This is a neat site for fisherman AND tiers:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/179542
Good pictures of bugs if you don’t want to get your hands wet or have a PC near your tying table.
Now, if we could just get that warmer weather back!
Author: Micahdammeyer
The Stoneflies Are Comming
Every year I can be found fishing on the New Years weekend. When I was a teenager the holidays were a time when my family was home together and we’d get out of the house as a group (a group of trouble makers) and slide our way to a local trout stream. Our mother was a saint to put up with us and this holiday routine. I recall a few years where I caused us all to be late for Thanksgiving because we were chasing brookies in Jockey Hollow or Christmases where new gear was tested right after it was unwrapped out at Ken Lockwood Gorge; always a fun spot once it was coated with ice. As the years went on and my brothers and I moved further from each other there are less afternoon outings following big early meals. I will never forget being out-fished by one of my brothers who threw a giant purple leach in a honey hole of hatchery rainbows. I’m still scratching my head over that 15 years later.
Nowadays, I still get out in the winter but recall those times with my brothers and father fondly. With the “early black stoneflies” just around the corner I hope to call them on New Year’s Morning and tell them about how they were thick in the air and how they missed it. Next year I’ll be lobbying hard to get everyone together for some icy fishing for sure. Living below the Mason Dixon Line means that there’s a chance for warmer days in the winter than our snowbound friends up North. Warm days and rising water temps signal the little stoneflies to crawl out onto rocks and snow piles to hatch. Snow is a great place to spot them as their dark bodies cure nicely with the reflection from a white background. Even a few adults buzzing around can let you know the time is right for fishing some nymphs in the riffles. As one of the first real hatches of the year, I get pretty excited when I see them fluttering around.
Don’t forget to stop by your local shop and pick up a new license for 2011 and be safe while getting Knee Deep Friday night – DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.
News For MaryLandoweners..and the fish.
Maryland DNR opens on-line nursery. Restrictions apply but one of the qualifying uses is for “Watershed protection”.
http://www.easycartsecure.com/MarylandDepartmentofNaturalResources/
Sounds good for the fish and for everything downstream. If you are a landowner or know someone who is, send them this link. A few trees can go a long way!
Warm Winter Days
Every fly fisherman knows the importance to taking advantage of those odd warm days during winter. While the hatches of April and May seem like the makings of a work-daydream there is still lots of life in that cold water. Winter’s fishing is a great time to get out and fish some bigger flies and explore some streams where things like crowds and banks covered in rose bushes can make access hard during the summer.
Last Saturday I seized the day (read: “gave the wife a day in the house without me dropping stuff everywhere”) and headed out to the Patapsco. I had fished shortly after the Maryland did their fall stocking and, while I was having a blast hooking big rainbows, I regretted leaving without collecting some bugs and seeing what is really going on under the surface.
This time I got in there with my kick net and was amazed with what I found. I only sampled the area below the first riffles following the Daniels Dam. In about 3 square feet I found about 3 dozen insects of note. The primary find was a large scud with big dark caddis following in at a close second. I’ve attached some photos below.
These caddis had lighter colored undersides. They weighed in at a meaty #12 or so and would be EASY to represent with any basic caddis pattern.
These scuds ranged in size from something close to a 16 up to a large 12 or so.
It’s something like and “early black stone” but the stripe is the brighest I’ve ever seen. Very interesting!
These big flat mayflies were great. There’s were lots of them to keep the smallies happy during the summer.
The weather man is calling for a bit of snow but a warm up on Thursday. Cross you fingers!
News For Salty Anglers
In the news today is an announcement coming from NOAA relating to their National Saltwater Angler Registry and the changes coming up for 2011. New for this year :if you’re holding a saltwater fishing license from any state other than Hawaii, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands you’re OK for 2011 and don’t have to re-register. What’s unclear is if “non-resident” licenses make you exempt – I assume yes. I’m hoping there will be more clear revisions of this in the weeks to come.
The link here:
As with many of my fellow anglers I chase stripers up and down the coast so this is an interesting announcement. In discussing with friends today one positive from this announcement is that any funds being charged are staying within the states and not getting lost here on Capitol Hill. I have a sweet spot in my heart for the beaches and jetties of New Jersey so I’m sure my friends up there will be cheering for this one; who doesn’t love paying $15 to get put on a list?
Icing on the cake for New Jersey anglers are rumors of problems registering for 2011 today. Maybe you have to wait till Jan 1. Good luck getting Knee Deep in that process!
November’s Winds Of Change
With the addition of this new blog I hope to post updates of events and fishing reports from recent trips with pictures thrown in.
A run up to the Big Gunpowder Falls this week required some digging through the gear to finds hats and gloves. When we arrived in the morning the temperature on the truck’s thermometer read 26 degrees. We had a frigid start complete with ice in the guides. The water temps were still in the high 40’s and flirting with 50 as the day went on. It was great to be chucking nymphs with gloves on – a novelty which will wear off sometime in February.
I had high hopes for the day but the clouds rolled in and I only saw one caddis. The fish were eagerly chasing streamers but were a little skittish in the low flows.
Careful wading and some long casts were the name of the game but all that could change after this front moves through. Keep checking in. As it rains it’s a great chance to get caught up on the fly tying. The weather looks clear and warm all next week and I have high hopes for the caddis.