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spring for a day

2K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
yesterday's temps were just too much for me. Pulled out my seven weight, picked up my 2000 MA license and headed down to one of the Plymouth ponds where I was told the rainbow bite had been on and a 15 lb. salmon had been taken that morning.

I have never been a huge stillwater trout fan, much preferring the moving waters of rivers, but it felt great to slip on the neoprene waders and wade into some cold, clear water. Needless to say, I caught nothing, but I did not care, it was just good to wet a line.

Hoping to try a few new ponds throughout March and maybe improve my stillwaer skills a little. I chose to fish streamers yesterday. Anyone have any favorite techniques or ponds they'd like to share?

jeff g.
 
#2 ·
Jeff -

Sounds like you had the right idea. I wish I did the same. Even the rumor of a 15 lb. salmon would keep me on my toes.
I noticed the gnats were out and a few other insect types. Two or three sightings of canada geese flying overhead, my guess is south


As far as early pond techniques, I'd say no one has the technique down like the Cape gang. I know Tony (striperman) has been hitting fish through the winter, hard water and soft. He'd be the best to ask.

I've been lazy lately and typically wait until they are rising on the ponds, but I have fished trout hard around this time of year before I moved out west in the early 80's. The fish are pretty tuned into gnats when they are emerging. I tie a little black gnat emerger with a tiny little foam wingcase and a stripped quill abdomen. The top thorax is the tip of a black or grey ostrich herl (palmered and trimmed) so it looks like a mosquito larvae with a white partially unfolded wing. I've tied them both ways - wingcase up, wing case at the bend. I haven't figured out if it makes a difference yet. I am no trout expert but all I know is when they are swirling all over the place and they won't take the dry, try the emerger. I fish it with tiny twitches or slow draws after letting it sit in the riseforms. Sometimes it's the ticket to success.

Strangely, I have had great success with black bead head wolly buggers even when the fish appear to be eating something tiny and invisible. There is something about marabou that drives them crazy.

Another pattern I've had success with is a tan biot stone in #10 or #12. Why tan? It reminded me of a meal worm so I tied up a bunch. I cast it out there, let it sink real slow and lazy, and retreive it even lazier behind a floating line - or drag it near the bottom on sandy ponds (like Cliff Pond).

This fly has been good to me in streams as well, fished off a dropper behind a dry like a trude, elk caddis or a stimulator.

My success with streamers has been significantly better in morning and evening. I have cast and cast during other times without a bump, where 45 minutes of wading the shore at dawn has produced some really agressive shoreline hunting trout.

Last time I fished Long Pond I waded to the left from the launch and hit a bunch of trout about a cast's length from shore wading along to the left.

Do you know where Gallows Pond is?
 
#3 ·
"Another pattern I've had success with is a tan biot stone in #10 or #12. Why tan? It reminded me of a meal worm so I tied up a bunch."

Verrry interesting. The 15 lb. salmon was taken on a meal worm! I tend to fish streamer-type flies in the still water when there is nothing showing because I don't have the patience to SLOWLY creep nymphs along in a manner that I would consider lifelike, whereas i can strip muddlers or wollybuggers more like a striper fly. I need to get over this problem.

i'm not familiar with Gallows. I used to just hold out and fish the rivers after they got stocked or go farther west where there are holdovers, so stillwater is fairly new to me. I just couldn't wait this year and March seemed like a good month to start learning the ponds. Maybe we should have a little pond outing before the month's end?
 
#5 ·
Jeff... I have been getting action on the outer Cape ponds using streamers... on a clear tip line... and 3 ft. of fluro on the end of the leader. The streamer I use is easy... bunny tail, chenille body(Pearl) Maribou wing.... bright yellow.
Retrieve... sometimes one foot strips .. medium slow... other times I let the wind catch to line .. pull out the belly, do it again... let the wind move the streamer the speed it is pulling anything hurt through the water. Works for me...
Also fish the low pressure... forget the north west high pressure days... unless that is when u must go... do it.
 
#6 ·
Juro....If you are going to Smitty's on Saturday, you should leave early and hit Little pond in Plymouth. I'm stuck inside this weekend with bronchitis or I would join you. There are still some VERY big salmon in there along with some great tigers and rainbows. Since I have been remanded to the indoors I am going to put the flex coat on the 10wt Loomis that Smitty showed me how to build. It really came out beautiful. I hope to get out next weekend. Regards to all, Peter
 
#7 ·
Tony - sounds good... I'll be starting to show up over the bridge any day now
What size are you tying these? I guess those aggresive trout like too see something real substantial to eat. Years past I've had my arm wrenched by Scargo Pond trout fishing streamers while wading the beach dropoff in the early morning.

Hope to run into you in the park soon!

juro
 
#9 ·
Juro,
get it straight...it was flex coat man. I got one coat on the butt section and two on the tip. I'll do the second coat on the butt tomorrow morning. Then I will feel like a kid the week before Christmas until I can get out and cast it. I am very excited about how nice it looks. Smitty is a perfectionist, every time I brought the rod over to show him, I ended up redoing half or all of the work I did since the last visit. It was worth it. This rod looks like a nice custom showpiece and will cast like the wind.
 
#10 ·
Pete - The images I shot of those cool wraps came out all blurred as feared. Guess it takes a tripod to get macro shots really the way they deserve to be taken. I'm finding out that indoor natural light is not a good option for digital cameras, colors are way off.

I'll be at Smittys tomorrow testing one of the new rods out. CAN'T WAIT!!!

This one of you and smitty came out...

 
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