Tully - Hot but Cold

Makes no sense does it? The water coming out of the Dam is reading 72 degrees, however if you choose your location wisely, you can still fish the Tully with water temps in the Low 60s. I was a little worried this past weekend walking into the water for a full day trip. The first thing I did was take the temp at the water works at 5:15am, it was reading 68 degrees, a little worm, but not too hot. So we fished there until about 9am then headed down stream to in search of colder water. We found it at the road to no-where, 66 degrees and fish were very active, then up to the paper mill to fish the confluence of the Cacoosing, 59 degrees. Every fish we hooked was very active and put up an awesome fight. Moral of the story, please check the water temps throughout the day and try to move around till you find cooler water. Have fun and thank you for caring about our fish. 

 

Featured Fly - Sunken Trico

Here is another trico pattern, I wouldn't say its my invention, but it does have a few twists to the traditional sunken trico in the shop. It has worked wonders for me the past few days. I fish it under a pop emerger or a CDC Caddis, only about 6-8 inches below the dry fly.

Materials:

Hook: 2488 sz, 20-26

Bead: Tungsten Bomb Beads sz. 1/16th - Black

Thread: 14/0 Veevus - White or Black 

Rib: Pearl Tinsel sz. Small 

Abdomen: Superfine Dubbing - White or Black 

Thorax: Superfine Dubbing - Black 

Wing: Antron Yarn - White, Lt Grey, or Dun 

Step 1:  Slide the bead on the hook and place in the vise.

Step 2: Make a thread base, tying in the tinsel as you go back.

Step 3: Thinly dub the body, leaving about a hook eye space behind the bead.

Step 4: Wrap the tinsel forward, making a nice segmented body.

Step 5: Tie in the antron for the wing. I tie this in with figure 8 thread wraps.

Step 6: Trim the wings to the length you prefer. For the sunken tricos I like the wings a little sparse.

Step 7: Using the same figure 8 thread wraps, dub the thorax with the black dubbing.

Step 8: Whip finish and Cut off!

Finished Fly:

Here are the two color ways, male sunken and female sunken

Tully Report

Its been a great couple days on the Tully. Fish are eating tricos like crazy. Caddis are still coming off in the morning. So if you can't see the tricos, throw a caddis with sunken trico underneath. If that doesn't do it for ya, go Montana style and 2 dries, caddis and a trico.

Jack, Casey, and I hit it the past couple days, its been great, nymphing when they slow on tricos and caddis, San Juan, Pts, and anything caddis work well.

HOT FLIES: Trico Spinner, CDC Caddis, CDC Trico Dun, Pheasant Tails (20-22)

Fishing Report - Tulpehocken Creek

This week has been very productive thus far. Caddis are all over the water from first light till dark, Sulphurs have been hatching every night around 4pm. We have also been Tricos just about every morning for the past week or so. I have not seen fish keyed in on Tricos just yet, however there were a significant number of spinners on the water this morning. I would have a few spinners in your boxes, in anticipation for the first good spinner fall that should happen very soon.

Row 1: Elk Hair Caddis, CDC Caddis, Z Wing Caddis 

Row 2: CDC Hackle Sulphur, CDC No Thorax Sulphur, Transitional Sulphur Emgerger

Row 3: CDC Trico Dun, Drowned Trico Spinner, CDC Trico Emerger

Male Trico Spinner from this morning

Aside from the Tully, I have been spending a bit of time over on the Manatawny. This is a great little stream for bug life, awesome looking water, and a few more wild fish. The Manatawny has a great Sulphur hatch, among others like Hendricksons, and Caddis. Yesterday morning I was fishing, when I started to see Sulphurs falling to the water. I had great fun for about an hour before I had to go to work. Here is one I got yesterday.

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.