WWFG Fishing Reports

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 Post subject: Housetonic River Fly Fishing May 2008

BEST BETS:
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SUNDAY RIVER REPORT:
If you like catching the rainbow trout we privately put in the Housy over the past 2 years - please come to the store and buy a raffle ticket or make a donation to support the stocking, it's expensive - because a local Hatchery complained to our wholesaler in Pennsylvania - we are no longer able to get these quality fish at wholesale prices - we now have to go through another local hatchery - that also means a lot less money for the kid programs - Nice job - take money from the kids and the fishermen - Good news though - this hatchery is going to help us out and try and keep the costs down to help us give more money to the kids - anyone purchasing trout as individuals or clubs should use
- -Todd Bobowick Rowledge Pond Aquaculture Rowledge Pond Road Sandy Hook, CT 06482 203-426-6701 --- He is really trying to help - buy your fish from him - and the DEP has nothing but good things to say about him.
Poachers have been active of late, both in & out of the TMA. We called in a violation and got some poachers caught in Horse Hole Thursday, the DEP nailed 'em- they were keeping trout in a Catch & Release area, including one really big brown. There have also been people fishing below the TMA without licenses and keeping more than their limit of fish. We need all of you to be proactive and call in violations, the DEP needs to receive calls from people other than us calling all the time from the shop. The TIPS (Turn in Poacher) hotline # is 1-800-842-4357, the last 4 digits spell out the word "HELP" in case you forget the number. And for the record, all calls made to the hotline are logged and they look at the data each year to see where they need to beef up enforcement. While they are understaffed in terms of Conservation Officers, they will make every effort to dispatch one if at all possible. Get as much info as possible- number of people, general description, vehicle & plate #. Take a pic of them & their car if possible with a digital camera or even cell phone. If we get some more of them nailed, the word will get out that you don't want to poach on the Housy. Poachers will probably be out in force this holiday weekend, esp. with the nice weather.
Fish rising all afternoon on Saturday - What can I say, the conditions remain about the same- excellent with a very wadeable 444cfs this morning. Our guided float Friday produced a 24" brown for a father & son combo, with the kid catching the fish of the day. That is a true trophy. In the last few weeks, a few browns in that size range have showed up, both in CT DEP electroshocking, Federal electroshocking, and in a couple of lucky angler's landing nets. Fish like this, while not common, exist both inside & out of the TMA. So, get up here and fish! Columbus Day Weekend Sale - Super nice weather and river conditions, and the Housy is fishing great. It is beautiful up here, we are at near the front end of peak color, the next few weeks will see some awesome foliage, it's worth the drive for that alone, and the fishing has been pretty darn good too! We are looking about perfect for the weekend: medium-low, clear flows, with highs about 65-70 and low's 40-50, sunny with maybe a cloud here and there, and no rain. Wow, we seem to be really catching a break with the weather this Fall, can you believe it? Peak fishing is typically in the afternoons & early evenings right now, esp. for dry flies, but with the temps getting more moderate again, the morning fishing (streamers & nymphs) is also an option again. Best reports the last couple days have been afternoons & early evenings with fish on dries (olives, sulfurs/heptagenia) and smaller nymphs (olives/baetis). Fish were rising pretty good Thursday in the late afternoon/early evening when the shadows hit the water. Streamers are still hot at moments, esp. under low light conditions- make sure to experiment with color, it can be the difference between a lot of trout and no trout. Afternoon Olive hatches continue to be heavy, and if you look for risers in the slower water in the major pools you will find them. Early to mid afternoon is peak time for the Olives. Moderate, seasonable weather is back again, and the foliage continues to get more beautiful every day. We got some great postcards of the Covered Bridge printed up, check them out when you stop in. Fished with my girlfriend Mandy & Dave Homrock in the TMA Tuesday afternoon for a few hours, and the nymphing was very good. Dave scored big in numbers, tallying almost 20 trout, Mandy & I caught some nice browns & rainbows up to 17"+. Big stones & small Olive/Baetis nymphs were the ticket for us. Saw quite a few Olives floating down. Rainbow trout fishing below the TMA is still good to excellent most days, with big streamers & smaller nymphs being the ticket lately. Been seeing a ton of Brown Caddis flying upriver in the evenings- Tom Ames calls this "hatch" the Fool's Caddis, because they are flying upriver to lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves, so they don't end up on the water. Funny. But a brown Serendipity does a good job imitating the pupa crawling out in the mornings when they hatch, some of which get washed into the drift. Other nymphs scoring well of late are ever popular Prince, and #18-20 Olive/Baetis type nymphs. Streamer fishing is still good, especially during low light periods- early & late, and on overcast days. Olives are the dominant hatch in October, and there should be Iso's on the water too 'till about mid month. Peak hatch time has shifted more to the afternoons when the temps are most comfortable and the water temps bump up a little. Now that morning water temps are down in the mid 50's, you will really see the trout put on the feedbag- this is Nature's way of preparing them for the Winter ahead & leaner times. Remember too brown trout are Fall spawners, with mid October thru December being the main time period for that in our neck of the woods. During that time they get aggressive on streamers & also hit egg patterns. The Fall color is early this year, and the foliage color is getting amazing, I think we will hit peak color sooner than normal.