A Perfect Fall Day

With the Heavy rains in the middle of the week throughout New Jersey, I decided to head north up to one of my favorite wild trout streams in the state.  It was about ten degrees colder at the stream then at my home about an hour and fifteen minutes away.  Air in the mid 20's, and the first day of icy guides.  I fished my 6' Phillipson glass rod, and started with a special streamer pattern.  Special, because of its creator Ken Lockwood, who the Gorge in Califon, NJ is named after.  The "Ken Lockwood Streamer," was good for two wild rainbows, one of which, was my personal best wild bow for NJ.
For the majority of the day I nymphed deeper runs with a pink san juan worm, down to a zebra midge.  The high water in the small creek provided excellent pools and runs,  and the trout were striking in both fast and slow water, everywhere.  Mostly wild bows, but a couple beautiful wild browns thrown in the mix too.  A cold, but wonderful Fall day.

First of the day and a personal best 

Wild Gold

Beautiful par marks

Downstream

This hole produced one

Bamboo, Dry Flies, and Wild Trout

New Jersey's known for many things, including corn, tomatoes, pork roll, the "Jersey Shore," and countless others.  However, wild trout, and trout fishing in general are not things that comes up in conversation when NJ is the topic of discussion.  Many people don't realize what quality waters Hunterdon and Morris county hold, and that thousands of native Eastern brook trout that call these waters home.
     With yet another early season heat wave, the fishing on some larger rivers has become dangerous for the trout mid day, and early afternoon.  I decided to beat the heat today, and was stream side by about 6:15.  The water temp was right around 60 degrees.  I headed up stream to a slow, shallow pool, with large overhanging trees providing a shaded and cool spot for trout to look up and sip dries. I started with a size 18 BWO.  As I slowly approached the pool, there was a couple of small trout rising on the edge of the shadow line.  It was not long before a small native brookie was fooled, and brought to hand.  I continued fishing with the BWO, and throughout the morning it brought good success.  The BWO was good for three brookies and two browns in the early hours of the morning.  When this pattern slowed down, I went to one of my favorites, the caribou caddis.  A pattern tied with caribou hair, a little white poly yarn for the underwing, and brown dubbing for the body and head, this fly provides an exceptionally easy and effective dry.  This caddis not only works well and floats high in fast water, but also is great in slower pools, as the dubbing in the front creates bubbles, adding to its realism.  This fly brought one brookie and two browns, one being by far the biggest fish of the day.  The fish was hooked in a large faster pool, and gave a great jump as he ripped the excess fly line out of my hand and began to pull drag on the little hardy flyweight.  When the fish was finally to hand, I admired the beauty of his colors.  A darker brown, with smaller red spots, but still had the beautiful golden color in the fins and lower section.  I decided to call it a day at around 11:30 as the air temp climbed to around 80 and the water to around 65-67.

The largest fish of the day. caught on the caribou caddis

First fish of the day, caught on the BWO

This brookie had beautiful par marks and very bright red spots.

First Brown of the day

Another large brown

The little 6' bamboo rod that did all the work with a quil gordon on a different day

November Dries to Icy Guides

A week ago today, the air temp was in the mid 60's, and fish were rising at both the Claremont stretch and the gorge.  I fished the gorge in the morning and ended up only landing one brown on a disco midge.  Another five were missed one being a rainbow over 20 inches.  I spent the remainder of the day at the Claremont, and there was a couple fish around me that were feeding up top.  I tied a griffith's gnat up top, and followed it with a green rs2 which ended up being what the fish couldn't resist.  

Today was a different story.  The air temp was in the mid 20's through the majority of the day, and I was hoping for a one or two fish day.  I decided to head up to the Claremont after the heavy rain we received through the majority of yesterday.  I figured I would try out my new small stream bamboo rod and Vom Hofe imitation reel once before resting it for the Winter.  Walking down to the bank I saw that the river was higher than I had ever seen it before.  I fished the normal hole that I fish with a large bead tail caddis attractor followed by a rainbow warrior.  To my surprise I caught three wild browns in about an hour- an hour and a half all on the rainbow warrior.  The water was very off-color, but the fish definitely had no trouble finding the shiny patterns.  I went down to the gorge for the remainder of the morning and ended up only getting one brown also on the rainbow warrior.  The first true day of Winter fishing this year, and a good start.

Wild browns caught on a rainbow warrior

Wild browns caught on an olive rs2

glass on the left cane on the right 

A Fall Day on the Ken Lockwood Gorge

After fishing the Claremont Stretch of the Raritan for the last couple of days, I decided to spend the entirety of the day at the Gorge.  The water was low and clear, and being an overcast Tuesday, saw very little angling pressure.  I began my morning on the river around 9:15 and was off to a good start.  Nymphing with a small egg pattern trailed by various midge patterns in size 20, I landed a small, freshly stocked fall rainbow of about 7 inches followed soon after by a brown that was about 12 or 13.  I continued nymphing throughout the remainder of the morning and into the afternoon and landed another small rainbow and another brown of about the same size.  Before calling it a day I found it very difficult to leave and hoped to get one more as I often do.  sitting in a slow run, a 12 or so inch brown was hanging suspended, sipping tiny insects off the top of the water which I believed to be midges.  I watched him continue to rise for a little, and decided to cut off the nymphing rig and tie on a griffith's gnat in a size 22.  I cast to the brown and got a couple good drifts over him.  After a couple casts I finally got his attention as he came up to inspect the fly, but denied it.  I continued to cast to him again, and this time he couldn't resist.  Setting the hook the brown swam upstream, and fought hard before he was finally brought to the bank.  (probably one of the last if not the last trout I will get on a dry this year.)  With temps dropping daily and early sunsets, the warm summer nights and mayfly hatches will be missed until next summer.  Taking the last fish on a dry was truly a great ending to a great day.

Stocked Browns in Spawning Colors

Fall stocked rainbows

Brown caught on a November dry

All caught on a 5wt hardy featherweight reel and 6' Phillipson Fly Fox glass rod

The Claremont

The Claremont stretch of the Raritan River is undoubtedly one of the toughest i've fished in the state of NJ.  It's narrow width and heavily covered banks make casting and wading very difficult.  The Claremont stays cool and shady throughout the summer with the large trees covering it.  Hiking through brush or wading through the river is a must here.  The last time the stretch was stocked was in the mid 90's giving the stretch a very unique and mysterious feel.  Its inhabitants as far as trout go are mainly wild with the exception of some large 15 inch+ fish that swim down from the club waters North of there. My first trip up to this stretch was a complete let down.  It was the middle of winter and the river was very low.  I didn't explore much of it, and the only section I fished was a couple of inches deep.  I saw no fish, and because of this didn't head back until this summer.  Finding a few nice holes I have been able to catch some  big trout in this stretch including two 15 inch rainbows that had swam down from club waters.  Today I caught a couple sunny's and chubs before I finally caught what I had driven around 45 minutes to catch: A wild brown.  Nymphing with a small blue egg pattern trailed by a flashback pheasant tail, my indicator stopped in the current and I set the hook as the fish began to run.  The average size brown jumped out of the water and ran around the pool before I could finally it.  A truly wild fish.

Two large bows 

A foggy morning on the Claremont

A very wild brownie 

Indian River Wading

I headed up north early Friday, to visit my grandparents in Fort Pierce on the Indian River.  I stayed up until Tuesday night, and luckily had some nice weather in the 60's which was great for the fishing. I waded out on the river and fished a section of flats they have behind their condo complex.  I caught about a dozen small jacks, one small snook, 3 big ladyfish, a lookdown, and accidentally foul hooked a stingray, which I fought for about a half hour expecting a fish.  Countless Dolphins and Manatees came through the shallows while I was fishing, one manatee practically close enough to reach out and touch.  All in all, I had a great time visiting them, and will be up soon again.

ladyfish

foulhooked stingray

passing dolphin

shot of the sun over the dock

lookdown 

little jack

little snook

Wild Winter Browns

With clear, cool weather Friday and Saturday morning, I fished the Ken Lockwood Gorge.  The water clarity was crystal clear, and the fishing was great.  Friday morning, I missed a couple hits, and had a fish snap my line.  I was able to land one large rainbow which was between 15-20 inches.  Saturday morning the fishing was once again great.  I carefully walked down the hill to the river, ready to drift nymphs in a stretch right by the parking area.  Two or three casts in, my indicator went down, and I set the hook to feel the pull of a fish.  I reeled in, and surprisingly it was not a rainbow, but a brown with beautiful red spots.  I moved to a couple more spots, before finding a run that was right above a small waterfall.  I drifted the nymphs around 5 yards above the waterfall in the swiftly moving water, and once again saw my indicator sink.  Another wild brown was to hand soon after, and another after that.  I continued to fish in other spots, and missed a couple hits, but landed no more.  Friday and Saturday the trout were feeding actively at the gorge and the fishing was on.