Terrestrial Time – Scott G2 886

/in /by

Terrestrial fishing starts right after the Hex Hatch, July, August, and September are prime months for hoppers, beetles, crickets, and ants. One of my favorite rods for big Terristrial patterns is the Scott G2 886
With the end of the Hex Hatch starts the beginning of  Hopper Time.  No more up-wing parachutes or layout spinners.  Yes we will still have BWO’s, Trico’s and the occasional Iyso.  But July, August and September trout fishing for me, during the day light hours is match the Terrestrial.  Time to run the foam and rubber legs.

Matching the Terrestrial, just like Matching the Hatch, can change day to day.  For whatever reason trout can change focus from hoppers, to ants, to damsels, to crickets.  I really thinks it more of matching size and color.  Again just like matching the mayfly hatch, you need to figure out what fish want on a particular day.

With more free time in July than we have in June, have some goals for fly tying and photography work.  Hope to share more patterns and fish technique.  Again these are goals for the next couple months, so check back and we will see what I’ve come up with.

But in the mean time also wanted to share that ran a new rod just recently that is a new favorite for Terrestrial fishing the Scott G2 886.  With rods I truly believe that you need to cast or feel one before you buy.  But if your in your local fly shop pick this rod up, it has true hidden power and can turn over big foam, but in the same sense protect you when you need to drop down a tippet size.  A pleasure to cast and to fish with all day.  Check it out.  For those that enjoy the hopper dropper and need to turn over foam, but fish 5x on the dropper.

First Cicada Photo

/1 Comment/in , /by

I have had a chance to hear them, I’ve found a shuck before, but I have never had a chance to photograph one. Floating down the Manistee River yesterday I just happened to look down and saw this little bugger resting on a limb. I like the new foam flies that I will be developing now. Live and die by the big dry fly!

A Cicada sitting along the shore of the Manistee River. Have new foam fly ideas already bouncing around in my mind.

Picture of the Day – Damsel Patterns

/in , /by

B&W photo with all but the blue and the red withdrawn from the image in Lightroom. Wanted to show off the blue damsel that this nice brown trout fell for.

Photo is clickable to my new Smug Mug page. Working on having images for sale on this site. New to smug mug so bear with me. But have had printing done through there labs and it’s pretty amazing stuff.

Protect your flying Trout

/in , /by

Why do they wiggle, why do the squirm, why can’t they just sit still for a quick pic.  It happens more than I want to admit, the jumping out of the hands brown trout during the photo session.  A way that I protect the trout, is to have the net underneath the trout during the photo session.  As you can notice here the trout is flying and it was saved by the net waiting underneath.  We all want photo’s of the nice ones we catch, now we need to protect them when we do bring out the camera.  Use this little net trick if your stuck in the boat taking photo’s.

brown trout photos

June Brown Trout

/in , , /by

It is the season of the big bug, with Hex grabbing so much of the attention anglers really do over look the early June season.  As Iyso’s, stones, and now the “new” Manistee river Gray Drake.  As I was talking to Ed McCoy last night, when do you ever remember seeing so many Gray Drakes?  Will be fun to watch over the next couple years, how this hatch and spinner fall effects our June fishing.  Especially the early season, it has been a day saver some nights this year.  Not that we didn’t have Gray’s before, but we do not remember in our short guide careers having this many, and for this long.  I’m so glad that I had McCoy’s Gray Drake Spinner from Orvis this year.  It is still undefeated haven’t been refused by a fish yet.

Kean O. below with a stonefly eating michigan brown trout.

michigan brown trout

First Hex, found on an inland lake

/in , /by

Driving home from the river the other day saw my first signs of hex, on an northern michigan inland lake the streets and overheads lights to illuminate the streets were covered in this Michigan Mayfly.

Hex Hatch

New Bug 2 Tails

/in , , /by

So from time to time you see a bug on the water, and at certain time of year it stands out. It separates it’s self from every other bug on the water.  When this happens it must be funny to be the birds in the trees, watching me chase after the bug in my Clackacraft.  Rowing as fast as I can forward, backwards, and side to side.  Making the boat spin and dart the best I can to get the angle to grab this bug.  What fishing guides do to learn more about their craft and the environment they fish in.

Now if you have ever fished with me for dries I’m a simple match the size and match the color kind of guy.  My first questions about bugs on the water always is, are the fish eating them?  But the mystery bug below if it can come out in enough numbers will for sure have fish looking up.  So with my limited knowledge I always ask Ann Miller author of the best Hatch Guide book I know of for the Midwest.

Current word is still out, feel free to add your input.  The reason for the problem is the 2 tail dilemma.  Will have it figured out shortly but just wanted to post the pic.  Trout fishing has been real good, still have one day open in June the 5th if you want to get out for a prime Iyso period.  Shoot me an email.

I like the reflective nature of this picture.  Had to shoot at 640 ISO because of how late in the evening this was so thus the grainy nature of the image.  Plus no tripod in the boat.

michigan mayfly

Gray Drake

/in , /by

A gray drake on it’s last leg.  With the next couple days coming back to normal, look in the evening sky for this great bug.  Also if you havn’t already picked up your gray drake spinners pick up a hand full of Ed McCoy’s Gray Drake Spinner.

orvis gray drake spinner

Brown Trout Feeding Video

/in , , , /by

Here is a little lesson for you to learn.  You know those patterns that you fished last year that you put back in your box.  Make sure to check the hook closely.  As this trout taught us, after we hooked him, he made quick work of us and lost him,  because the hook did not make it.  This guide standby pattern had rusted out through the winter and was too weak to land a nice trout eating sulphurs.

slow_mo_trout

Lamprey match the hatch

/3 Comments/in , , , , /by

With the official start of lamprey season (chestnut lamprey),  the biggest match the hatch we have here in Michigan for our streamer program.  Not that there is really a season for lamprey, but I just happened to notice they the crawled out of the mud this week. Some people have told me trout don’t eat lamprey.  Okay.  If they don’t eat them, I’m fine with that, but they sure don’t like them.  Pictured below is a trout we caught this weekend on an imitation lamprey streamer pattern.  This trout had 11 different lamprey attached to him and out of anger destroyed my simple fur and feather pattern.

IMG_7066 IMG_7097