TheFin.com

Fishing in Millbrook, NY - Orvis Sandanona

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of fishing with Bob Meyen, the head of the Orvis fly fishing school at Sandanona in Millbrook, NY.  (You can book him too by calling - 845-677-9701). I'm not much of a trout fisherman but when I found out i was going to be in Millbrook for the weekend I jumped at the opportunity to check out the fishing there.  I met Bob at Orvis and was given the opportunity to fish for rising fish 10 minutes away or bigger fish that we would not see rising 20 minutes away.  I opted to cast to the rising fish.  As soon as we got to the stream Bob noticed a few March Browns coming off the water so I was excited that we might have a good hatch. We did have rising fish but a significant hatch never materialized which made things tough.  Bob tried every fly in the book but could not figure out exactly these fish were rising for.  Whatever it was they must have been just under the surface as nothing was coming off the water.   We ended up with about 6 trout to about 14 inches.  A few were caught on March Browns and a few on Adams (not sure what size we were using).

Bob is one of the best guides I have even been out with (I've been out with a lot).  He is extremely knowledgeable about the local waters, fishing in general, and is an excellent teacher.  He is also one of the most patient guides I have ever met.  Be sure to look him up if you are in the area, you will learn a lot.

3 Quick Fly Rod Reviews

In the last 3 days i have fished with the following fly rods (tough job...).

Lamiglas MBF 906 Freshwater Fly Rod (9' 6wt 2 piece)
Orvis T3 865-2 Freshwater Fly Rod (8.6' 5wt 2 piece)
Orvis ZG Helios 909-4 Fly Rod (9' 9wt 4 piece)

Read the reviews on The Fin Blog Pages

 

Indian River Inlet: Stripers On The Run in Rehoboth Beach

Memorial Day weekend on the Delmarva shore: picturesque beaches, endless boardwalks, salt water taffy, and vinegar soaked french fries...aside from the traffic and timelessly classy wife-beater tans, there's just no place like this home away from home.  Paralleling the annual onset of the burgeoning summer crowds, the depths beneath the surface of the sea come alive, giving birth to schools of Striped Bass.  Indian River Inlet, approximately ten miles south of Rehoboth Beach on Route 1, has long been fabled as a prime location to wet a line.  Not singularly specific to landing Stripers, the Inlet is a productive fishing ground for Sea Trout, Flounder, and Bluefish as well.  Reports from local tackle shops have been unanimous; the Stripers are in, and in thick.  In the Inlet, fishing the two hours previous to, and the two hours subsequent to high tide have proven most successful.  If you make it on the water be sure to have plenty of Bucktails, Swim Shad, Johnson Minnows, and an array Jigs and soft plastics in your box.   According to regulations, each angler is allowed two keepers per day, needing to equal or exceed 28 inches in length.  The blues have not yet made their presence felt in the area, however, some Sea Trout and Flounder are hanging around.  Respectively, each angler is allowed eight Sea Trout greater than 14 inches and four Flounder greater than 19.5 inches per day.  If your fancy is surf-fishing, pick up a bag of frozen bunker or mullet and hit the beaches.  Though your chances of landing a striper are presently quite low, anglers have been pulling in sharks in good numbers, as well as a few blues.  Hopefully, the predicted good weather of the weekend will spawn accruing populations of blues and Kingfish off the beaches.  Fair tidings and good fishing, cheers. 

Here are a few fishing reports to help kick off your Memorial Day weekend

Just in From Captain Brendan McCarthy from Urban Fly Guides: Finally the bigger fish have arrived and the bluefish are moving out to deeper water and leaving the Bass to feed without constant terror. Weather has been atrocious and I for one and am sick and tired from it. and of it.. Here are a few shots form the past few days. Get em while they are hot. Water is still cold so it looks like we will get a few bonus weeks out of the spring in JBay!! Yours, Brendan www.urbanflyguides.com

--From Orange Beach, Alabama Cat Chatrters reports good weather and Good Fishing Once again we enter the fishing season with some good weather and the fishing has been great. We’ve reported to you on the start of the season and how it looked like it might be a sign of better things to come and so far it hasn’t let us down. The offshore action is picking up trolling out around the rigs like the Marlin, Beer Can, Patronius, and even the Ram Powell. Some 60lb. Yellow Fin Tuna and small Black fin Tuna have been caught on each but are still moving around from rig to rig depending on the current and wind direction. Most are being caught trolling with small Ballyhoo and soft head lures wile there have been a few caught with live bait on a kite or chunk fishing. See more of their report here.

--And Finally, WhiteGhost2 from Rhode Island reports lots of pogies in the bay now. More fish arriving each day. Most fish so far in the teens to low twenties on live bait and soft plastics. A lot of big bluefish, the most we have seen in years. many of the bluefish are over 10-pounds. It should get better if the weather cooperates.

Have a great weekend.  To post your fishing reports, CLICK HERE

Stripers in the Sound: The Mouth of the Saugatuck

One late-autumn overcast day while fishing the Chattooga river tail-water off of scenic country Highway 28 (juxtaposed between the Georgia-South Carolina border), I happened upon a calm, methodical, yet effervescent older gentleman.  He slowly extended his hand, which soon culminated in a playfully asphyxiating shake, and introduced himself as "The Dredger".  Aptly named for his crafty nymphing technique, I came to find out he worked for the Georgia Fisheries Department; and after a pleasant and incalculably informative conversation, I had finally landed one fish to his three.  He set down his rod, and reached into his vest for his camera.  Before he snapped the photo, he asked me, "Do you know what us 'Rabunites' call this?" (referring to members of the TU chapter of Rabun Co., GA).  After I replied, "Cheese?", he eagerly and emphatically retorted "Nope...we call this the "Grip and Grin."  I instantly smiled, as the photographer's end fully justified his means.  So how is it that yet again, this picture is left bereft of jaw, fin, and tail, and certainly absent of the "Grip and Grin". Skunked two days in a row...where did err so heinously as to become a pariah amongst the fishing gods?  Verdict still unknown, however, I will again cravenly present a list of grievances excusing my insufficiencies as a fisherman.  Sometime around 6:15, in time to see the tail end of a foggy New England sunrise, I arrived at the Compo Beach boat ramp in Westport, CT.  I dismounted my 14' whitewater canoe from the top of the truck, unloaded my gear and shoved off into the Long Island Sound.  With my wake mimicking the trail of a Sidewinder, I can't say I'll ever be going out in the Sound again without a sea kayak.  After talking with an employee of a local fly shop, I was told the best time to fish in the area would be during the first three hours subsequent to high-tide.  Having travel plans a good hour before the projected high-tide of 10:32AM, I was forced to fish early, nearly in the hearth of low-tide (grievance #1).   With spin gear I casted Yozuris, Johnson Minnows, Bucktails, Jigs, Bombers, Kastmasters, and Pencil Poppers...nothing.  On the fly I casted Clousers, Sand Eels and Deceivers...again all to no avail.  A beautiful day on the water, a wake up call to the effects of my cardiovascular abstinence, and I departed imbued with the pervading aura of a nostalgic New England morning.  All in all, not so bad.  But sleep well knowing that with the passing of each day, the fishing will incrementally, if not exponentially, improve.  Stick to those lures over the next few weeks and you might end up with dinner.  Cheers.

Chasing the Hendrickson: A Day on The Farmington

I know of few anglers who deal well with a vacuous day on the water; bringing no fish to hand and departing with that pride battering sense of aquatic defeat...gettting blanked.  I must admit, I am rarely one who dwells amongst these virtuosos of patient optimism; rather, in these instances I will most often be the guy pouting like a petulant child on the shoreline.  There are, however, the intangibles of a fishing experience, which can make it all worth while, and as the fabled aphorism goes "any day fishing beats a day working".  Arriving on the Farmington River around 7:30 Friday morning, conditions and water levels were seemingly suitable, if not prime, for a productive day on river; and with flows running at 320cfs, both water clarity and wading accessibility were terrific.  We put in approximately five miles south of the Peoples State Forest, a short drive north of New Hartford, CT.  Having never fished the Farmington, I was astounded by it's serenity, health of ecosystem and wealth of good water.  However, that epic day I was looking for never came to fruition, as all positive signs and attributes proved to be specious.  After fishing seven hours in continuum, tying and casting every fly in my pack, at the end of the day I had nothing to show for my efforts.  With a low-pressure system having just passed through and with trout engorged by the recently plentiful Hendrickson hatch, fish were inactive at best.  I watched in horror as countless flies drifted passed the noses of lazy browns and incurious rainbows.  By that time, the hatch had meandered its way through the Peoples State Forest and up to Riverton, appearing intermittently near the Goodwin Dam.  By eleven o'clock every angler on the river had started trekking north, following the Hendrickson like an olfactory incensed bloodhound.  Though personally I couldn't tell you what flies will catch fish, reports say BWO (sizes 22-24), Hendrickson (spinners sizes 12-16), Midge (sizes 22-24), and Tan or Winter Caddis (sizes 18-22) patterns have proven effective.  In terms of the nymphing game, Midge (sizes 20-24), Prince Nymph (sizes 14-18), Copper John (sizes 16-18), Angry Jake (sizes 16-22), Pheasant Tail (beaded/non-beaded sizes 18-24), Stonefly (sizes 10-16) and various Emerger (sizes 18-24) patterns can bring fish to hand.  After talking with avid locals, fishing over the past two weeks has been fruitful.  Latter day fishing with rising air temperatures will help to catalyze hatches, however, early morning fishing has reportedly been good as well.  Thats all I've got, so good luck as I send my best to avoid tarnishing your angling hubris with a zero on the scoreboard.       

Fishermen’s Conservation Association To Host 10th Annual Manhattan Cup in New York City

Tomorrow (May 16) the Fishermen’s Conservation Association (FCA) will celebrate its 10th Annual Manhattan Cup “catch and release" charity fishing tournament in New York City.

The Manhattan Cup has become the largest one-day in-shore tournament    in the Northeast. Approximately 50 professional fishing guides provide their boats and expertise to individual teams competing for the largest striped bass, bluefish and weakfish among three categories (fly, artificial and bait). Proceeds from the event will help the FCA in its efforts to protect local fisheries, ensure access to waterways and promote a sustainable habitat for important game species.  In particular, the main focus for the group is seeking game fish status for striped bass in New York State.

This is a great group of guides and anglers all competing for a good cause.  Hopefully the weather will hold off.

Fishing report for Gardners bay May 15, 2008

May 15, 2008
Paul Dixon reports:
"Great and exciting fishing today...tossed plugs amoung the rocks and had some explosive bass and bluefish pound the old Creek Chub.....a few keepers, most in that cooky cutter 26-27in.......ok boys you can send a few more our way, but not to many, we don't want it to be toooooo easy!!!!!"

Subscribe to these reports and more with The Fin Mobile.  It's free.

Meat Without Feet

Is it just me or do you see fish everywhere too?

bikini-clad fishing guide fired from her day job

Tiffany Shepherd worked at Port St. Lucie High School and Smokin' em Charters, a fishing boat known for having scantily-clad women. Shepherd said she thought the district was under the impression that she worked there topless, but Shepherd says she always wore a bikini. The district said Shephard was fired because she missed more than 30 days of work.