Picky trout

[Sam Matthews]

Hello ladies,

It's been two months or so since I visited with some trout questions.
At the time I was using spinning tackle, but at the advice of the
group I went out and got a (the right tools for the job) fly rod and
have been using it since. I love it. Notwithstanding it is a
challange, and I still spend a lot of time tying and re-tying leaders
and tippets, Climbing trees (to retreive flies) and cursing like a
sailor at the damn messes I get into.

But every once in a while it pays off. About three weeks ago, It
rained *really* hard (this would be in Rockland County NY), and for a
solid week the streams were brimming at the edges and opaque. I
waited (actually I went fishing anyway) for the water to clear, and
one warm night after work I crept down to the banks and I could see
the little darlings leaping and gulping at the surface. By this time
I could manage a cast of 30 feet or so, and with some small lightly
colored (light caddis?) surface flies I hooked up several times on
some of those brown speckled beauties. I took a couple and went home.

That was then, this is now. Fast-foward three weeks. The temps have
dipped considerably and I don't see those fish anymore - at least not
leaping and gulping. They are still there but are all hunkered down (
I know this because after fishing a pool for 10-15min, I'll walk by
and see them run for their little lives). I've tried the floating
stuff and the sinking stuff (bead headed nymphs) and some other crap,
but they just don't seem to be interested in me any more. I was under
the impression that trout were more aclimated to colder water, but
they seem to me to have "shutdown".

So being the "greenie" that I am, what would you folks recommend? I
thought trout like the cool weather, but they infact seem to be
shutting-down. In one of my previous posts, one fellow advised me
that summer was the time for "terestrials"... is there a fall menu
item as well?

Thanks in advance

Sam

[rw]

Sam Matthews wrote:
>
> So being the "greenie" that I am, what would you folks recommend? I
> thought trout like the cool weather, but they infact seem to be
> shutting-down. In one of my previous posts, one fellow advised me
> that summer was the time for "terestrials"... is there a fall menu
> item as well?

When the weather gets cooler in the late summer and fall, try fishing
during the early afternoon -- the warmest time of day. Early afternoon
is usually the worst time during the heat of the summer, but it's
usually the best in the fall. It's also very relaxing, because you can
linger over breakfast and be back in time for dinner. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[rw]

Sam Matthews wrote:
>
> So being the "greenie" that I am, what would you folks recommend? I
> thought trout like the cool weather, but they infact seem to be
> shutting-down. In one of my previous posts, one fellow advised me
> that summer was the time for "terestrials"... is there a fall menu
> item as well?

When the weather gets cooler in the late summer and fall, try fishing
during the early afternoon -- the warmest time of day. Early afternoon
is usually the worst time during the heat of the summer, but it's
usually the best in the fall. It's also very relaxing, because you can
linger over breakfast and be back in time for dinner. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.