Schuylkill Mondays

Joe and I hit the Schuylkill again yesterday after fishing the Tully in the morning. We hit the water around 2 and fished until 7. With good cloud cover in the afternoon the fishing was steady the whole float. This is the 3rd time we have floated it this summer, with each time we are noticing the fishing keeps getting better. On average the fish are getting bigger with one fish that was about 3lbs, well kinda I lost it at the boat. Between Joe and I we landed 4 different species of fish including a nice channel cat that put up a very impressive flight landed by Joe. 

Joe with the first nice bass of the day!

A really nice Schuylkill Bass

Yesterday we did a lot of experimenting with different patterns and colors. Having great success with tube flies for Steelhead I decided to bring a few along yesterday. I had tied a few Zuddlers on tubes in olive for Steelhead so I figured they would work, and they did. Tubes really help with leverage on bigger fish and also help prolong the life of your flies. The hot colors so far this year have been white, black, chartreuse, and olive.

Check out Joe's Blog for his story and many more pictures http://flyfishingforthesoul.blogspot.com/

Hot Patterns: Crystal Bugger, Zuddler Minnow, Wooly Buggers, and Crayfish

Featured Fly CDC Trico Dun

The CDC Trico Dun is a very effective pattern to fish during a trico hatch. When the trout are keyed in on the spinners many times if you put a dun over them they will go out of there way to eat it. One reason why I enjoy fishing the dun is that it is very visible even in sizes as small as 28. The dun can be fished throughout the entire Trico hatch, you will be amazed at how well you can see it as well as how much fish enjoy it!

Materials

Hook: TMC 100 sz. 22-28

Thread: UNI Thread 8/0 Tan or Olive 

Tails: Mayfly Tails Dun

Abdomen: ECD Trico Abdomen or Light Olive Antron dubbing 

Thorax: ECD Trico Thorax or Hares Ear Dubbing 

Wing: Super Select CDC White or Lt. Dun

Step 1: Start the thread behind the hook eye. Tie in 2 Mayfly Tail Fibers. Split them by bringing it between the fibers.

Step 2: Dub the Abdomen 3/4 up the hook shank

Step 3: Tie in CDC using the tip method (stack 2 or 3 smaller feathers)

Step 4:  Trim the extra CDC create a thread dam in the front of the CDC.

Step 5: Dub the Thorax pushing the CDC straight up and down.

A few finished and ready to fish.

Early Morning Schuylkill Float

With overcast skies and the threat of rain, Joe and I decided to hit the river before work. Early morning is a great time to get smallmouth to come to the surface for poppers and sliders; but we chose a slightly different pattern... the mouse!

Bass love the little rodent!

We didn't have a lot of time so most of the morning I just rowed and Joe fished. He never changed flies and we lost count of the number of bass, sunnies, and rock bass by the time we pulled out. The highlight of the morning was the 30 or so inch musky we spotted cruising next to the boat. Joe made one cast slapping the mouse right on top of the fish, he was interested but first glimpse of us and he was gone. But man was that cool to see my first musky in the wild!

 

Hot Patterns: Hemorrhoidal Mouse, Zuddler Minnow

Summer Caddis

Joe and I hit the Tully after work tonight. When we arrived at the waterworks we were greeted by fish heads everywhere; caddis where flying all over. This time of year the Tully fish become very fast and selective.



We both had a humbling night. We did however manage to land a few nice fish. A couple around 15"



Hot patterns: CDC caddis Tan sz. 18-20 CDC pop emerger green sz. 18-20




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Schuykill River Float

Today Joe Lenny and I took the boat down the Schuylkill River for the first time this season. It was a beautiful day to float, all 3 of us were rewarded with a solid number of fish to the boat. I was in the 80s so we decided to leave the waders in the car and wet wade.

The morning started off a little slow but once we found the fish it was pretty much none stop until we pulled out around 3pm. The majority of the fish were Smallmouth bass, with a few Red-Eyed Rockbass and Sunnies in the mix as well. All in all a great day to be on the river with my 2 fishing buddies!

Hot Flies: Eztas Bugger, Bouface, Bunny Leeches, Zuddler (white and olive)

TCO is now offering full day float trips down the Schuylkill River for smallmouth bass!
Contact the Reading store: (610)-678-1899 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (610)-678-1899      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email me at: Jake@tcoflyfishing.com

Low Water Float

With the water level at 500cfs this morning Joe and I decided to float. Halfway through the day the water came down to 293cfs;despite that we still put the boat in at Reber's Bridge.

Caddis, Sulphurs, and Midges were everywhere and fish were feeding. Most fish seemed to be keyed in on caddis flies both Tan and Green sizes 18 and 20.

 Joe and I fished until we could see no more. We ended the night with 5 between the 2 of us with a few others that we weren't fast enough for.

Getting Ready

Joe working over a few fish

Hot Patterns: CDC Caddis Sz. 18-20 Tan & Green

Bass fishing in NY

Made a trip to up state NY this past weekend for a wedding reception. I had to take my 6wt and mouse patterns!






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Caddis on the Tully

Caddis are very abundant on the river right now. Joe and I hit the Tully on Thursday in the morning. Fish were keyed in on caddis emerges with few adults on the water.

After work, Lenny and I tried it one more time and we were rewarded with fish rising all over to adults.





Hot patterns: CDC Caddis sz 18 & 20 both tan and green.


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TCO Trout Bums

Joe and I headed up to the West branch of the Delaware River Sunday morning to meet Steve from the Bryn Mawr store to fish for 2 days. It wasn't long until meeting up with Steve before he informed us that he had just released his best trout ever; a solid brown. That was the start of my best day of fishing on the Delaware River.

It was a slow start for me, missing my first 2 fish; but with a little more luck and much perseverance I managed 2 nice browns. Joe headed up a small back channel and found a smaller Rainbow feeding on emergers, around the same time Steve was fishing over a few fish on the main river and managed a very acrobatic Delaware Rainbow as well.

We decided to head up river a ways to find more fish, were Joe found 2 nice Browns feeding along the bank in a side riffle. Around that time Henry showed up after working the morning in the shop. Steve hooked an awesome male that took him for a ride down river; and with help landed it in the slack water about 75 yrds down stream. I got my long awaited wish, landing 2 very nice Rainbows!

With the bug life plentiful the fish were readily rising to them, they were eager to eat a well placed fly. With Green Drakes, March Browns, Olives, and Sulphurs all coming off, the fish had their eyes on the Sulphurs. During the early afternoon and into the evening emergers and duns did the trick. Later in the evening there was a pretty solid spinner fall with fish feeding well after we could see our flies.

As the night went on we managed a few more fish. Fishing until we could no longer see; we put our headlamps on and headed for the cars.



Monday was a much slower day with only one fish landed until about 7pm that night. I hooked a really nice fish and as it jumped about 6ft out of the water my line went slack; I had to take a break after that.

Monday we had the whole crew up there, Henry, Steve, Joe, Lenny and myself. Around 7 Joe and I split, looking for a new spot to fish, we found a few fish rising up stream and we managed 2 smaller fish before calling it and heading home. The other guys hung out and were rewarded with a few nice fish before the headlamps went on. Lenny being his first time on the Delaware managed to land a solid fish after a long hard day. Way to go Buddy!

Hot Flies: CDC Sulphur Pop Emerger, CDC Sulphur Dun, Parachute Sulphur spinner, Hot Butt Sulphur spinner, Dark Tan CDC Caddis sz. 14, CDC & Elk Caddis, and CDC Grey Caddis sz. 14