Apr 03 2008
‘Match the Hatch’
I was down by the river today, and was looking to see what hatches would be coming off soon due to the warm spring weather. while there, I thought that it would be advantageous for me to share with you some simple methods of searching for nymphs, and seeing what the fish are eating. This knowledge will better help you ‘match the hatch.’
The first, and my personal favorite means, is by simply finding a muddy area, preferably with a lot of stick and leaf build-up. These areas are typically found on the outside edges of river beds, as well as on the upstream sides of rocks, logs, and other objects that hinder the flow of water. This is due to the fact that debris tends to build up on such objects, then sinks.
When you have located one of these areas, reach into the muck, and pull up a handful. Place it on a nearby rock. The water will run off, and make it easy for you to sift through it and see what nymphs are in the water. If you are not familiar with different nymphs, streamside guide books, and the internet are great helps to decided what each nymph is.
The next best way to discover what fish are eating, is simply to pump their stomach. This is not a common method, and I have only seen it done twice, but if you are very careful, you can use a small hand-pump to remove the contents of the fishes stomach without harming the fish.
The key thing to remember, it to do this as quickly, yet carefully, keeping the fish in the water. pumping the stomach will undoubtedly give you the best results in trying decide what the fish are eating. I do not advise that anyone do this without proper prior training from someone who has experience.
This past week I spent time scouting out, and fishing, a local pond here in northeastern Connecticut. It was my first time fishing this specific body of water, so I met up with the owner of the property to discuss the ins and outs of fishing there. After a few minutes of conversation, he began [...]
Although I enjoy the reliability and strength of my modern graphite, Pfueger rod, there tends to be a great joy in casting my grandfather’s handcrafted split bamboo rod. The rod is a ten and a half foot bamboo rod that he acquired long before I was born. My grandfather passed away before I was old [...]
As we are approaching fishing season, there are certain etiquettes that should be discussed.
One of the most important rules of fly fishing is that a fisherman should never, under any circumstances, ‘cull.’
Culling is the very inconsiderate practice of keeping a trout in a creel, and then, after catching larger trout, returns the spent trout to [...]
Spot fishing is a good technique when you find yourself in a situation where there are a number of visible fish rising. The basic idea is to always be ready for a repositioning of the fly to the place of the most current activity, whether that is along the shore, or toward the mid current [...]
The Usual is a very simple fly to tie, and can easily be accomplished by anyone who is starting to tie flies, due to the fact that it is very forgiving. When I tie the Usual, I prefer to use a #10 Mustad hook. I have found this size to be most efficient when fishing [...]