TR: Winter Rocketry

Got a post from ROFF lurker, Tony Norton. Since I was batchin' it for the
week, could I take a day off work and fish. "Uh, let me think,.. YES."
Talked to Allen Epps and he decided he needed a break too. Tony had read in
the Washington Post that Beaver Creek, near Hagerstown, MD, was the top
limestone in the state. 'Bout an hour away, temps in the mid-fifties, time
to hit it.
Allen got directions from the guy in the Bass Pro fly shop. "Just pull in
at the hatchery and fish downstream from there." "There's one problem with
the river though. Terrible floods early last Fall. Inundated the hatchery
and 15,000 fish, including most of their brood stock got dumped in the
creek."
Well, we pull in, kit up and the water is a bit murky. I've got my new St.
Croix Avid 2 wt to break in. Stream is about 10' across. I drop in a #18
BH pheasant tail with a gray midge nymph dropper at a likely pool. Third
drift, fish. A pretty 10" bow. Within a 20 minutes, I've landed 5, all
about the same size. We talk to one of the local landowners and she points
out the other channel. Allen wanders over there and I follow about 15
minutes later.
The "other channel" is a kiddy pool, i.e. about 1 to 2 foot deep and
hundreds of fish are stacked in there. The water is about 10 degrees
warmer, crystal clear with greenery shot through. There's a midge hatch
going on, the fish are hitting anything you throw at them.
After a watching Tony and Allen nail dozens of fish in there (I got some
too), I wander downstream until I find a really pretty little J-pool (sign
said "J-pool"). A bit deeper, so I raise the indicator and throw in my PT
and midge combo. WHAM. Get hit like a ton of bricks and the fish hits the
engines and propels himself 4' straight up in the air, shaking drops of
rainbow crystal over the pool. I bring the 12" football to hand and smile.
Beautiful fish, dark gray to silver, scarlet stripe slashing to the tail
with rich black to blue spots. I sat on that 20' long pool for about 2
hours and sore-lipped every fish in there. One was about 14 inches and he
snapped my tippet just as I touched him.
Some takes were as gentle and subtle as a butterfly kiss. Just a twitch of
the tippet without moving the indicator. Others were like my Winter rocket.
Didn't want to be hooked and will damn well tell you about it. Granted,
these were stockies, but they had wintered in a beautiful little limestoner.
Little fat fish with deep, rich coloring. Most, if not all had linebacker
shoulders on them.
Allen got the big fish of the day, I'll let him tell you about it. It was
just wonderful, feeling the warmth of the Sun on my back, looking into
crystal clear water with tonnes of stupid fish. We don't get many days like
this in mid-Feburary in Maryland, especially days where three guys can
wander 100 yards of water and catch 40 to 60 fish apiece, including some
that launch themselves high enough to break those mid-Winter blues.
--
Frank Reid
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In article , Frank Reid
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:

Franks TR Snipped,

Indeed a hell of a nice day. It's good to feel the sun on your face and
a flyrod in your hand.
Of course the typical first trip of the year blunders. snipped off the
remains of the leader on the three weight reel from last year. Hmmm no
leaders in the vest, well, I'll just tie one up , hmmm nothing but 5
to 7X tippet. If anyone's thinking they have a new dynamite leader
recipe for ten foot leader composed of the aformentioned tippets they
might want to try it before they start marketing. But made do and
starting catching fish. mostly the 8 to 10 inch range with an
occasional 10 and 1/4 inch one. Tony came over and started showing me
why Wooly Buggers are the indispensable fly we all know they are.
Finally joined him and the first cast after he lost a serious fish I
hooked a similar one. Nothing too serious but a nice 16 or 17 inch
fish. photo's on ABPF when Tony gets them to me. For the record the
following flies caught fish for me over the six hour period we were
there.

Size 8 Wooly Bigger
Size 16 Snow Shoe Hair emerger
size 18 CDC Caddis emerger
Size 18 parachute adams (Maybe an adams hatch :^)
Size 20 PTN
Size 16 Copper John
Size 14 green Weenie BH
Size 22 glass bead midge (swap fly)
Size 16 EHC

So to say they were selective would not be accurate and it was fun
trying different flies. Frank finally took pity on me (or was maybe
just startled and a bit scared by my henious flayling) and passed me a
real leader which made things a bit better. By about 1:30 the
twitching due to lack of fish in 3 months had subsided a bit. We went
and wandered around the fish hatchery a bit to ogle the brood stock.
Came home, had a beer and reflected on what great group of guys I've
met through ROFF and how nice it is to take a day off, catch a few fish
and revel in a soon to come season.

Allen
Catonsville, MD

"Frank Reid" moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote in message
...
Got a post from ROFF lurker, Tony Norton. Since I was batchin' it for the
week, could I take a day off work and fish. "Uh, let me think,.. YES."
Talked to Allen Epps and he decided he needed a break too. Tony had read
in
the Washington Post that Beaver Creek, near Hagerstown, MD, was the top
limestone in the state. 'Bout an hour away, temps in the mid-fifties,
time
to hit it.

And hit it you did! Excellent report, and I'm looking forward to Allen's.

Cheers,
Bill

Allen Epps" wrote in message
et...
In article , Frank Reid
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:

Franks TR Snipped,

Indeed a hell of a nice day. It's good to feel the sun on your face and
a flyrod in your hand.

Great TRs, guys. Just what I needed to read on a cold Friday night.
Congrats!
Bob

Frankie Baby
What no full Reids ????? Your slipping my friend a complete trip and
no diving.... are you sure you were near water and not at the local supermarket
fish tank????? Nice report Frank and Allen if things work out for Sunday i hope
to be doing the same thing.....


Handyman Mike
Standing in a river waving a stick

In article , Mike
wrote:


Photo's now over on ABPF. Of course Tony, as the only guy to bring a
camera ends up with no shots of himself. A nice little creek and trip.

Allen

"Mike" wrote...
Frankie Baby
What no full Reids ????? Your slipping my friend a complete trip and
no diving.... are you sure you were near water and not at the local
supermarket
fish tank?????

Mike - As you can see in the photos, Frank never entered the water. It's the
only known Reid-prevention system.
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

"Tim J." wrote in message
news:rlKZb.95500$uV3.560256@attbi_s51...


Mike - As you can see in the photos, Frank never entered the water. It's
the
only known Reid-prevention system.


that assumes he is not fishing in a fault area.

Frank Reid wrote:

We don't get many days like
this in mid-Feburary in Maryland, especially days where three guys can
wander 100 yards of water and catch 40 to 60 fish apiece, including some
that launch themselves high enough to break those mid-Winter blues.


Very cool! You don't get too many days like that anywhere, anytime!

Went for a walk today all the river running through town. Water was
completely open and had some decent flow. Saw no fish stirring, but that
should change shortly.

Willi

Mike - As you can see in the photos, Frank never entered the water. It's
the only known Reid-prevention system.

that assumes he is not fishing in a fault area.

I have no-fault insurance, so I'm prohibited from fishing in California.
--
Frank Reid
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