Haystack Dry Fly

Its been awhile since I last posted.  I will try to do better.  Here is a quick video of me tying Fran Betters Haystack.  If you have ever seen any of my fly boxes you already know I always have a couple tied up in different sizes and colors.  It's a fast tie doesn't call for any expensive hackle and can be tied to match nearly any bug.

Winter fly fishing in the Adirondacks

Got one!

 It has been an unusual winter here in the northeast.  I have never seen a winter in the Adirondacks with so little snow. I haven't had to plow my driveway a single time and only shoveled my porch once!  The warmer temperatures have helped save on fuel and firewood consumption, but seem strange in northern New York.  Lake Champlain is almost entirely free of ice and spring is just around the corner.  Will this be the year winter never comes?   I have been able to fly fish and catch trout or salmon every month this "winter" without leaving the Adirondacks!  I haven't done much land-locked salmon fishing in the middle of February, but the last few times I have gone out we were able to locate some fish in the rivers. Here are a few pictures of our past two outings:

This salmon was hiding just under the ice

This one took an unweighted White Zoo Cougar

This guy was fooled by a Governor Aiken streamer and was quickly released after I snapped this picture

Tom Conway 

This land-locked salmon put up a good fight; look at the size of that tail fin.

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 

West Branch of the Ausable River Hatch Chart

I wanted to post a hatch chart for the Ausable so I looked around online. This chart is the best one I could find. It is important to remember that any hatch chart is just an example of what to expect. I hope this helps anyone coming to my area to do some fly fishing. If you want a more precise hatch report give me a call or send me an email. I am on the water every chance I get. john@ruffwatersflyfishing.com

Getting Ready

Despite the cold winter-like weather, most Adirondack fly fishermen are gearing up for trout season. Organizing fly boxes, checking line, patching waders, purchasing new gear, the list goes on and on. I have tied a full stock of flies for my personal use, as well as a couple hundred for Tom Conway at the Ausable River Two Fly Shop in Wilmington. I will be dropping them off at his shop around April 1st. If you are in the Wilmington area, be sure to stop in the shop. The season starts off slowly in the north country; it's not easy to find productive fishing unless you are very familiar with some of the early spring "honey holes."

Over the winter I managed to finish a few new rods for my guide service. The first one is a 4 piece 81/2 foot 4 wt. I used a Batson Rx 7+ blank; it's my favorite Batson product, but for some terrible reason they do not make the blank anymore. I used TiCr single foot guides, a reverse half wells cork grip and a lightweight uplocking reel seat with cork insert. The rod balances perfectly with a Hardy LRH fly reel, loaded with WF 4 wt line. I have only cast the rod in my yard. It feels very light in hand with med fast action and enough power to punch out a ton of line. I created a feather inlay using grizzly saddle hackle; I really like how it turned out. It looks like fish scales or snake skin. It is hard for me to look at the inlay without imagining the many dry flies I could have tied using the feathers.

I also got my hands on two fiberglass 7 foot 3wt blanks from Great Bay Rod Company. By the way, I really like this company; everything they sell is manufactured in the USA and the costumer service was very friendly and quick. I bought the Northeast series blank. It is a 4 piece blank with spigot ferules. They use S-Glass to roll the blank; it's faster and lighter then E-Glass. Great Bay sells a whole line of finished fiberglass rods designed for small stream fishing. I used TiCr single foot guides, TiCr tip top, Silk wrapping thread, a 6 inch cigar shaped cork grip, and a REC down locking cap and ring reel seat. After spending some time casting this rod, I was very happy with its medium speed and buttery-smooth feel. I tried it using both 3wt WF line and 4wt WF line. The rod is a true 3wt. After trying a few reels, I have decided that the perfect reel is an old Pflueger Progress 1774. I love the reel; it's sturdy and utilitarian, plus I think it looks cool especially on glass.