Newbie Fish & Chips Session II - Saturday, July 28th

[Volksnurse]

LMAO. I look good in a tux.

mcfinn wrote:
Aww, c'mon DD, we're not so bad...

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Volksnurse wrote:
LMAO. I look good in a tux.

But your usual attire is this.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

djs12354 wrote:
Okay - Now you just made me sit up!

.....and you didn't even have to press the button on your Life-Alert. :lol:

I'll have my gear bag with lots of leader tying stuff in it. If you need a good leader for tricos, meet me at the shop at 7am.

I'll also be doing a knot tying class later in the morning. There is no escape for Stagger this time.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Was wondering if u remembered that ED b/ I didnt!

I have some tapered leaders (think that is what they are called) that have been cut short re: tree hang ups. Ill have one of u guys rig me up early so I AM fish BUT definetly would appreciate knot tying lessons when we get off the h2o ..... Im stuck @ one knot only for flies

 

[Heritage-Angler]

No fears, Stagger. My knot instruction stuff has been in my gear bag for weeks. I even made you a set of practice cords to take home.

There's a leader in my gear bag for you as well. The only knot you'll need to use it is the clinch knot - same one you tie flies on with.

Gotcha covered, buddy.

 

[PoconoPaul]

Heritage-Angler wrote:

djs12354 wrote:
Okay - Now you just made me sit up!

.....and you didn't even have to press the button on your Life-Alert. :lol:

I'll have my gear bag with lots of leader tying stuff in it. If you need a good leader for tricos, meet me at the shop at 7am.

I'll also be doing a knot tying class later in the morning. There is no escape for Stagger this time.

H-A, I could probably use a good leader set up and some tricos (checked my fly box and it's really low on those critters), so if you have any.... Unfortunately by the time I get home the fly shops in my area are closed and I don't pass any on the commute home. With Saturday bearing down I am in a tight spot.

By the way, are you the owner of the shop down there? I heard it had closed a few years ago after the last big flood, but haven't been down there in almost 5 years.

 

[Foxgap239]

A little update. I detoured over to the LL this morning (mainly because I don't intend to fish Saturday so I needed to get my fix in) and fishing was tough. Water is low and clear. Bugs were not heavy at all. Ton of guys there on a Thursday morning too. I was the first one there but when I got back to my car, no spots left! I hooked 4 fish today. 1 on my inchworm right after I got there and 3 on my size 22 trico. Did not land the first two but did land the last one, a nice 14" brown. Not nearly as many fish rising as last Saturday so it may be tough fishing unless H-A does his rain dance.

Still going to be a great time. Casting, knot tying, fly tying and on stream demos a plenty. I'm really looking forward to this. Thanks, in advance, for the great support you are all giving to this event!

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Low and clear water. I hope it's really sunny too. Just adds to the challenge. I'm kidding of course!

 

[SBecker]

Picked you up a dozen tricos. See ya Saturday.

PoconoPaul wrote:

Heritage-Angler wrote:

djs12354 wrote:
Okay - Now you just made me sit up!

.....and you didn't even have to press the button on your Life-Alert. :lol:

I'll have my gear bag with lots of leader tying stuff in it. If you need a good leader for tricos, meet me at the shop at 7am.

I'll also be doing a knot tying class later in the morning. There is no escape for Stagger this time.

H-A, I could probably use a good leader set up and some tricos (checked my fly box and it's really low on those critters), so if you have any.... Unfortunately by the time I get home the fly shops in my area are closed and I don't pass any on the commute home. With Saturday bearing down I am in a tight spot.

By the way, are you the owner of the shop down there? I heard it had closed a few years ago after the last big flood, but haven't been down there in almost 5 years.

 

[PoconoPaul]

SBecker wrote:
Picked you up a dozen tricos. See ya Saturday.

Cool. Thanks bud. Will see you in the early AM.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

fishing was tough. Water is low and clear.

forcast is calling for t-storms, some strong .. should help, no?

U really messed with my confidence on that post lol

 

[PoconoPaul]

Stagger_Lee wrote:

fishing was tough. Water is low and clear.

forcast is calling for t-storms, some strong .. should help, no?

U really messed with my confidence on that post lol

.... and we'll all be carrying the eqivalent of a lightning rod...yikes.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

PP .. should have noted that TStorms are for tonight .. Sat AM looks nice

 

[Heritage-Angler]

PoconoPaul wrote:
H-A, I could probably use a good leader set up and some tricos (checked my fly box and it's really low on those critters), so if you have any.... Unfortunately by the time I get home the fly shops in my area are closed and I don't pass any on the commute home. With Saturday bearing down I am in a tight spot.

By the way, are you the owner of the shop down there? I heard it had closed a few years ago after the last big flood, but haven't been down there in almost 5 years.

Hi Paul - I plan on getting there around 7am. I'm trying to sneak out of work earlier, but the odds are not good at this point. I really hate third shift!

I'll gladly give folks a few flies to hold them over until the shop opens. I'll also have my leader building supplies with me, so anyone that needs help with their leaders - you're covered. If you need anything, just head to the shop after 7am, and I'll hook you up.

Dave Bittner is the owner of the shop, and he'll probably get there earlier than his scheduled 9am opening time. Dave is a good friend of mine - I have no connection to the shop other than that. Dave has everything necessary to have success fishing the tricos down there. The flies he sells are proven performers on the Little Lehigh. He also stocked up on cold drinks, and they're only $1.

Just checked the weather forecast. There's some thunderstorms predicted between now and Saturday morning, but the amount of rainfall isn't that great. The forecast will probably change between now and Saturday anyway. We're probably going to face low and clear stream conditions. We got lucky last weekend with the perfect conditions - this weekend will be OK, but it'll likely be tougher fishing.

Fishing should be good early on (Fox early). Female duns come off at first light, so fish dun patterns anywhere, or nymphs in the riffles first. Look for the spinnerfall between 8 and 9am. Tricos tend to swarm over the riffles, so you may have to walk to find them. If the spinnerfall slows periodically, you may find success fishing an ant or beetle on top. There's dead spinners available to the fish well after the spinners have fallen, so fishing a sunken spinner is productive, often well into the afternoon.

For those unsure of what flies to use, you could do a lot worse than to use a beetle for an indicator, and drop a trico spinner off the bend. I tie some foam beetles with a bright indicator post for just such an occasion.

Some safety thoughts:

If a thunderstorm rolls in, head for the safety of cover at the fly shop. They're not supposed to last long, so just play it safe.

Also, it would be a good idea to spray your clothes with Permethrin insect repellent the night before. Ticks are always a concern around these parts. Better safe than sorry.

See you folks Saturday morning!

H.A.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Ed .. thanks for the heads up on cold drinks as I usually purchase H2O at the gas station close by but would rather give him the business.

ystrday I p/up some tricos (24) but what exactly are spinner patters? Are they similar to Wulff patterns?

 

[djs12354]

Heritage-Angler wrote:

Volksnurse wrote:
LMAO. I look good in a tux.

But your usual attire is this.

Man - That's just cold......You didn't give him his fly rod.......

Re leaders - I just added 5x and 6x tippet to the leader you gave me some time ago.

I want to get into fish, but my real goal is for the Aardvark to meet the PAFF contingent and, hopefully, get the coaching that puts him onto his first trout. Best I could do was get him the gear and get him on the sunfish :-(

 

[PoconoPaul]

H-A,

Thanks for the tips and info on flies, leader help. Initially I thought your screen name (Heritage Angler) was the name for fly shop, in this case (yours :-D), and if it wasn't probably should be... It's catchy!

LL has been interesting to me over the years (though I have not been there in at least 5) in that it's either feast or famine. I suspect with low waters it may be a famine outing, but who knows - then again I am kind of looking forward to the camaraderie, info sharing and picnic, not to mention meeting a ton of people I don't know.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Stagger - Spinners are the final phase of a mayfly's lifecycle. They mate in this phase, and often fall spent on the water's surface after doing so. The term spinner probably came from the way the bugs look in their mating swarms.

Fish often key in on this phase, as the spent (dead) spinners are easy prey, and sometimes available in abundance. Such is the case with Tricos. The fish often hover just under the surface, "sipping" the spinners rapidly, and repeatedly. Little energy is used to gain good caloric intake.

This is one of the trico spinner patterns I tie. It represents a female trico. Male tricos have a black, or dark colored abdomen. I just use a Sharpie to convert female flies to males. Touch the abdomen with the Sharpie, and poof - instant male trico.

 

[Foxgap239]

DD, is bringing a sharpie and I'm sure he'd be glad to share after he uses it for its intended purpose, of course.


Latest Update:

DJS (Dave) - Grill and hot sausage/rolls
Dave's Brother - Aardvark
Fox (George) - water, trash bags and Box of Joe (I hope)
Volksnurse (JT) - Soda with cooler and ice
Stag (Andrew) - burgers and rolls
GRP (Garrett) - Chips and condiments
Chaz (Chaz) - grill and meat plus his vast FF knowledge
Martin (Jeff) - Hot dogs/rolls and potato salad
Better Martin (Carolyn) - homemade Choc Chip Cookies
DD (Dan) - baked beans
CathG ( Cathy) - plates, napkins, plasticware and side tables
Olyphant Lacky - Tentative
ADucker (Jeff) - shrimp (my hero)
SBecker (Shane) - Desserts
McFinn (Derrick) - corn on the cob and fixin's
H-A (Ed) - Pretzels and junk
PJHarrington (Paul) - tentative TBD
JoesyWales (Mark) - Venison and pineapple stuffing
OldLefty (Dave) - Tentative
WildTigerTrout (Ed) - Donuts
PoconoPaul (Paul, I assume) - Tentative
Don Douple - Watermelon
Dave - Fly Shop Owner (our guest)

Invitiation is still open to anyone. Join us and just bring along something you think would be picnic worthy but let us know so that we make sure to have enough food for everyone. I show 23 possible attendees above so far, please make sure to let me know if I missed you. A couple of others have asked about it so that number may go up or down.

Based on the posts and lack of PM's, I'm guessing we have more coffee drinkers than not, so I'll get 2.

 

[Foxgap239]

CathyG wrote:
I might be bringing a friend. On this board he's "Olyphant Lacky". He's not sure if he can make it.

Cathy, thanks for the heads up. I sure hope he can join us. I added him as tentative.