Crossroads Anglers awarded the Croix de Cheeseburger with IPA Clusters — and mini Housy streamer report

Oct30

The book tour continues! Great turnout Tuesday night at the Crossroads Anglers in Foxboro, MA. They understand that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, so my pork dumplings and ghost pepper American cheese burger with fries, all washed down with a tasty IPA draft, was both delicious and much appreciated. We had a semi-lengthy (always a good thing!) post-talk Q&A session, which is my favorite part of presenting. I thank them for their hospitality and their enthusiasm.

Yesterday I decided to play hooky. Since I hadn’t yet done my annual fall Housy streamer outing, that was the call. The sun was welcome for feeling good, but not so much for fishing; and the wind was challenge in terms of casting and the volume of dead leaves it put in the water. Holy crowds, Batman! I counted eight anglers during my day, which is about six more than I would expect to see this time of year. So: water level excellent, leaves a problem. I fished seven marks and had bumps in only two of them, with one spirited rainbow to net. I spoke with several anglers who said they’d blanked; only one said he’d landed a trout. Hatch activity was basically non-existent; I think I saw three insects all day that weren’t midges. Oh. Yes. I also fell in. Completely soaked from the waist down. That wasn’t my favorite moment of the day.

The soft-hackled Mickey Finn is an oldie but a goody. (Speaking of old, this photo might be ten years old.) I started fishing a soft-hackled Black Ghost, but lost it at the second mark to a streamside tree. My action came on the SHMF, which has been a good producer on this river over the years. I was mystified by the lack of action, though. That’s why they call it fishing, and all that…

Housy Streamer Frustration

Oct24

The Housatonic spiked at about 500cfs yesterday and was running with a light tea stain. Perfect streamer conditions, wouldn’t you say? I would, so I headed out with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski, both of us dedicated to the streamer cause.

We started about 12:30pm, in the northern part of the TMA. I was fishing a Black Ghost soft-hackled streamer, and right away I was into a fish, the sharp tug of the strike and head shake sending an electric current of excitement through my body. The joy was short lived. Moments later, whatever was on came off, and this was to be the pattern fro the afternoon. At this first pool, we had ten (seemingly) quality hits between us, with zero conversions. I can’t remember that ever happening while streamer fishing.

**Proof that I do, in fact, know what the hell I’m doing. Same streamer template, hook size, and river, from almost the exact same date 11 years ago.**

I tried to figure it out. Stocked fish that hadn’t quite figured out how to eat a fleeing baitfish? Maybe, but they’ve been in the water for nearly a month. Streamer too large? I’ve been catching Housy trout for decades on a size 6 streamer hook. Dull hook point? Nope. I was all over that. Bad luck? Maybe, but we had well over a dozen hits each with no conversions.

We fished four marks and confirmed trout in three of them, so we never felt like we were wasting our time. I know where these fish live. And, as a famous cyborg once said, “I’ll be back.”

Farmington River Report 3/10/22: Slow she goes

Mar11

I fished the Farmington yesterday from 1pm-4pm, dedicated to the streamer cause. We had bright sunlight and seasonal temperatures; the water in the Permanent TMA was 480cfs and clear. While there were a few bugs in the air (midges and and a very small dark un-IDed mayfly) I didn’t see any surface activity. Angler traffic was moderate; there were people fishing in two of the three pools I visited.

The first mark was a riffley dump-in to a larger pool; the method was long-leader jigged mini-streamers. That was a blank. I had the second mark to myself. Again, I went the jigged streamer route with no love. I switched over to a more traditional streamer (Coffey Sparkle Minnow) and my full-sink integrated line and hammered up zero-point-zero trout. Not one measly touch.

The third mark was by now in the shade, which I hoped would work to my advantage. I worked downstream in a long pool with the same results. A walk upstream a 150 yard through the woods warmed me up a bit, and I cycled through again. Finally, a dull thud, a hookset, and soon a chunky rainbow was in the hoop. This is tough time of year to fish (I did not see another trout hooked all afternoon). Happy with one, I called it a day.

**Capture! It felt so good after 2 hours and 55 minutes of blankness. Pre-celebrated with a San Cristobal Quintessence Churchill.**

Trout Streamer Leaders for Floating and Full-Sink Lines

Dec28

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “What’s your streamer leader formula?” The answer depends on two factors: the kind of line I’m using, and what I want the fly to do.

When I’m fishing streamers for trout, I fish two kinds of lines: either an integrated full-sink line or a floater. Let’s start with the full sink.

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Here’s a pdf: Trout Streamer Leaders

I use the full sink mostly in winter. Sometimes I’ll use it during warmer weather if the river is running high. I choose the full sink when I want the line to help the fly get down; consequently, the leader is kept short, three feet or less. Anything over three feet and you begin to defeat the purpose of the full-sink line. Don’t worry about the fly being so close to that heavy, dark string — the last thing a predatory brown is focusing on is your line.

There are a few deep holes in the Farmington that I like to dredge in winter. Unfortunately, bottom structure — snags — is often part of the cost of admission to those lairs. That’s when I’ll use the lighter of the two sinking line leader systems, simply because it’s easier to break off the snag from hell.

As you can see, the floating line system is likewise simple. A standard-issue Ox or lx tapered leader does the job nicely. This is what I’ll use for the vast majority of my streamer fishing, or when I am fishing a big floating fly like a mouse pattern. I’ll add tippet material that matches the terminal end of the taper if the leader gets too short. I will also add tippet material if I want to get my fly down deeper. A floating line gives you the ability to mend, and consequently harness the power of the current or sink your fly. So, about 7 1/2 feet for most applications, and about 10 feet to help get the fly deep.

Big trout don’t care about that heavy black string snaking through the water ahead of your fly. Taken on a Deep Threat streamer and a full-sink line.

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