02/11/18 - Do You Even Fish Anymore, Bruh?

Do You Even Fish Anymore, Bruh?

FINALLY! We got a break in the weather! Now, let's be abundantly clear about something. I pride myself on fishing all year. I do not prefer the cold, but I'll endure it to help hone my skills and feed my addiction. Folks who fish all year know that winter can possess some of the biggest challenges for anglers looking to hook up an enjoy themselves in the bitter cold. In the Midwest, we get real winters - snow, wind, freezing rain, and bone chilling temperatures. So, I was happy to get out when it was a simmering 22 degrees. I felt as is the veil of winter was giving us a brief reprieve from its icy hands. Alas, I was mistaken. If you remember correctly, some little rodent in Pennsylvania predicted 6 more weeks of this stuff. I say it's high time we gave that little pest the boot and asked him to reconsider his day job. Seriously, a groundhog in a top hat predicting weather? I guess it's not far off from the professionals who actually model the forecast. Good thing they have charm and personality. This guy can't even wipe his own back-end. Groundhog rant, OVER. Moral of the story, winter is a long and terrible mistress for the fly fisherman. We braved the elements last Sunday for a short trip, and honestly, my expectations were not high.

Sun's Out, Gun's Out - Yeah, no....

As I mentioned above, the weather was in the low 20s. In the sun, the car said 35, so that made me feel tons better. Once I stepped out, I felt like a cruel trick was being played on me. It was even worse given that weather earlier in the week was flat out brutal. This was like getting stood-up at senior prom. I planned to fish about a 1 mile stretch near highway 85, but I saw the icebergs cruising down Spearfish Creek from the highway. I didn't want to pull another Titanic. You know, "I'll never let go, Jack"?! Well, I ain't Leo, and I ain't about to sink. So, we stopped by a fairly pressured spot in the middle of the city park. There are a number of runs and holes that are productive, but the fish aren't dumb in this area, either. Gink and Gasoline has some good tips for hooking up in highly pressured water. Click the link to find out more. Anyway, we're sitting at low 20s, a foot of snow, and trying to navigate the tricky area in order to catch some fish. With the water temperature hovering below freezing, I knew that I had to manage well. The elements and conditions were not favorable for a banner day.

Havin' Any Luck? (I hate that question)

I was itchin' for hookups on this day. So, I had to pay attention to my rig, my fly selection, and most importantly - my presentation. I was using my 7'6" 3 wt on the water, and it's my daily driver - for the most part. I noticed fish hovering in the slack water on tailouts and hugging the current seams near the bottom. These data told me a number of things, but the two most important lessons I learned were these.... First, I really had to pay attention to the depth I was fishing my flies and manage my line well. The second thing, my casting and drift better be spot on. To be clear, I needed to float the flies at the right depth and navigate the current well, with proper mends, in order to actually get any nibbles. The fish were hungry for some scud lovin', and they took eagerly as soon as I figured out the right drifts. We'll put it this way, you don't go to the back door of a restaurant to get your meal, do you? Heck no, you pull up right to the table and wait for the supper to be served. It's the same way when fly fishing for pressured, winterized trout. They're not going to jump for a meal, so you better get the meal on the plate and deliver it straight to the table. That's exactly what we did, and to better control out depth, we used a method of fishing that is similar to European Nymphing. It's a simple, effective way to maximize your results. See the video below (and link above)

We made good use of these techniques and it produced! My little feet could only handle a couple hours in the cold before calling it a day. In the end, we put 8 fish in the net and went home feeling accomplished. The browns ranged from 10 to 16 inches with the lion's share being in the 14 to 16 inch range. 

We'll end this post with a "rig rundown" to help you get an idea of what I was fishing and the presentation style I employed to have good results on this day.

Rig Rundown

Rod - 3 wt Echo
Reel - Lamson
Line - WF 3wt
Leader 9ft 5x Rio leader
Tippet - 5x Rio Powerflex Plus
Fly rig - Euro jig (lead fly), UV Orange Scud (dropper), Jig Copper John (dropper)

Here's a little fish candy to end your day....

Keep 'em wet,
MB

01/28/18 - Iced guides, slips, and slides

The fly line felt heavy as I began my back cast. I could feel the momentum building as the rod loaded. Stopping abruptly at 11 O'clock, the rod pulse with energy. I brought the graphite tool forward - stopping again at 1 O'clock. THUD! Squirmy wormy to the back of the head. Listen, we paid the piper. At least it wasn't an articulated streamer with gnarly lead eyes. That would have hurt. I snipped the tippet and set my rig up again. It was destined to be "one of those days". It was snowing on one of my old haunts, and when I parked the car - the mercury stood at a brisk 15 degrees. Ouch.

Today we're going to recap Sunday's adventure. It's more of a tale about persistence and beauty than it is catching the data and subsequent fish. We'll do all the normal rundowns in terms of our atmospheric data and fish caught (yes, we still netted fish). Last, we're going to do something I promised last week - we'll give you a dashboard on fly selection for Spearfish Creek Browns. In addition, we've got a little data on the importance of water temperature.

Atmospheric Apocalypse

Looking at the weather and stream data, one should not be surprised that fish were tough to come by. As mentioned above, air temperature hovered between 15 and 17 degrees. Humidity was high as the snow continued to fall and turned the beloved Black Hills into a sea of white. I could spot fish in the creek, and it was clear they were in a serious holding pattern. Sitting in a couple distinct water columns, I knew my drifts had to go down the stream without a hitch. We'll get more into the importance of a good drift as we delve further into the series, but for now....just know you need a good one - that's not a total drag :). At any rate, I waited to test the water temperature until after I netted the first fish. Upon a successful release, I took a reading. 35 degrees was the water temperature. Thank god for snow pants and smartwool socks. Because for you greenhorns out there, 35 degree water is enough to put your body through a serious condition in short order. In other words, respect the water and its temperature. Not doing so could end your fishing day, and in some waters, your life. Needless to say, the weather was miserable. And for the first time in a while, I was pleased to hop out of the water and run errands for my wife. There is something to be said about the majesty of a new-fallen snow on the tall hills once inhabited by the Lakota in our sacred Black Hills. The way the big flakes kiss the earth and fill the streams offers a fresh perspective as to why we're here. All we have is time, and seeing things like this is what drives me as a fisherman.

Net Results

In the 180 minutes spent on the water, we pulled in 2 fish. Yes, 2. That's it. That's all. End of story. Or is it? This is a really good spot to segue into the dashboard - which really focuses on the importance of water temperature. We'll get to that in a minute. The couple fish I managed to put in the net weren't bad fish. The first, which had a very subtle take - measured at 16". This is a good fish for this section of Spearfish Creek. Our second fish was a shade over 14". So, while not surprised at having to work for the fish - I was pleased with the result. Both eagerly took a Frenchie I tied up. This is a special fly to me because of the color scheme. The collar of the fly is chartreuse in nature. So, it screams as it descends into the Brown Trout stomping grounds. Fish seem to dig it. Again, I stray from the point. The weather, lack of bugs on the water, and the generally terrible weather told me it was going to be slim pickins on Sunday. In the end, I had a great time....until I didn't :).

Data Dig

The charts below are going to shed some serious light on the importance of conditions when you're seeking to put fish in your net. Seriously, the data don't lie.

I want to first focus on the water temperature piece. Notice a trend here? Sure you do. Even though the sample is limited at this juncture, a distinct pattern of information is emerging as an important factor in how many hook-ups you're getting on the water. There is a certain evolution in fisherman, and it goes like this. First, it's just good to be out. Then it transcends into number of fish caught. From there we travel to being a "size king". We conclude at, "it's good to be out." I'm at a pretty adventurous stage in my fishing adventures. Ok, back to the point! 5 fish netted when the water dips to or below 35 degrees. 36 fish were caught when water temperatures were 37 or above.  LIGHTBULB! So, all those warnings about water temp being important are true? Get outta town! Yeah, they are. And the data are telling you so.

Okay, the other thing you need to realize by looking at this dashboard is the fly selection. I'm no Tom Rosenbauer. In other words, unlike some, I don't fiddle with fly selection a lot. Taking the advice from Fly Shop bums passed on many moons ago, "fool with your rig first." Adjust depth and weight multiple times before messing with your flies. Now, this is probably personal opinion, but I think the results show I can be successful using a really basic setup. Approximately 65% of the fish I've caught over the the last few trips...were caught on one pattern. Another 22% were taken on another pattern. I've had great success keeping it simple. Bottom line, know what is on the menu for fish; however, know where they are sitting in the water. This enables you to toss pretty much any menu item at them....and pass it by in a way that they can't refuse it. Trout are opportunistic feeders, it's up to you to create the opportunity. It's the guy, not the fly sometimes.

I'll drop a video on one of Sunday's catches later in the week, but we're going to sign off for now.

Keep 'em wet,
MB