August 04 2023
Didn’t fish today until 6:30. Attended a meeting at the DEC Office in Stamford from 10:00 until 2:00 and mowed the lawn on my return. Decided to fish another down river pool on the BR. There were three fishermen in the Lordville riff and one angler in sight several hundred yards above where I fished.
There were enough isos in the air and on the water that I was confident the fish would give my fly a look. Saw a fair number of boils by what appeared to be good fish. Many were out of my reach. Did have good shots at about ten fish. Hooked a yearling and an adult rainbow. Both fish came unstuck in the first ten seconds. The rest of the fish I threw at never acknowledged my existence.
Ed and Dennis – If memory serves me, you have both suffered a similar fate. If you want to contact David at the Troutfitter and schedule a mutually agreeable date it would be my pleasure to join you in raising a glass to the trout who have bettered us. I’ll even buy.
August 03 2023
Took advantage of the unseasonably cold water temps (at the expense of the lawn which badly needs mowing) to fish the BR this morning at a place down river farther than I’ve probably ever fished it in early August. It turned out to be fun, if not exciting. There was a hatch of the tiny black caddis that tormented me and delighted the fish back in June. Turns out it did the same in August.
The fishing – The fish (almost exclusively 10 inch rainbows now about 16 months old) were rising in a manner that said caddis but it was a long while before I could catch one of the little flies. How’d I do it? He got on the inside of my glasses and I got a look at him when I took my glasses off. There were also some very small may flies in which the trout seemed to have no interest. The fish were feeding in the water column hence the splashy rises. Saw a few fuzzy little bugs and assumed they were some of the tiny may flies. Used my smallest black caddis and while it wasn’t the answer some of the fish that looked up ate it, others ate a floating iso nymph and a spinner. Spent almost four hours and while I did see three or four good fish it was evident that most of the older fish had moved elsewhere. If what I saw this morning is any indication the BR will have lots of nice rainbows to fish to next year.
In the evening I tried a couple pools, one in the No-Kill and the other above it. The upstream pool’s sulfur hatch was sparse and the rising fish were moving around looking for bugs making it difficult to get a fly in front of them. The downstream pool (below Oquaga and hence warmer) had sulfurs, pseudos and rising fish. Hooked two fish on a sulfur and when the rest of the rising fish wouldn’t give me a look I switched to a pseudo which they seemed happy to eat. Landed a nice pair of 16inchers one a rainbow, the other a brown.
Got to the car at exactly 9:00 and had the heater on all the way back to the Lordville Estate.
As long as the water temps stay below 70, you can fish anywhere in the system. For me it’s a treat as I get bored fishing the same water over and over up in the zone. But, there has been some movement of fish to their “summer homes” and not all of the big fish you saw back in May will answer if you knock on the door of their home pool. If you’re bored with the “Sulfur Zone” try down low in the WB the hour before dark, those fish only have one home.
