HOW WILL I EVER CATCH ANOTHER STEELBOW WITHOUT ALL THE EXPERT HELP TO BE FOUND OVER THERE?

:)

ORIGINAL: waDerboy

Are those PA trouts the ones that have been wintering over slowing starving?
Just throw something kinda like a Henrickson sorta close to them without too much drag.
Whats so hard?

I am unable to give you an answer this year. I have not been able to fish a stream or even the Lehigh River because they have all been locked up tight with shore and anchor ice since b4 Christmas... I'd need cleats 8" long and a small crane to pull my fat arse up the bank if I dared give them a try with the deep snowpack and three inches of frozen cement like crust on top if it.

I don't mind winter for the most part, but this year has been brutal. I hope the fishes are holding their own till spring.

As I am sure you know - native brookies are not much of a challenge - I bet you can catch one with a cigarette butt/belly button lint hackle fly...

The wild browns are a different story. I live in close proximity to several high quality streams that hold wild browns approaching the 20" mark. Way off the beaten trail, and we don't have 4'wide golf cart paths along these streams.

You gotta be willing to do some serious bushwhacking to feel the tug on your line. And they are as wiley as Mr. Wiley E Coyote.

later

Correct answer was YES THEY ARE.
First good hatch in April= hungriest dumbest fish of the year be they stream browns or steelbow washdowns.
Only thing easier than almost any fly anywhere near them is maybe to pin a leaf worm down their throats.
Tight lines and screaming reels
Your pal waDerboy

hey salmo, those bellies do get tight eventually and the fish get very agressive; based on my observations randy is right with the females turning silver first... yes, dropbacks can be very easy to catch, but not always; water temp/level, play a big part... i'd say skill level plays even more... IMO i'd say most peoples assumptions of drop backs on average are wrong assumptions... in many ways... tight lines guys...

Dumb as stumps after a long winter being left alone.
But they learn (relearn) fast.
By the start of May they become nijas again.

PS from my observation it would seem that a high percentage of surviving dropbacks are females.
They seem to know when they are done dropping eggs its time to scoot.
Males on the other hand tend to stay on the redds looking for one last chance until they can barely hold themselves upright in the flow.
Hardly an expert but my observation from having watched it happen time and again since 76.

PPS just playin wiff draker. He usually gets it.

ORIGINAL: retired guy

For some odd reason though I tend to catch more of those tasty chubs than Steel as Spring arrives.

One day in April I was floating sacs via pin in Sportmans (right bank looking downstream - seam parallel to sunken log, and the suckers were lined up like bowling pins. Some big Suckas!!!

It was fun for awhile but after an hour I lost hope for Steel.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

translation to Pennsyltuckian:

iffs ize wazzint a durdy outta-stader Pennsyltuckian and kud qualafigh fur a "Congealed Carrie Permit" ,

ize bring meye 45 and blast dem fishez dedder dan dedd!!!

RT:

does a Homeland Security permit allow you to carry in NY? - being you are a CT resident?

I have PA LTCF permit - means squat in NY (the Gun Nazi state).

I heard it is EXTREMELY difficult for a non-resident to get a NY handgun permit.

No kidding here-
    If you are a retired L/E Officer  and you qualify you may be issued a photo ID that indicates you have met the requirement to carry under a specific Federal Homeland Security Statute. Actually after 8 years  have yet to do it myself even sitting  on a Council that had a bit to do with implementation of this Law here. The ID is supposed to let you carry anywhere in the US  (would have to look into Airports Etc. but have not noted exceptions).
  Frankly suspected difficulty with recognition by all States and Enforcement Agencies.   I travel a lot and have questioned various agency personell both State and Local, ALL are familiar with this and honor the ID.
      Was a bit surprised at how cooperative all were in regard to this cause it amounts to a National Permit. At first questioned the cooperative nature of some VERY stringent States but in the ones I go  to their personell knew of and honored this specific ID.  It would seem  that since it affects all L/E it is something they are quite familiar with.
   After about 30 years of carrying concealed  at work I honestly wasnt all that excited about carrying again so  have yet to pickup the ID myself, even  with  permits here in CT. Guess this is a bit of a push in that direction.
    Got to Ground Zero early on the 12th  and could readily see why the Fed wanted guys who knew the deal  to carry,  really didn't think it would stick though  - you know- knee jerk stuff- looks like this one is here to stay though.

BTW- Remember my first PA permit-you had to take the pistol to the County Clerk (went to Warren) and show them the ID # on the gun and they gave you a permit -on the spot- for fifty cents. Times, they are a-changin.

Its that urban/rural thing I keep bringing up--its spreading
    Just checked on those permit restrictions- Can carry in whole Country but MUST follow all rules restricting the carry. (like in certain places or functions as designated by a particular state or the Fed.)

draketrutta,was wundering if you could elaborate on the Liquid Powerbait a little more?what is this stuff?
Thanx,
mike m

p.s. mcfishy:

like fly line tapers discussed in another thread - don't go batsheet crazy with scents,

some folks get so dilusional that they go so far as to create contraptions like this:



Fish oil tab - (the pills that OLD GUYS like Randy Jones take each day ), attached to a small length of mono and crimped onto the main leader via split shot (weights of line/shot vary).

The dilusional ones think it may trigger the pea-brain inside a fish's head to turn on the dinner bell as the gel cap dissolves and oozes it's fish oily contents around their suspended bait.

Does it work?? I'don't know.

Do I have too much time on my hands? I don't know...

You sure it was only cigarette smoke drake ;)

CM ON BOYZ JUS FISH jus b glad we have the chance to do it

Killer, going up tomorrow. What about you? I have new help from everyone on the forum and going to try it out. Shhhh though, my wife doesn't know that is where I'm going.