The spring like weather has the fishing heating up in many of our local rivers. The middle branch of the White Clay is giving up good numbers of fish on a consistent basis. The West Branch of the Octoraro is full of pig Rainbows and nice Browns. The East Branch of the Brandywine is fishing well, and many of our un-named wild streams are fishing well. This is one of  the best times of the year for the Trout fisherman, as we transition from winter to spring. The fish become more active as do the bugs. All of these things coming together add up to some great fishing for the next 12 weeks. If ever there was a time to get out and fish, now is it!

  With both of Pennsylvania's opening days as well as the Delaware opener happening within the next three weeks we will have more area to fish. With increased area comes increased angling pressure. I will encourage everyone to explore some of the open water after the "opening day" crowd disperses. Usually after the first week or two the bridge areas are clear of lawn chairs and sand spikes and much of the crowd is done for the year.  Sure you will come across the occasional stringer or jar of Power Bait, but we are all out there fishing and having a good time and that is what it is all about. I have had some of my best fishing on open water after the crowds leave. Give one of these areas a try, i'll bet you will be glad you did. 

  Sunday Rick and I headed out to fish the late morning till dark. The plan was to drop me off at the top section so I could fish through. Rick then drove the truck around to the bottom section and fished up stream. we figured we would meet somewhere in the middle. I chose to fish streamers all day. Actually I fished the very fly we tied in the Smallmouth class the Wednesday before. I committed myself to fishing this fly all day no matter what happened. Well, I am glad to say I never had to second guess myself. The fly preformed great landing several stocked as well as a few wild fish. 

 I met up with Rick about four hours after we split up. The streamer was the ticket as he was finding the fishing tough with a tandem rig of micro stones. It was a cloudy cold overcast day with the water temp getting barely above 41 degrees. 

  The highlight of the day was when we met two young local guys. We have talked to them in the past and after the usual stream side banter we continued fishing down and they went up. All of a sudden I heard a whooo hooo and then what sounded like someone dropping a slab or cord wood off of a 12' ladder into the water. I turned just in time to see a MASSIVE bow leap into the air in an effort to shake the fly loose. Angler and fish did battle for several minutes covering about 100 yards of river. I was the only one with a landing net and they asked if I would net it for them. Gladly I did, I didn't even mind going elbow deep on the now 40 degree water to do it. An awesome fish for sure. After snapping a few pictures the behemoth was released back to the water, hopefully to provide another angler with the thrill of the season.  

(Marblehead note; Get a landing net!)

  "One Boot" Ed text me from the river on Sunday. He was on the West Branch of the Octoraro. The water was colder there as he reports water temp in the high thirties. The fishing was tough, but he did manage to bring a few fish to hand. I will bet this weekend would be great in the fly section. Warmer temps and pressure from up stream for the opening day crowd just may move some fish down to the FF section. Get out and give it a shot. 

  We have had several good reports from the middle branch of the White Clay. I would like to share this one with you. On Wednesday my phone's text alert kept going off. Well, it turns out that my brother was on the middle branch about mid afternoon. Now my bro is not a fly fisher, he prefers to chase Trout with ultra light spinning gear and in-line spinners or micro crank baits. An accomplished angler to say the least, I have seen him work a run with a spinner that would make a seasoned fly fisher jealous. He is artistry in motion on the water, spend a few minutes watching him fish and you will soon realize there is more to ultra light spin fishing than just cast and reel, MUCH more. Anyway he spend Wednesday and Thursday on the middle branch and had banner days on both outings. He did note a definite "turn on" time of about 1:00 in the afternoon. Here is one of the pictures he sent me. Good job bro, one of these days we will get a long rod in your hand. 

 We are coming into the best time of the year for the Trout fisherman. Get out and fish!
                                        
                                                                                                                                                       Tight Lines...

  Well, you can not have a Smallmouth tying class without some kind of Crayfish pattern. This week we tied TP's Brandywine Crawler. The issue with many Crayfish patterns is that there are just too many steps and the patterns take too long to tie. On the flip side there are many "speed" crayfish patterns out there but, many of these seem to be lacking the important features. The pattern we tied last week is a great blend of detail, functionality, and tying time. The class seemed to agree as I believe the completed flies were the best we have seen across the board. 

  First lets take a look at some Ska-opper, homework from the prior week. I was happy to see several great Ska-opper's come in last week. 

 The Speed Pattern for last week was the Rubber Legs. A true speed tie that can be used in many situations.  Chris R came with a beautiful box of flies. He says he has been using this for a Stonefly pattern for years. 

 On Saturday we received a real treat. We got a call around noon asking about our private tying lessons. Turns out it was one of our good customers Patty. Patty and her husband Ray have been strong supporters of the shop for quite some time. They have two young boys both of which are very enthusiastic about our sport. Everett and Calvin are two of the most polite and well behaved young men we have ever had in the shop. They come in, look you dead in the eye when they shake your hand and hold on a conversation better than many grown ups. It is truly a pleasure to have them in the shop. 

 It turns out while on a recent vacation to Steamboat, Colorado Everett went into a local fly shop and the shop owner helped him tie an egg fly. Everett enjoyed the experience so his mom called and scheduled a private lesson for him. With Terry instructing and Everett following his teaching to a tee, two exceptional patterns were tied. The first pattern was a local staple pattern, the Green Weenie. Everett did so well there was enough time to fit in a second pattern. For the second fly he chose the San Juan Worm. Everett tied the Maroon pattern with confidence of someone twice his age. The smile in the picture says it all. We just had to share this with everybody. Thank you Everett for a great teaching experience. 

  We had the second Smallmouth tying class last Wednesday. This class really is turning into a bunch of fun. It is nice to teach the actual patterns that we fish on the Brandywine to others so they too can catch with them. We believe the guys in the class feel the same way because the homework we saw this week was great. 

  The pattern we tied this week was Scott Howell's Ska-opper. A hybrid fly that combines the waking action of a skater and the chugging action of a popper hence the name Ska-opper. Originally designed as an Atlantic Salmon or Steelhead fly, we have been fishing it successfully for Smallmouth for several years now. Truly a fun way to fish because it is very visual. There is nothing like watching this fly chug and spit it's way across the surface only to see a Smallie blow up on it. Once you catch a few on the Ska-opper you will be "hooked" forever. To hear about the origin of the Ska-opper and see it in action click here. 


 The second fly we did last week was the Rubber Legs. A simple tie with only 2 materials, chenille and rubber legs. We used verigated chenille for the class fly, but you are only limited to your imagination. One of out great customers, Ed Collins, asked that we combine the Green Weenie and the Rubber legs for him last year. We came up with this and he couldn't be happier. 

  Like I said colors are only limited to your imagination, but black, brown, olive, and chartreuse seem to be the most popular. 
                         
Here are the recipies for both patterns.              

 The next series shows the deer hair being applied to the shank. I believe Terry used 4 clumps of hair while tying the class fly. While applying the hair start where the yarn body ends and work your way forward. We used a stacker in class, but this is optional. The stacking and trimming of the deer hair takes as long to complete as the rest of the fly. We spent a fair amount of time in class doing this. When you get the progression down it seems like you can bang one of these out in about 10 to 15 minutes. 

 And here are the completed flies. I am really excited to see the homework next week, and even more excited to hear the stories when the guys start to fish and catch with this fly. 

 Well, things on the trout river may be looking up. The last time we fished  Rick and Terry went to the Gunpowder. It was one of those miserable Sunday afternoons a few weeks back. With water temps in the mid to high thirties, no bug activity and not much to show for the afternoon there was not much to report. I am happy to say this past week things were different. We have had several promising reports as well as a good first hand experience on the rivers this past week.  The good weather this past weekend had the fish active and the rivers full of fisherman willing to take advantage of that. My son, Tyler had a decent afternoon on the White Clay on Saturday. He only had a few hours to fish and brought a few fish to hand. We have had several customer reports stating the same thing, "if you can find a spot that hasn't had too much pressure there are fish to be had" one customer told me this weekend. The Clay is chock full of fish and the warmer weather should only make this local river fish even better. 

  Sunday afternoon commitments kept Terry and I from fishing together. The need to be home early sent he and Rick to the Brandywine. They spent the afternoon casting their two hand rods. Terry was trying his new 13 foot 8 weight NRX for the first time. I am sure there will be a review to follow, but the text I received Sunday night says it all; "this thing is a rocket"! Stay tuned, more to follow on this I am sure. Terry and Rick reported the water level looks good with temps in the mid forties. One interesting thing was the hatch of Early Black Stoneflies Sunday afternoon. This is the right time of year for them, but Terry said he can't recall ever seeing them on the Brandywine in numbers like he saw yesterday. This may be a good sign of things to come. 

 As I was on the river Sunday afternoon my phone started to ding. One Boot Ed had been on the West branch of the Octoraro earlier in the day. He sent me the three pictures posted below. He said in one of his texts that these are the best looking stocked browns he has seen in a while. Well, that big ole' Bow looks pretty good as well buddy. Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. 

  Octoraro water temps were in the mid to high forties with minimal bug activity  Terry D from our tying classes reported a great Caddis hatch while fishing a stretch of local private water. He and Paul R were fishing Saturday afternoon within a half hour of the shop. 


  Sunday found me on the water flying solo. This is the first time I have fished by myself in quite a while. I love being on the water with good friends and the camaraderie that goes along with it. I would never want to change that. I must say there is something zen like being on the river by yourself that I have also come to enjoy. I had a great day on Sunday fishing, thinking, learning, and clearing my head, oh yeah and catching a fish or two. 


  I got a late start and hit the water at about 2:15 in the afternoon. Part of the reason for the late start was because I was getting my new Umpqua Overlook 500 pack ready. I REALLY like this pack and I am sure after a few more outings with it I will post up a review. 

 The thermometer showed the water temp to be 46 when I started. As I was walking to the spot I wanted to start a hatch of Stoneflies started to come off. The air was full, and I mean full of Stoneflies for about 10 minutes. Then, like somebody flipped a switch it was over. It lasted just long enough for me to cut off my tandem nymph rig and tie on a dry and dropper. By the time I was finished re-rigging it was over, so back to the tandem nymph rig. As I type this I just realized, I rigged and re-rigged my set up three times before I even had a wet line! While flipping rocks I found Clinger Nymphs, Caddis Larva, and Midge larva. My most productive fly was one of my  nondescript patterns, basically a modified Hares Ear tied with SLF Sowbug tan dubbing.  

  All in all it was a great week to be out on the river. Hopefully you were able to get out and enjoy the weekend. Now that we are in the middle of March better weather and better fishing are right around the corner. If you had a good day locally or a great trip to somewhere exotic we would like to hear about it. Click here to check out our "picture sharing page" and see some of the recent photos we have received. Until next time.


                                                                                                                                    Tight lines...

  This class was a mixture of guys from the beginner class, the advanced class and a few new comers.  It was great to see everybody in the shop and tying again. I know it has only been a week, it seems like it was much longer.  

  Fly number two for the night was the Schminnow. We went with a Sunfish color pallet using Damsel green marabou, and Gold Estaz. To Spruce things up we added a beard of orange Ice Dub, but this is totally optional. My other favorite colors are white and root beer. We also know of one favorite color combo being a Chartreuse tail and Butter Rum body. That is the beauty of tying our own flies, the sky is the limit as far as colors go.  

  Here Brian Mac Sr is working his tail into place. Unfortunately this fly is so fast to tie the next picture is the finished pattern. Note the clipped marabou tail. I don't know what possessed Norm to do that the first time, but the pattern definitely swims better like this. 

 We all have heard the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” they just didn't say which thousand words you will be saying after you see the end result. With the launching a new section of our web site dedicated to customer pictures I thought it would be a good idea to go over a few tips for taking better fish photographs. Whether you are on a trip of a lifetime or on your local farm pond catching Bluegills quality pictures will last a lifetime. In our “digital” world of today, web sites, forums, and blogs are full of fish pictures. Some of them are great so of them not. Hopefully these tips will put your photos in the former and not the latter category. I am not a professional photographer, far from it, so we scoured the internet. With information found there and through personal experience we have compiled a list of 20 items that should help ensure quality photos.

1. Be prepared. Have a camera, film, flash and batteries with you at all times.
2. Make sure that your fishing buddy knows how to use the camera, too. Practice on shore before you land the big one!
3. Always use a flash to eliminate shadows and intensify color and contrast. Some cameras have a fill flash setting. Find out if that includes your camera.
4. Shoot with the sun at your back, turning the boat if necessary.
5. Zoom in as close as possible on a few shots, eliminating most background.
6. Take photos with both horizontal and vertical orientations. This makes for a better choice in how you use the pictures including in scrapbooks.
7. Remove / exclude distracting items – e.g. beverage cans, sunglasses, etc.
8. Keep the “horizon” level and include some background other than water.
9. Photograph special catches and the fishing action as it plays out.   
10. Avoid stringer shots and photos of dead fish. Practice catch and release as much as possible.
11. Avoid bloody and distasteful shots.
12.  For a cool effect leave the fly in the fish’s mouth.
13. Take “live release” photos at boat side or river side.
14. Consider getting an inexpensive digital camera, just in case it ends up in the water.
15. Using a digital camera? Make sure it is 3 megapixels or better.
16. If you are going on a multi-day trip remember to take extra batteries. If you are using a digital camera it is a good idea to have two or more memory cards.
17. Swap memory cards at the end of each day so that at least one card is on dry land at all times. This ensures you always have some pictures of your trip regardless of what happens to the camera out on the water.
18. Record the length / weight / date / and lake on the back of the photo. Some digital cameras have a video or audio option. You can use this to record this information and transcribe it later.
19. Kids fishing or doing shore lunch? Take lots of photos.
20. Smile. Tons of great shots aren’t so great if you don’t look like you are having fun.

 Remember to always handle the fish carefully and treat them with respect. Without the fish our sport kind of looses its luster. Lets all practice catch and release and do our best to take care of the fly fisherman’s most prized resource. Photos will help you tell the story of your fishing trip. With that in mind remember to take pictures before and after you start fishing. These pictures can be used to bookend your awesome action shots. 


  Hopefully these tips will help you take better pictures this season while out on the water. We would love to see the end result...for more information on our new picture sharing page click here. Lets get those pictures coming in.


                                                                                                                    Tight lines...

We received this the other day from our friends from the Saltwater fly anglers of Delaware

The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park to close for 2013 beach nesting season
 
LEWES (Feb. 26, 2013) The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, including a stretch of ocean beach and dunes, and a half mile along the bay shoreline, will close beginning Friday, March 1, for the benefit of piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other threatened and endangered  beach nesters and migratory shorebirds.   
 
The nesting habitat on the ocean side will reopen Sunday, Sept. 1, when the season’s young birds are typically able to fly. The bay side beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.  
 
DNREC’s Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have been working together since 1990 to implement a management plan to halt the decline of beach nesters and migratory shorebird populations. The Point has been closed annually since 1993. 
 
“We appreciate the public’s cooperation in this effort,” said Park Superintendent Paul Faircloth. “DNREC is committed to providing protection for these species, hopefully to prevent them from disappearing in Delaware,”
 
For more information, the public can contact the Cape Henlopen State Park office at 302-645-8983.