ORIGINAL: SilverKype

Did you get that rod that big sucker broke back yet?

 
NO. RL Winstons repair department is being less than helpfull. I sent the rod express mail on monday. I called 3 days this week, and they still cant tell me if they got the rod or not. The lady I spoke to on the phone the last time I called (thursday) didnt feel like looking. She also said the turn around time will be about 5 weeks. You'd think they would be more helpfull to someone who spent that kind of money on a rod. Needless to say, I'm pi$&ed about the whole situation. That Winston will be the last one I purchase. They went way downhill since Glenn Brackett left anyway. They probably have a bunch of their new low-end cheaply made Japanese rods to be fixed in line ahead of my WT. I bet that's why it will take so long.
 
Sorry about the rant, I just miss my rod.

I have heard that winston's customer service and repair had been great in the past, when they were more focused on American made high end rods only. That must have changed when they added foreign made, low end rods to their product line.

Salmo,
 
What the Drake would be interested in is knowing about any sucker activity. 
 
Dan,
 
I agree with the postman -- what do you need a $1,000 rod and reel for to toss a glorified jig and bobber with two feet of flyline for?  I know that is the prefered sucker fishing method, but is not more of a want than a need?
 
Jon,
 
Fished Friday night at the Billy Goat, very few Sulphurs at 6:30 PM when I got there, but lots of willing trout in known lies.  I actually caught many more fish just floating the seams than targeting individual fish, including a really nice 18" brown with big teeth and a huge kype.  Bugs didn't come off heavy until about 8 PM and continued until it was very, very dark.  Didn't see any spinners at all, so they might not be that far upriver yet.
 
I think this week, barring any heavy rain, will be about as good as it gets -- duns in the early evening and spinners at dark -- with trout feeding o both.

John and I plan on fishing Wednesday evening the J.  Perhaps up river near the school, we'll see what happens.  We'll likely meet at Alan's about 5-5:15.
 
Sweet pic Sal.. I was trying to figure out what the hell it was a pic of.  I was looking for sulphers.

I got tripped up in my planning so I can't make it Wednesday.
 
I plan on being in church (but not staying there) on Thursday evening.

I haven't been out. When I read bach through my journals I do this every year. Around the beginning of June they start targeting them on the Letort. They may be taking them on the other streams around, but I don't fish them near as much.

ha ha

Let's not forget this satisfied customer:

 

rotf..  :D

Why is it that I am the only client of The Drake that has yet to catch a huge sucker?  Is it because I fish dries 95% of the time or because, well, eh, er, my fishing, sucks?
 
On the Little J Thursday, there were spinners on the water at 5:30 PM and trout were up on them.  It really opened up the window of opportunity from the usual hour before dark.
 
However, the river is getting a little low and a little slow.  The flow was in the 240's and the gage was less than 2.4 feet.  While I wasn't fishing a flat pool, the fish were really, really selective.  I had to go to a 12 foot 5X flouro leader and mostly fish a down and across with a dropped elbow slack line cast -- which of course is not the greatest method for hook ups.  When casting up stream at all, because of where I was, it was a lot of backhanded casting (for a right handed angler) in order to put the flyline in the same current seam as the fly.  If one wanted to see "microdrag" in action, that was the night.  Even having the flyline the width of one's body off the center of the current stream created enough irregularity to have the fish give a look and a refusal.
 
We need some rain to get the flow up closer to 300 so that the fish don't have as much time to examine the sex of the spinners.
 
There were plenty of duns, about 50 X compared to the spinners (at least "on" the water), but the trout wanted nothing to do with them.  I watched dun after dun flop around on the surface in the cool temperatures, some for a considerable distance, while trout ignored them in favor of the spinners.
 
While this is what should happen -- less energy expended to eat a dead spinner -- I usually observe the ignoring of the duns only after the number of spinners on the water, not in the air, equal or exceed the number of hatching duns.  This was not the case on Thursday.
 
Also, while there were huge clouds of spinners in the air, the clouds did not decend on the water, at least where I was.  Instead, individual bugs dropped at a rate that kept the trout up well past dark.
 
Another somewhat interesting observation, was the trout themselves.  In the area I primarily fished, which is a deep, fairly high velocity area, the trout were long (average 12 - 15), but thin.  Not skinny, but atheletically thin.  About 100 yards away, in the tail of a pool, the trout were much shorter (average 10 - 12), but looked like they were stuffed with cotton balls to the point of bursting.  While I expected the girth difference based on the differences with respect to the amount of current they live in, the length difference seemed odd.
 
I guess I am over thinking this whole thing and just need to do a rain dance to help bring up the water for next week.

You know, its odd dan, I really dont catch suckers unless im with you. They must be able to smell you. Drop me an email, gotta fish soon, cant go this weekend, taking the family camping... well maybe monday, let me know I need some good sucker fishing.

Went out on Mon. eve. from 4:30 till 9:00 on the Yellow Breeches. I fished a stretch of open water near home. First time fishing alone in 8 months due to the elbow. There was a nice Caddis hatch followed by a very beautiful Sulpher hatch, and spinnerfall.
The only bad thing was the lack of rises. I didn't see 1 Trout rise. All I caught were a few big dace, and a couple chubs. I did have a couple smacks by small Trout when feeling things out with a streamer. I would guess the area is mostly fished out. If so what a shame. Such a beautiful stretch of water.
It was nice to have a few hours of solitude. I felt like I got a small piece of myself back I've been fighting to save all Winter/Spring (being able to fish with the arm some).
I mostly casted with the wrist. Probably too soon for fishing with it, but sometimes you just need to do things in life in spite of circumstance.

I saw an Inch Worm yesterday. Tied a bunch of those up, some Ants, Caddis and a few midges. I want to get the kids out fishing again. I usually take them to a catch and release area where I know we'll have a good time.
Tight Lines All.....

Where are you gonna be and what time? PM me with some directions if you can. I may be up for that.
I've been to Coburn, but other than that I just got lost trying to find the C&R area where the big tunnel is said to be.
I'd be coming over the mtn. from Lewistown way. 522? What flies do I need? Plenty of chubs there are there? LOL

Caught a few Browns on the Letort tonight. Finally...

I've been fishing the Letort almost every evening now that the arm is healing. I seem to be lucky enough to catch a couple every night. I caught one last night that was around 14". Was a nice fish. It is unusual for a letort fish of any size to rise. My biggest to date is 17" during sulphers.
I was using an emerger for a few nights until I remembered how to tie a dun pattern I came up with that really does well for me. I had tied a few earlier this season, but they didn't work. I finally remembered and the original hackle and tail was not as stiff. Once I tied one with the original hackle I caught fish with the pattern again, including the 14" fish last evening.
Could there be something to that hackle differance, or is it my immagination? I thought maybe the softer hackle lays on the water differant, perhaps more into the surface film than a stiff one would. I guess I should put them in a tank and see the differance if there is one.
Salmo