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