TROUT FISHING SPRING 2011



(One stock trout taken this spring)



It has been some time since I have been able to commit time to this site. Family concerns have kept me from writing but I have still been able to find limited time on the trout waters this spring. The fish are there even though we have experienced some up and down water conditions this year.

            DEC has apparently done quite a little stocking of trout in our local waters. The average trout caught has been between ten inches and twelve inches in length. There were some a little larger but not many that have been much smaller. On a couple of occasions I have tied into a large brown that, so far, has eluded my best efforts to land. Twice now he has struck my lure and I have had him on the line for a few seconds before he shakes the hook. He has given me a good look at his size and coloration each time so that I know he is in the eighteen to twenty inch range. Perhaps there will be another encounter yet this year.



(A few trout added to the creel)

            The bugs have been thick at times on the water but not so over whelming that they can’t be tolerated. A little insect repellent is in order if you really want to enjoy your outing. A number of the other bugs have been hatching out as well, such as mayflies, and the trout are rising regularly to the surface to take these bugs.

            It is a good time for the dry fly fisherman to be out. There hasn’t been a large influx of fishermen in our immediate area so far and therefore the fish have not been fully educated at this time. You should find some very receptive trout waiting for your fly.



(Hatchery trout taken during high water)


           On the few outings I have taken this spring, I would say I have caught and released between two and three dozen trout. That does not include the eight or nine I have put in my creel for the table. It has been an enjoyable trout season so far. The only problem is that you need to watch the weather patterns closely in order to hit the water during the most ideal conditions.

TROUT FINALLY HITTING

We finally got into trout fishing last week. Previously all we were catching were perch in some of the rivers we were trying. Last Tuesday, although we did pull in a number of good sized perch, we also landed one good brown trout.


(brown caught by Leo)

 Fishing with Gary and Leo, we tried a number of places with no success. The weather has still been very up and down in temperature and snowfall or rainfall. Water levels have been fluctuating quite a bit the past week or two. We had snow at least two days last week and rain most of the rest of the week. The one good day we had we got out fishing.
We ended up in one large fishing hole just below a local dam and started catching perch once again. We had pulled in about a dozen of these fat bellied yellow perch and were just deciding to quit for the day.


(another view of brown trout)

 As Leo began a retrieve of his line, a trout suddenly struck and put on quite a nice show. This brown went aerial about three times and gave him quite a fight before he was able to land a 15 inch brown that weighed in on the digital scale at 1 pound and 3 ounces. It was a beautiful fish.
That was the total excitement so far of trout fishing, but at least the trout are there and are starting to cooperate. At the end of the week Leo saw another fisherman had pulled out another trout about the same as his, from that same pool.
We should be seeing marked increase in the trout fishing as of this week.

2011 SPRING TROUT OPENER

Despite dire predictions of significant snowfall for April 1^st, here in northeastern New York we had a relatively nice opening day of trout season. The skies were overcast and it was a bit cool, temperature wise, but no snowfall during the night or morning and the rain held off until later in the afternoon. The weathermen, however, had many believing that we might expect a foot or more of snow and I think they did receive significant snowfall south of us. Probably that prediction of snow was what kept many fishermen from even attempting to get out on opening day.
I hit a few of my favorite fishing holes on opening day and found fish, but not trout. The yellow perch were hitting quite aggressively in one place I fished and after landing about a half dozen or so, I headed for another spot. I never was able to connect with a trout that day.


(An  early April trout from 2010)


The second day of the season, a couple of fishing buddies and I hit the water again. It was a cold, windy day and a storm front was coming through the area. We didn’t connect with any trout that day either, but we at least got some interest in our offerings.
We had a few tentative strikes at a couple of different fishing holes but not enough to hook and land a trout. One of us did have a real small brook trout attack his worm, but I think the worm was bigger than the trout. He didn’t get hooked at any rate. When Tim held up his fingers and gave a chuckle, he indicated a fish about three or four inches in length. 



(Early April trout from 2 yrs. ago)

 The beginning of this week didn’t treat us any better. There has been temperatures ranging from the 40’s down to freezing and either rain or spitting snow on almost everyday. It has salvaged a bit of the maple sugaring season, but it hasn’t done anything for the trout fishing.
Last year, by the time of the opening day, there was no snow on the ground and the lakes and ponds were already beginning to open up. This year we still have a good foot of snow in the woods and the lakes and ponds haven’t even begun to see ice out here along the border.

TROUT OPENER RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

We are just three weeks away from the spring Trout season opener. Of course just when our hopes start running high, we get dumped on with another two feet of snow. Winter just doesn’t seem to want to give up this year.
But it does give us a good lead time to get ready for the opening day of fishing. Who knows what the conditions might be on April 1^st. All I know is that I haven’t missed an opener in a number of years now and unless there are really severe conditions, I don’t plan to miss this one.


(fishing creel I made at a class by Mick Jarvis of Adirondack Basket and Heritage Design)

Last year was a real slow start. I fished a number of hours without a single nibble. When I finally got a strike, there was no fooling around with Mr. Brown Trout. He was a nice 17-18 inch brown that hit the spinner hard. I was using small trout worms for bait with a gold spinner blade that day. What a way to start the season.
I went on to catch a few more trout during the early season before starting on other species as the summer started out.
I bought a 7 foot single piece rod with a sensitive tip, specifically for trout fishing last spring. It was a joy to use and certainly helped a number of times when trying to detect those light bumps and taps on the line. Getting around in the woods and vehicles wasn’t really all that bad once you learn to watch the tip. This year I am also adding a new open faced spinning reel to complete the outfit.


(college friend, Don Mauer, with stock trout from Spring 2010)
(my new rod on right side of photo)

It isn’t that I don’t have a number of reels, but most of them are a few years old and don’t have the right balance for this particular rod. Once you balance rod and reel, you take a lot of arm fatigue out of fishing all day. Looking into my tackle box, I find need of a few more lures. Doesn’t every fisherman need another lure or two? Some new, fresh line on the spools and I think I will be ready for opening day.
Since I had some luck with walleye this past year, I am also looking for that opener later in the spring. I hooked into a rainbow trout and a walleye, both over 15 inches, in the same pool last spring on one of our local rivers. 

(large brown from 2010 opener)


Now is the time to get things in order. The openers will be on us in very short time. I have a couple of sportsman shows to speak at these next couple of weekends and then there will be just a little over a week until trout season. Sure hope it warms a bit more before that time!

SMALL GAME HUNTING SEASON WINDING DOWN

Got a break in the lousy weather of the past few weeks, just before this last storm hit. I took time to get out hunting the snowshoe hare.
This is always fun and even though I only had a couple of hours, I thought the dog would like the exercise. We went just across the road into a cedar-evergreen swampy area that usually holds a number of snowshoes.

(a snowshoe sitting )


I had seen the trail of a fisher going back and forth across the road, into the swamp a couple of times on my walks. I was wondering if there would be any snowshoes left in there, but shouldn’t have worried. There was plenty of sign and as the hunt progressed, a number sighted.
It didn’t take but ten minutes before my beagle jumped the first snowshoe. He started running and I could tell he was on the usual trail that would take him right past a funnel of thick stuff on the other side of the swamp. I hightailed it for that corner and sure enough, after a few minutes, got a glimpse of the hare streaking through the downfalls. I never got a chance to shoot.


(snowshoe taken on previous hunt)


I saw two more hare during that hunt, one in front of a strange beagle that showed up and then I found his hunter not long after. I was on my way out anyway, so I wasn’t upset that they might spoil my hunt this day.
I finally collected my beagle and headed home with no heavy load of snowshoes to carry, but there was the pleasant time listening to the beagle music and seeing a number of the hares.
It started raining soon after I hooked up the beagle to head out and I was a bit damp by the time I got back home. But I was content and happy with the hunt.

Only a couple weeks left of rabbit hunting.

SPRING SPORTSMAN SHOWS

My apologies for so long between posts. I have been doing some preparations for these two spring shows, plus getting ready for some of our spring openers.
There are a few sportsman shows coming up this spring. I am doing seminars on small game hunting at two of them. The first is this weekend at Altona, New York.


(A small show display at one sportsman show)

 I will be speaking on “The Forgotten Art of Small Game Hunting”. This deals pretty much with hunting the snowshoe hare, but I also touch on a couple of other species as well. There is a photograph presentation with the speaking. These are outdoor and nature photos that I have taken dealing with small game and big game animals and hunting.
I will be presenting the seminar on Saturday, March 12^th at 11:30a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and then again on Sunday afternoon, March 13^th from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30p.m. The entrance to this show is only $4.00 and there is much to see at this show. You can check out the show site at: www.altonashows.com


(another look at a display)

The Adirondack Sportsman show is the next weekend of March 19^th in Schroon Lake area. I will be doing the same seminar, on small game hunting, twice during the course of the afternoon. You can see the information on this show at their site: www.SportsmensDinner.com.


(sights you might see at a larger area show)

I hope you take the time to get to these shows or one of the many others in the area. They are great times to see some of the new things coming out in the outdoor sports and a time to swap a few tall tales with other sportsman.

MID-WINTER ACTIVITIES





(Nice perch from last years outings)



I have lost about two and a half to three weeks of this winter with sicknesses. Started out with a stomach bug and then moved onto a winter cold and then back to some stomach ailment. Not a way to start a new year. But with the severe temperatures and now today a major storm in the area, I probably haven’t missed a whole lot. Have been talking with a number of ice fishermen and they are reporting some good catches of fish this winter. Perch, as always, are being cooperative. Some have been catching nice numbers and sizes of lake trout as well. Pike are always available.

Ice conditions are good since we had so much cold, subzero weather. No matter what, you do need to always be aware of ice safety when going out on the lake or river ice. Under ice currents and springs here in our mountain areas can make for some local spots of thin, dangerous ice. Be smart about where you travel on the ice. One of the best ice fishing safety tips is to always fish with a buddy system. Besides, a fishing buddy makes for a more enjoyable outing.



(Some of our youth on an ice fishing trip on Chazy Lake)

 We are at the point where you are going to want a gas powered auger to get through the ice. Hand cranking through 20 or more inches of ice is good exercise but it slows down the fishing time tremendously. A light tipped rod with small jigs are needed for perch. A couple of maggots or wax worms on the jig will entice the perch a bit more and we often use perch eyes once we start catching perch. New York now has a statewide creel limit of 50 perch per day. That is just about enough fish to fillet, especially if they are in that 6-8 inch range. It gets a bit tedious when that small. Jumbo perch aren’t so bad, since you get a nice fillet when you are finished.



(Eight inch perch in a ten inch hole)

 Friday night perch fry dinners are very popular around our area at this time of year. It is not surprising since they are so delicious. One of the sweetest fish meals you will ever have (of course it is a matter of opinion as everyone knows). Hope you get out and spend some time on the ice this winter.
Another area I have been involved in, is preparing for a number of sportsman shows that I will be giving seminars at this spring. The first show will be the Altona show, right here in my own home area. That is in March. I then head down to Schroon Lake, NY for a show later in March. Both of these shows I will be speaking on small game hunting, in particular, hunting the snowshoe hare. Later into the summer months I will be speaking at a weekend men’s retreat in West Chazy, NY in June of this year. These five speaking times will deal with fishing, hunting, hiking and general outdoor activities. The is through a Christian camping association. I will post more information on these as we get closer to their dates.