*crawls out of a hole in the ground*
Well, we’re a month into Spring, Steelhead are in the rivers, Trout season opens in four days and I have a week of vacation coming up. My fly tying station has been occupying a good part of our kitchen table for the last couple weeks, which is always an indication that final preparations are underway. Things are looking up, sort of.
There’s been a lot of research and purchases of new gear again for the 2015 season, which I’ll probably go into more detail on in a later post. It’s somewhat of an addiction I guess – no matter how content I feel with my current gear, it’s never long before I find a reason to either upgrade or expand my collection. This year’s list includes waders, a sling pack, new fly lines, new reels and possibly a new Steelhead rod.
On the negative side, the MNR has released an updated draft proposal for changes to the Credit River Management Objectives. This draft further outlines proposals to basically turn all clean/cold sections of the Credit River and its tributaries into purely Atlantic Salmon and Brook Trout water. This includes removal of existing wild Brown and Rainbow Trout in much of the river. The MNR will likely make this proposal public at some point in the near future, providing a window of time for public feedback and comments. I sincerely hope that as many people as possible become well informed on this matter and make their voices heard. If you’re interested in some of my initial thoughts on this matter, read this. I’m sure I’ll post more on the subject in the coming weeks. While I love Brookies (no comment on the Atlantic Salmon), these proposals have me going into the 2015 season with a sense of sadness, knowing that the excellent self-sustaining wild Brown Trout fishery we have in the upper river could be nearing its end.
Enough of that for now though… it’s time to dust off your gear and prepare for another season of trout fishing in Ontario!
Glad to see you blog back this season. I might be in for a pep talk, though. I’ve spent some time this spring near Georgetown (Glen Williams) along the Credit, Silver Creek and a tiny section of Black Creek near Limehouse. Not a single bite. Been Using a small wooly bugger (black with some green shiny strands) and some tiny bead head nymph, with or without some sink weights on both setups. Mostly drift on a swing 45 degrees to tension and then move down river 2-3 steps and repeat, looking for deep spots/rocks and lanes where fish my feed. No bites. I was on/off last year and only got chubs in the Eramosa. Is there a way to increase odds. Is it a matter of patience? I’m not that naive to think I’ll pull fish in like Lefty Krech, but no bites after a few hours (9am-12:30PM); I’m looking for your perspective?
Hi PR. When fishing very small streams like this, stealth is probably more important than fly selection or technique. Make sure you approach productive looking water from downstream and/or hide as much as possible, getting on your knees if needed. Stay out of the water and cast from the bank if possible. Trout spook extremely easily on waters like this, so this is probably the most important point.
Regarding flies, a generic bead head nymph like a hares ear is good for deeper pockets. I prefer using a bead head soft hackle fly on small water like this though, as it can both be dead drifted or swung. While you can do the same thing with a standard nymph, I feel like the soft hackle makes the fly more life-like on the swing. I find it also slows down the sink rate a little, making it easier to control in small slow waters.
Also, don’t discount dry flies, even early season when there are no visible hatches. I like to use something that floats really well, in a size 12-14. A Red or Yellow Humpy has worked well for me, but even a simple elk hair caddis will do. Usually I’ll try drifting it naturally and if that doesn’t produce any hits, I’ll try skating it across the surface. You can change up the skating pattern… what works well for me is skating the fly one or two feet as soon as it hits the water, let it drift a bit and repeat. Other times I’ll drag it slowly across the entire width of the stream. Often this will really drive the trout crazy.
Good luck out there and let me know if this helps out.
Thank you for that! I’ll give it a try and hope to report back with some success!