream. I mended to get the fly down and worked my way down the pool. I've never had success with this approach before, but it's probably because I've never given it much of a chance. Well, it did produce a pull from a salmon, but nothing more. 

In retrospect, I should have tried the Frances approach at the other pools. In my opinion, it's not a very pleasant way to fish, but I'm starting to see the value of it as sort of "last resort" when the fish are in a sulky mood (as they were all day today). The H.M. Sunray, fished at light speed, is my typical last resort. It was totally ineffective today. The Francis is probably a good arrow to have in my quiver. 

No one I spoke with had any action, so I guess it was just one of those days. It's not the first and it certainly won't be the last. I think we've finally turned the corner in terms of temperature. From this point on, I will probably fish the vast majority of my flies lower in the water column. From mid-Spetember through the first week of November, I felt the need to sink a fly only on the warmest of days, in the fastest water…and even then only on a couple of occasions. So far this fall, almost 90% of my salmon hooked have been on a mono leader and an unweighted fly. It was a good run while it lasted!

Naugatuck Report - November 7, 2013 - Guide Trip

Fish on!

Weather wise, today was a strange day. I believe the fishing day started in the low 60s. I was too warm and started to remove layers. It was cloudy and drizzly, but the air temperature was very comfortable. The water topped out around 55ºF (the last we'll see of prime temps, I think). As usual, the water was low. That sort of goes without saying at this point.

Warren and I met a little before noon and he was tight to salmon #1 within the first hour. This one didn't mess around, grabbing a #4 Same Thing Murray the first time the fly swung by him. 

We're still not sinking a fly unless we absolutely have to. They're still eager to rise for an unweighted wet fly, though I think that will begin to change as the cold weather rolls in this week. I sound like a broken record, but I have no idea why anyone would fish heavy flies and tips when it's unnecessary. First of all, I don't know any fly fisher who prefers chucking weight. Also, if a fish shows interest in your fly, you want to be able to see it. You don't always see the fish move when you're fishing lower in the water column, especially in broken water. It pays to start high, then work your way down. They're Atlantic salmon...they like to rise for flies, perhaps even more than trout do.  Refer to salmon #2 below for an example of why it pays to start with your fly on or just beneath the surface...

Salmon #1 of the day

On our way to pool #2, we felt noticeably cooler. I stopped by the car to add a layer. About midway down the run, we saw a really subtle boil behind the #6 Same Thing Murray. The boil happened near some submerged stones and neither of us were sure if it was a fish or just hydraulics. It was that subtle. Also, it was too dark out to see the fish flash in the water, adding to the confusion. I decided we should treat it like a fish just to be safe. It was a good move, as it was a fish and a hot one at that. It took about three or four more casts and slight presentation tweaks to persuade him to take the Murray. Unlike his original showing, the take was much more dramatic. He was airborne and off to the races in no time. Warren handled him well and he was quickly brought to the net and released. The Murray does it again! Time and again, this fly proves its worth on dark, dreary days. 

Salmon #2 - further validation why it makes sense to fish from the top down

Shortly thereafter, an intense rain squall passed by, complete with very strong gusts of wind. We waited it out and decided to move to pool #3. Pool #3 has been as much of a "sure thing" for me this season as any but, strangely, didn't produce a salmon for us today. It did produce a nice 15" holdover rainbow trout, however. Which fly did it take? The same thing, Murray...

By the end of the trip, we were both soaked and freezing. It felt like the air temperature dropped by a good 10-15ºF over the course of the day. If I had to guess, the bite probably got progressively worse as it got colder, though two salmon landed is a good day in my opinion. 

Cold water tactics are about to come into play. Conventional flies will be replaced with tubes and large classic salmon flies in the near future. Once my guides start to freeze up, I'm done for the season, so come get it while the gettin's still good!

Naugatuck Report - November 2, 2013 - Guide Trip

Salmon #2...piece of cake!

Earlier in the week, I was a little afraid we'd get too much rain on Friday and this trip would have to be rescheduled. It really didn't rain much at all. That was a blessing for us today, though more rain wouldn't have been a bad thing in the long run. 

Akbar and I were on the water by 10am. The river was definitely up a little bit, but still a little too low for my liking. Oh well, I've been doing well in much lower water than this. The river topped out around 54ºF, which is up about 6ºF from the last time I fished. That was a nice surprise. The only problem today was the color of the river, which was still a little off-color from yesterday's rain. We could see our wading boots, so I was still optimistic. 

Akbar is an Atlantic salmon rookie, but handled himself like an old pro today, landing two and rolling a third. Akbar saw the second fish roll upstream from him, went back to the top of the pool and nailed  it without any assistance from me (I was on shore, rigging another rod at the time). I scurried back downstream with the camera while the salmon put on an impressive ariel display. A few minutes later and the fish was safely netted, photographed and quickly returned. 

Like my last two trips, all the action was on Ally's Shrimp (#2 conventional fly today & aluminum tubes last week). Ally's Shrimp is my go to fly when the water is starting to getting cold...lower 50s down to upper-to-mid 40s. They've been a hot seller in the Fly Shop this fall and I only have a couple left. I need to tie more for myself, so I will restock them as soon as I have the chance to tie more. 

I still have some openings for guided "Salmon School" trips, so contact me to book a trip before it's too cold and I go into winter fly tying/hibernation mode!

Naugatuck Report - October 26, 2013 - A Rude Awakening

Once the first cold spell hits, thoughts of Hawaii
begin to replace thoughts of salmon fishing

There are two fishing clichés that irritate me whenever I hear them. The first one is, "That's why it's called fishing, not catching." The other is, "The worst day of fishing is better than the best day of work." In the case of the former, I think I dislike it mostly because it's overused, but it's also pretty stupid sounding. Does it really need to be stated?  The latter is complete nonsense and I cringe whenever I hear it. I'm probably one of the lucky ones in that, for the most part, I like my job. My best days ever at work top my best days of fishing if for no other reason than the "high" lasts longer at the gig than it does on the water. It's more of a sustained euphoria than fishing's manic bursts of excitement. Even if I hated my job, I'm pretty sure getting a raise would be more enjoyable than burying a hook in my own neck.

Today, I fished after work. It was a pretty simple nuts and bolts type of rehearsal, but it was more enjoyable than fishing in veritable leaf factory, complete with 20-30mph wind gusts and less water than ever. Despite the low water, I really enjoyed the warm autumn we had until last Tuesday. Shoot, even in  extremely low water, the fishing could still be pretty great. The salmon were very aggressive at times. I love fishing small salmon flies and I had ample opportunity to do so in the past five or six weeks. Last Monday, the water temperature topped out around 63ºF. Today, the highest I got was 52ºF.

I thought the change would be a bit more gradual. Oh well, time to prepare for cold water tactics, I suppose. The water is slower than ever. I tried the small stuff, but they weren't interested. I went from right #10s to tubes. They were interested in only one fly today, the Ally's Shrimp tube fly (which did a great job of fending off the leaves). First pool...nothing.  Pool #2...two pulls on the tube, but couldn't seal the deal. Pool #3...nothing. Pool #4...rolled a salmon twice. He finally took and I lost him a few minutes into the fight. Later, I rolled another twice, but no hookup. Between the wind, leaves and trickle of a river, getting a consistently good presentation was very challenging.

My hooked and lost streak is up to three in a row, which is frustrating. Oh well, I guess that's why it's called fishing and not...*barf*

Naugatuck Report - October 21, 2013 - Trying to Beat the Clock

It's about time these thing work here...

Tonight was another quick trip. We're rapidly losing daylight and it was a little too quick for my tastes, but that's the time I had. In order to fish, I had to drop junior off at mom's job in West Hartford, then drive (just ahead of rush hour traffic) all the way to the river. I figure I had about 2 hours and 15 minutes of actual fishing time before dark.

I decided to fish a pair of pool which, even in low water, are well suited for two handed casting. However, the water was so low, I wished I had brought the single hander instead. I didn't have time to swap, so I used the 11' 6wt switch rod with mostly overhead casts. It didn't take me long to notice the top guide was loosening up. I have two bent snake guides on the uppermost portion of the rod, as well. I can live with the bent guides, but the tip needs to be fixed. Ugh...like I said, I didn't have much time, so I fished it anyway and it worked well enough to get through the evening. I think its season is over though. If we don't get any rain, it won't really matter. I'm going back to the 9' 7wt rod until it makes sense not to. 

Pool #1...Water temp 62ºF and the water is getting uncomfortably low. One pass with a #10 Sugerman Shrimp produced nothing. Another pass with a #8 Green Machine w/white tail brought a tiny salmon to hand. I would say the fish was 16" tops. A couple more passes yielded nothing, so it was time to hurry to the next spot. 

Pool #2...The low water is a little less of an issue here. 1st pass raised a salmon on a #8 Shady Lady. Two casts (and minor presentation adjustments) later and the fish was on. It ran at me faster than I could strip and I lost contact with the fish, thereby losing it altogether. 

Next pass...While fishing the fast water, I had strong pull on a #10 Sugerman Shrimp, but no hookup. No worries, another couple of casts and it was on. The salmon bolted downstream, jumping a few times along the way. I slowly made my way after it (this pool can be a pretty tricky wade). The salmon made a left turn directly behind a large boulder. Luck was on my side the last two times this happened to me, but it wasn't with me tonight. The fish sawed off my leader at the lowest blood knot. The only other action I had was a tiny smallmouth bass on the blue Bug. 

1 for 3 in a little over two hours isn't bad but, considering the diminutive size of the salmon I landed, losing a pair of decent fish and the upcoming rod repair expense, I left feeling a little unsatisfied. I guess I'm happy that I'm finally having luck with Buck Bugs on CT salmon. I've tried them for years here with nothing to show for it until now. They've worked well for me on the Miramichi, Renous and Cains Rivers. It's about time they work here!

Ally's Shrimp Tube Fly: Dealing With the Autumn Leaves

Ally's Shrimp Tube Variation - .75" aluminum

     Albeit it short lived, the peak of autumn is the prettiest time of year in New England. A vivid mosaic of oranges, yellows, reds, purples and fading greens make a perfect backdrop for a day on the water. The resinous aroma of decaying leaves reminds us to make the most of our dwindling fishing time. It won't be long until many of us go into a sort of hibernation for the winter, diverting our attention from the river to the tying bench. As we fill our boxes with Blue Charms and Green Highlanders, for a season which seems to be an eternity away, we cling to the memory of our last autumn salmon to get us through the cold winter months.

Whoa now! In just one paragraph, I've exceeded the single post limit on flowery, self indulgent, overly romantic prose...

All joking aside, autumn might be my favorite time of year to fish, however, the beauty of the leaves soon turns to headaches and frustration once the leaves hit the water. Hooking leaf after leaf gets old pretty quickly. Unfortunately, there is no "magic bullet" to keep the leaves away and still maintain a fly's full effectiveness, at least none that I'm aware of. I have a trick I use when I can't deal with the irritation any longer. Of course, it's not 100% effective, but it does alleviate the problem a bit. 

When the leaves are at their worst, I use a shrimp or Flamethrower-type tube fly and a single hook. I rotate the hook 180º so the hook points upwards and sort of buries itself in the tail of the fly. To make the fly a bit more "weedless," I add an element of stiffness to the tail of the fly. I take a play of out of the Francis or Pot Bellied Pig playbook and use either stripped hackle stems or wild boar bristles, respectively. If I use stripped hackle stems, I use the lowermost part of the stem. You want something as stiff as possible and with a bit of an upward sweep to help push the drifting leaves away from the hook point. 

Like I said, this is not a "magic bullet," but I find it to be a great improvement over a conventional fly tied on a downward pointing hook. Fish are hooked just fine with the upward pointing hook. I haven't noticed any problems with the fly's orientation in the water. If you're really concerned about it swimming "true," add a bit of weighted tape to the underside of the front part of the tube (where legal). I don't really find this necessary, however. 

Ally's Shrimp Tube Variation w/inverted single hook

Here is the dressing for a converted Ally's Shrimp:

Ally's Shrimp Tube Variation

Tube: .5"-.75" plastic, aluminum, brass or copper

Rear Rib: Oval gold tinsel

Rear Body: Chinese red Uni-Yarn

Tail: 3 stripped hackle stems, dyed orange or grizzly/orange; pearl Krystal Flash; orange bucktail

Front Rib: Oval gold tinsel

Front Body: Black Uni-Yarn

Wing: Grey squirrel tail and golden pheasant tippet

Bottom Wing: Grey squirrel tail

Collar Hackle: Orange rooster

Head: Red

Junction Tube: Color of your choice

Hook: Owner SSW straight eye #2-#4, inverted

----------------------------------------------------

As a professional jazz musician, and in keeping with the tone of the introductory paragraph, I feel obliged to make some kind of corny reference to the classic song "Autumn Leaves." Of course, I might be expected to post a link the quintessential Julian "Cannonball" Adderly recording of the tune (from his 1958 album "Somethin' Else"). However, the tone of the tube fly posted suggests something more recent, so here's Orrin Evans, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits playing it instead: