Tag Archives: wild trout

Small Stream Exploring

IMG_1355

My dad recently bought some property and built a cabin in the western Adirondacks.  I finally got up here to enjoy some quality time with the family.   My dad’s property back’s up to a remote stream, so yesterday I decided to give it a go and see if there were any wild trout.  We hiked through the property to get to the water.  This creek is nice and remote, and the only other way to access this section besides my dad’s property is a 3-mile hike in.   I rigged up with my favorite way for prospecting small streams: a size 16 mini muddler.  This fly is like a small Turk’s Tarantula.  You can fish the mini muddler as a dry fly up stream and then swing it through a run downstream at the end of your drift.  It’s a great way to cover a lot of water.  On some of the slower pools, I switched to a Hendrickson Comparadun.

Tea color water of the Adirondacks comes from the decaying vegetation and leaves.
Tea color water of the Adirondacks comes from the decaying vegetation and leaves.
IMG_1353
The pocket on the other side of the main current yielded a small brookie

I hooked up with a lot of wild brookies, and they were spread out pretty evenly in different kinds of water.  The creek had the classic Adirondack tea color with lots of structure, runs, pools, and pockets.  Lots of midge activity on the surface with the occasional Hendrickson.  It was an amazing time just exploring and catching these small but aggressive trout.

IMG_1352

Brookies have such great colors.
Brookies have such great colors.

IMG_1349

IMG_1354

IMG_1351

IMG_1348

Hendrickson Comparadun
Hendrickson Comparadun

IMG_1341

IMG_1340

IMG_1346
Nice slower pool
This guys was the winner of the day at 6"
This guys was the winner of the day at 6″

One Last Time…

IMG_1066

My time in Colorado is almost done.  Jess and I are starting our drive back east tomorrow, so I decided to get back into the Stagecoach Tailwaters one last time.  With the access road still closed, I borrowed my neighbors bike to cut down the travel time.

IMG_1043

The fishing started slow with temps around 15 degrees when I first arrived.  Nymphing zebra midges was the way to go until about 11 o’clock when more trout heads started to look up towards the surface.  Black and olive size 20 RS2’s were the next flies that took trout.  At about noon, aggressive surface activity picked up and I switched over to Charlie Craven’s size 20 mole fly.  This fly did the most damage and was consistently nailing the fish until about 1:30 when the trout began sipping in more of a rhythm.  When this started, I still got some on the mole fly, but when I tied on a snowshoe spinner it was instant success until I left.  21 trout in total, 4 on nymphs, 17 on dries.  The size range was 8-20″, great colors on the rainbows!  Now back to the New Jersey for a week, some fishing with fellow bloggers Chris, Dave, and Zach, then off to the Bahamas in pursuit of bonefish! Thanks Steamboat Springs for everything these past 6 weeks, it has been amazing.

IMG_1065
Lower Tailwaters

 

IMG_1064
Middle Tailwaters

 

IMG_1044
Size 20 Zebra Midge on the Nose
IMG_1045
A fiesty little guy
IMG_1046
Just over 19″ on the Zebra Midge
IMG_1048
Size 20 Black RS2
IMG_1049
RS2 again

IMG_1050

IMG_1051

IMG_1052
RS2
Hook: 20
Thread: Black
Tail: Two Split Microfibbets
Wing: Snowshoe Hare Foot
Body: Black Superfine

IMG_1055

IMG_1056
This guy was just over 20″, had him on a size 20 mole fly
IMG_1057
Nice hook jaw

IMG_1058

IMG_1059
Mole Fly again

IMG_1060

IMG_1061
Size 20 Snowshoe Spinner

IMG_1062

IMG_1070
Mud on everything!

 

 

RS2 Saves the Day!

So after last time into the Stagecoach tailwaters, I tied up half a dozen size 18 comparaduns. Well guess what, when I got to the tailwaters today, the fished wanted nothing to do with that fly. Luckily, I also tied up half a dozen RS2’s in size 20 black and olive.  I fished only dries and the RS2’s accounted for all of my hookups.  A dozen rainbows and one brookie, nice day on the river!

Smooth Glassy Pockets
Smooth Glassy Pockets
Rainbow with my Orvis Access 4wt.
Rainbow with my Orvis Access 4wt.

IMG_0966

Fiesty Rainbow
Fiesty Rainbow

IMG_0964

Another Tailwalker
Another tail walker
A brookie for good measure!
A brookie to round out the day