Posted on July 06 2020
With Friday having been a one fish day, and Saturday and Sunday having been spent painting (with my wife's help), I was anxious to get back to fishing. At the very least, the cold water would feel good. Finished the mandated three hours of painting by 10:30. It was my intention to be in the coldest part of the WB by 11:00 just in case there were sulfurs and they came early.
As is often the case, things just seemed to get in the way. Don't recall what the holdup was but it was 1:00 o'clock when I got to the river. There were sulfurs hatching, fish rising and the river was deserted. Had my choice of pools, was joined by an old river friend, and only one boat came by.
Got out of the water about 4:30, made use of the Troutfitter's air conditioning, drank one of their peach Snapple's and went back out at about 5:00. Found another pool devoid of anglers. It had sulfurs hatching and fish rising. When I am fishing, I'm seldom standing in one place. If I see a rise I'm off to see if I can catch the fish. Well, with no one around I ended up upstream about fifty yards from where I would have chosen to be and when I looked back a fisherman had magically appeared in what was to be "my spot". Didn't matter, as the evening sulfur hatch increased I was able to find more than enough rising fish to keep me busy. When the water started to come up with the evening pulse, I reeled it in and drove downstream. Arrived at the Gamelands at 8:00 and didn't see a sulfur until 8:50, then had fish to throw at until 9:40.
The fishing - Both the fishing and catching were great. You have to sort out the risers and not throw at the yearlings. Almost all of the fish I hooked were two year olds (11 to 13 inches). Lost a nice rainbow and landed two nice browns. A 19 incher was fish of the day. The sulfurs appear to have begun their midday summer hatching routine. They are also hatching near dark. Spinners are also falling late. Early afternoons, go upstream from Hale Eddy until you see bugs and rising fish. Evenings, anywhere on the WB from 8:45 'til pitch black should have sulfur duns and/or spinners and rising trout.
Jim - You asked about striped bass at Hale Eddy. Over the years I've seen strippers in many of the bigger pools in the BR and WB. Some of the strippers are huge and will chase (and eat) rainbows up to 16 inches while they are on someone's line. A few years back there was a 25 pounder in Junction Pool that followed fishermen around. Would stay about three feet downstream and just wait. Ate two 15 inch rainbows when I released them. Others may disagree but this is a trout stream and there are more than enough predators, eat strippers.
As is often the case, things just seemed to get in the way. Don't recall what the holdup was but it was 1:00 o'clock when I got to the river. There were sulfurs hatching, fish rising and the river was deserted. Had my choice of pools, was joined by an old river friend, and only one boat came by.
Got out of the water about 4:30, made use of the Troutfitter's air conditioning, drank one of their peach Snapple's and went back out at about 5:00. Found another pool devoid of anglers. It had sulfurs hatching and fish rising. When I am fishing, I'm seldom standing in one place. If I see a rise I'm off to see if I can catch the fish. Well, with no one around I ended up upstream about fifty yards from where I would have chosen to be and when I looked back a fisherman had magically appeared in what was to be "my spot". Didn't matter, as the evening sulfur hatch increased I was able to find more than enough rising fish to keep me busy. When the water started to come up with the evening pulse, I reeled it in and drove downstream. Arrived at the Gamelands at 8:00 and didn't see a sulfur until 8:50, then had fish to throw at until 9:40.
The fishing - Both the fishing and catching were great. You have to sort out the risers and not throw at the yearlings. Almost all of the fish I hooked were two year olds (11 to 13 inches). Lost a nice rainbow and landed two nice browns. A 19 incher was fish of the day. The sulfurs appear to have begun their midday summer hatching routine. They are also hatching near dark. Spinners are also falling late. Early afternoons, go upstream from Hale Eddy until you see bugs and rising fish. Evenings, anywhere on the WB from 8:45 'til pitch black should have sulfur duns and/or spinners and rising trout.
Jim - You asked about striped bass at Hale Eddy. Over the years I've seen strippers in many of the bigger pools in the BR and WB. Some of the strippers are huge and will chase (and eat) rainbows up to 16 inches while they are on someone's line. A few years back there was a 25 pounder in Junction Pool that followed fishermen around. Would stay about three feet downstream and just wait. Ate two 15 inch rainbows when I released them. Others may disagree but this is a trout stream and there are more than enough predators, eat strippers.
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