What better way to spend an afternoon off than rounding up the fishing gear and heading into the woods to try to catch some trout? That’s what I did with my afternoon yesterday, and I had a little bit of luck. I was able to land three fish, and probably missed a dozen. These fish however, were a bit different from what I was expecting.
I was fishing on a small stream that connects a few lakes at the southern tip of the Adirondack Park. I have fished these waters before, and have taken both trout and bass from the connected lakes. There was no doubt in my mind that this stream was full of fish.
Still sticking to Tom Rosenbauer’s advice, I picked up a few Parachute Adams at the local fly shop and headed to the water. Still without a pair of waders, I crept into the stream wearing my river shorts and was fishing by 5:00pm. I warmed up a little and started producing long, somewhat accurate casts.
I am quite pleased with the way my abilities are developing. Earlier in the summer my line was getting tangled and snagged, and occasionally came crashing into my rod only to fall, bunched-up into the stream at my feet. Now I have the timing down a little better, and am more focused on keeping my rod at a uniform plane throughout the casting stroke. This has helped me quite a bit.
At about 5:30pm I start to hear and see signs of fish rising for food off the surface of the water. I begin casting near the disturbances in the surface, and after a few tries, I get a bite – which I miss. Another three or four casts and I get another. I fished like this, up the stream for about 2 hours. I hooked a few fish, but landed only three, all of which were a species I believe to be Fallfish. These look like big bait fish, which aggravated me somewhat. I thought to myself, “why can’t people dispose of their shiners responsibly? So that I can catch trout rather than these ugly things.” Turns out, these fish are everywhere in NYS, as I found on the NYSDEC website.
The fishing was fun, even though I wasn’t catching what I set out for. And I did get to practice setting hooks, adjusting line slack, and playing fish. So I was not successful in catching trout for dinner. However, I was successful in working on my skills: presenting flies, casting into tricky spots, landing fish.
What constitutes “success” for you when you go fishing? Is it a creel full of fish? A trophy big enough to hang on your wall? Is success determined by what you caught, or what you learned?
Just be sure the fish you catch are ok to eat. Check out my blog on EPA’s website: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2011/07/28/an-eye-opening-fish-story/
This seems to be a driving theme now. I even caught a small one in Noblesboro! Told they couldn’t get above the natural wilmurt (high) falls, but guess what? Heard the DEC was actually stocking these fish because they survive warmer weather water better. I’d rather NOT catch these and take my chances. Even with the West Canada at a record low, after a record high this spring!