Hendrickson Hatch on the Ausable

Hendrickson with egg sack

As the water levels continue to recede on the Ausable, the dry fly fishing is starting to pick up.  Yesterday evening I headed up river from Wilmington to do some fishing.  Brookie and I started off fishing in a pocket water section of the catch and release area; we pulled one rainbow out using heavy nymphs.  Then we decided to check out the insect activity further up along River Road.  Standing on a slow moving section of river, we enjoyed watching the many Hendrickson spinners and a few trout feeding.  We didn't even fish; we just observed the spectacle and tried to photograph a Hendrickson.  It wasn't easy to find one that wanted to sit still for a photo shoot.  This one sat on my finger just long enough for a few pictures before flying off.

European nymphing the Ausable River

This weekend Wilmington and the Ausable River were busy with participants in the Ausable River Two Fly competition.  Everyone seemed to be having a great time and it looked like it was another successful event for the organizers and fishermen.  One of the Guest speakers at the event was Aaron Jasper of Trout Predator Online, an accomplished European nymph fishermen who has spent years practicing this competition technique.  I have read about the leader rigging, tied "Czech" nymphs, and even tried the 10 and 11 foot rods that are typically used.  Aaron needed someone to show him the river and take him to productive pocket water and I wanted to see European nymphing in action, so we had a deal.  After spending the day with Aaron, I now have a practical understanding of how to incorporate some of the European nymphing methods into my everyday fishing.  The leader rigging we used was definitely not something I would want on every reel, but I plan on having at least one setup ready to fish.

This is more or less the leader setup we used

I enjoyed the close connection between nymph and fishermen, allowing detection of subtle strikes and a quick hook set.  I also liked the aggressive wading style needed to pick the pockets.  This style of fishing does not allow long casts; you really have to get up close and personal to your favorite holes.

Aaron demonstrating an aggressive wading style.
(I took the picture while sitting on a comfy rock)

Fish On!

Aaron with a nice brown

Fishing for Adirondack brook trout on a rainy day

I'm a very optimistic fisherman.  Before every outing I honestly believe I'm going to catch fish no matter what the conditions are.  Some days it's easy, other days it isn't, and some days you have to hit the ponds!  Considering the river conditions, this was a pond day.  Thankfully my 16 pound Hornbeck canoe is light enough to carry to any back country pond.  As the heavy rain soaked through my rain jacket the cold limited the dexterity in my fingers, making it seem like I was tying knots with wet hot dogs.  I wasn't having any luck, but my brother in his "vintage" Wenonah Kruger was catching fish.  I paddled over to see what he was using; as I neared his boat he hooked and landed another nice brookie.  He was using one of my bright yellow and silver Swinger Prince nymphs.  Since I wasn't having any luck with my black nosed dace, I put on a Swinger and immediately caught a trout.  I had never considered trolling this pattern like a streamer, but I should have because we both continued to catch brook trout until dark.

High Water Dry Fly Fishing on the Ausable

The Ausable River has been running high and even more rain is falling.  After tiring of streamer fishing and nymphing.  I couldn't resist tossing a few dry flies to try tempting some hungry trout.  My dry fly choice to entice trout from deep holes and from the shelter of boulders is typically an attractor pattern.  A few of my favorite patterns are the Madame x parachute and the Ausable bomber.  They are both big, buggy and float well.

Small Brown with a big Madame X

Rainbow with a #10 Ausable Bomber 

Ausable River Streamer Fishing

Gotcha!

Yesterday, May 14, I guided a trip for the Ausable River Two Fly Shop.  It was a father and son duo from the Albany N.Y. area.  At 8am we began fishing under overcast skies; the weather progressively deteriorated throughout the day.  By 6pm we were pretty much soaked, but happy after catching some memorable trout.  Every fish we caught was fooled by a size 6 or 8 weighted streamer- mostly whitezonkers with one exception, a small rainbow Jacob caught on a Swinger prince nymph.

Tim with his first Brown of the day

Jacob with a Fat Rainbow!