First Fish

[Wes]

JoeV and I hit a local spot tonight. 36" on a big herring type fly. Best on a fly for me.

[wade&yak]

Very nice Wes !
Housatonic ? I've only managed up 16" lately. Hope more big ones are around !
Andy

[joev]

Glad you got that one Jim.I was starting to wonder about them fish.I will bring the fly rod down next time.Good night out even though the fishin was slow.

JoeV

[Wes]

Andy, yes, and I'm sure they will be around in good numbers now.

[SamRiley]

Nice fish Jim :)
Were you trolling? I haven't done too much of that and could use some pointers. Sinking line? Weed guard?

[ruge13]

Same here....given the tv set.....any idea what depth that fish hit relative to the bottom? What speed were you trolling?

[Wes]

You know Sam, this year has been a whole new thing. Last year I took almost all fly caught fish trolling flats at night with snake flies, wasn't many anyway. This year I haven't had a bump trolling. Maybe it's a difference between snake flies and the clousers and big deceivers I've been dragging all over this year but I don't know. They're all river fish so far, trolling in that much current I may need LC.

I made other good changes:
Added a FF to the yak so I'm not locating fish just by trolling. Spend more time putting fly in front of fish instead, less time fishing water that wouldn't hold them. FF's rule.

Changed from an Int line at rated rod weight to a fast sinker 1 up. Besides putting fly where the fish are faster and longer it also let's me get line back in the water faster. Loads much better so I can retrieve almost to the tip and get it back out quickly. Still not very pretty but we're working in that.

Got some big patterns in the box now for herring and bunker.

Still looking up at the steep part of the curve but it's been working pretty good so far. And the season has really just barely started. . :D :D :D

[Wes]

Shaun,
It was getting close to low slack and much of the river is only a few feet deep at low. They were stacked at the upper edge of a big hole at 8-12 feet down in 14-20 feet of water, There's still a river flow even without the tide so I think the big weighted fly and a fast sink line were key.

Got my first good knuckle bashing, too.

[RJ]

Nice job Wes! Bring those skills to the Hudson and perhaps we can break the fish that are all over the place out of their lethargic ways. Water Temp is still holding the feed back in the Catskill/Athens Area. Fished bait for 5 hours today and had one hit and spit it out. Going tomorrow the do bait and fly and hope the temp. kicks up high enough to make 'em feed. Herring and shad are in the area too, but tight schools and very little shore spawning activity going on.

:-%

[Wes]

RJ, those Hudson fish are tough nuts. I'd like to hit the river weekend of 17/18, maybe weather will hold them. I'm starting to think it's a bait and wait thing or at least pick your spot and keep searching. Seems even when you find them they're off someplace else in heartbeat.