Tough Stretch

[jifigz]

I normally catch fish and plenty of them. My last three outings, however, have been down right difficult. I have a friend up from Virginia and we have been hitting the trout waters with little success.

We fished a stretch of Kish and and I landed one wild brown and that is all. Then I hiked him back into the gorge on the Little J and we camped out and fished quite a few hours with no trout being landed. My buddy did pull one small smallmouth out of the Little J and that was it. And then just yesterday we put a few hours in on Spring Creek and once again we took a skunking. At least this trip we both at least hooked a fish.

What gives? This has been a humbling stretch of fishing that has brought me back to reality that trout can be difficult. How has everyone else's trout angling been?

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I think it's a September thing. It has never been a great month for me. I had a tough skunk outing last week and an enjoyable but meh fishing day yesterday too. My theory, at least on freestoners, is that the water is cool in the morning, but the hatches seem to trend toward evening. Add that to warmer water by evening, and fish are hunkered down or eating yoy at night... Water temp in NEPA was 67 when I quit at 2 yesterday even though bugs were present, cahills, caddis, midges, maybe even an iso or two.

 

[sarce]

It's not just you. I fished a total of almost 12 hrs this weekend with one 7" SMB and a few sunnies to show for it. I found fish but they would not touch anything I tried.

 

[Dave_W]

jifigz wrote:
What gives? This has been a humbling stretch of fishing that has brought me back to reality that trout can be difficult. How has everyone else's trout angling been?

I dunno.
September has always been a favorite month of mine for fishing.

However, sometimes I think seasonal transition months can be mysterious. June is often the same way (especially for WW species).
In addtion, the trout streams are low again and see-sawing water temps may have the fish hunkered down a bit. For stream trout fishing, September can just be a tough month with skittish fish and low water.

 

[3oh4]

My slump came this year in July, missing fish, losing fish, catching tree limbs... the F*Bomb was dropped more in July fishing this year than the rest of the year put together.

It just happens to most of us, then it only takes one fish or one day and your back in the groove again. Probably doesn't help your matter that a lot of fish are in survival mode right now until the temps and flows stabilize.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Nymph is spot on it's a September thing it will pick up when we get some rain and the waters cool down a little more.

 

[jifigz]

The temps on the streams I fished were in good shape. The Little J was at 64° and Kish and Spring were both flowing at 62°. The flows are low for sure, though. Last September I had killer trout fishing and landed a few very nice wild browns.

I'm planning on finding time to fish Lower Kish again sometime this weekend in the morning and I'm hoping I can at least land one.

 

[Swattie87]

Low water. Leads to tough fishing, especially for wild Browns, which those streams predominantly have. They can be ghosts in low, clear water.

Brookies can be somewhat more reliable in low water, if you're willing to fish for them instead. They'll be out in the open still, but will spook easily. For me, it seems like Browns completely vanish in low, clear water. In reality I think they contort themselves under rocks and into crevices in hiding. I think it has to do with their feeding behaviors. Brookies constantly feed, or attempt to anyway, wheres as Browns tend to gorge themselves when food is available and then don't eat for a time. This behavior lends them to feeding in abundance when conditions are favorable, and then going into hiding when they're not. I fish streams where when the water's up and off color I catch 90% Browns. Fish the same stream in low/clear conditions, and I catch far less fish, but the fish I do catch are nearly 100% Brookies. FWIW.

Coming out of Summer the last few years is seems like the more consistent soaking rains didn't pick up until mid October, but when they did, fishing improved. For me anyway. Have a trip up to the NC slated for the first week of October. Flows are low now, and if things hold out I'll expect slow Trout fishing, and will probably spend a good portion of that trip targeting Smallies. If it starts raining, and flows improve, the Trout fishing will be great though.

Conditions. Conditions. Conditions. Trumps all. A bad angler in good conditions will catch far more fish than a good angler in poor conditions.

 

[Vaughn]

September has been good to me this year, although the locations fishing well for me now are not necessarily the same stretches I did well on earlier in the year.

I can relate to having a tough stretch, though...

 

[Acristickid]

Streams are really low.

Bright sun and clear skies , never the best days.

 

[dryflyguy]

Yeah - this certainly is not an easy time of year to fish. You have to be extra stealthy for sure.
Pools require very slow, deliberate wading - so that you don't send any ripples over the fish. And long casts are usually required - just can't get very close to them now. Wearing drab colors is a big plus too IMO
Just curious - did you see any fish rising? If they went down when you got into casting range, you probably spooked them.

I fished a small WT stream earlier this week.
Water was as low as I can remember - and fish were ultra wary.
I spooked many just getting into casting range - even with a camo shirt on.
I finally began crawling up to the pools on my hands and knees - which is kinda tough on me now - before I started catching some fish

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Im just saying in general for streams when it gets a little cooler water temps the main issue is the water is low and in some places really clear. Trout are spooky a lot of bird predators after them yet.

 

[salmo]

I don't need a month or an excuse for not catching fish. Sometimes I just suck because I don't get out enough to fish and improve my technique.

:lol: :lol:

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Unless your going at night right now good luck catching big trout if you do feel free to share the pictures.

 

[greenghost]

Low water. High temps. Skittish fish. And don't forget they've been fished over for 5 months -- they've seen everything from an Adams to a Zonker.

It's a miracle we can catch any fish during these trying times.

 

[just_jon]

Fortunate to live close to Big Spring as fishing in September is the same as March, or April or November. Water levels have been lower than I've seen in 20 years, but it does not present a fishability issue. Have not been on the water the last 2 weeks due to a battle with pneumonia. Oxygen tube is only 57' so limits me to the main floor of the house and deck/BBQ. Basement is off limits due to a water leak while I was in the hospital last Wednesday. Total gut job (laminate floorIt goes away tomorrow, so i may be back on the water as I'm feeling 100% otherwise.

 

[SteveG]

I had similar experiences fishing Kish a couple times over the past two months. I haven't fished it much historically, so I can't speak as to how it normally is.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Yep...I have had some decent days up north on mountain freestones. I agree though that local limestoners are low and clear with very skittish fish. I have definitely had better years on BFC, Spring, Elk, etc. That said, this year has definitely been better than 2016. Last Summer's drought was brutal.

 

[Chaz]

It just that time of the year. You have to get out early, about dawn, or fish the last hour of daylight and into the dark, otherwise until it rains a fair amount things will be slow during the day. Bright sunny days aren't always the best days to fish.

 

[jifigz]

Actually the last time I trout fished, which I think was Monday morning the 25th, the slump broke in a big way. The smallest wild brown I nailed was about 14" and the best which I lost was probably an 18" fish. I landed 5 trout in about 2 hours that were in the 14" to 18" range. Prince nymph was the ticket. It produced nothing but nice fish.