Those Slow Winter Months

I know this time of the year is when the fishing kind of slows down for some of us and we become involved in other things that will occupy us until spring. As most of you know I am a big movie buff, whether it is your traditional movie or documentaries concerning history or the outdoors. I also get a lot of enjoyment from watching fly fishing videos. While viewing a fly fishing video the other day involving fishing the Mayfly I discover a gold mine of information from the website On Stream Guide. Be prepared to spend some time on this site covering a lot of fly fishing information.

Another pastime of mine is watching good documentaries from the History and National Geographic channels. A few of my favorites are:

The Civil War ---150^th Edition----The documentary traces the causes, courses as well as the major events and personalities of the American Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, this epic American story of struggle and survival was written in blood, and in this series is told mostly from first-hand accounts and in the spoken words of the participants themselves, through their diaries, letters, and memoirs. The series concludes with Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House and the surrender of the western Confederate Army to Sherman in North Carolina in the spring of 1865. It then explores the legacy of slavery and the consequences and meaning of a war that transformed the country forever. 

America Before Columbus---History books traditionally depict the pre-Columbus Americas as a pristine wilderness where small native villages lived in harmony with nature. But scientific evidence tells a very different story: When Columbus stepped ashore in 1492, millions of people were already living there. America wasn't exactly a "New World," but a very old one whose inhabitants had built a vast infrastructure of cities, orchards, canals, and causeways. But after Columbus set foot in the Americas, an endless wave of explorers, conquistadors, and settlers arrived, and with each of their ships came a Noah's Ark of plants, animals—and disease. In the first 100 years of contact, entire civilizations were wiped out and the landscape was changed forever.

Trail of Tears---President Andrew Jackson enacted the Indian Removal Act which forced the Cherokee Nation to leave their homeland and relocate into unchartered territory. Many of these forced settlers suffered from exposure, disease and starvation and upon arriving in Indian Territory, they arrived with no past and no future.

First Landing---The Voyage from England to Jamestown

First Landing unearths the untold story of Robert Hunt's incredible sacrifice as expedition chaplain of the Virginia Company's awe-inspiring voyage to the New World - a groundbreaking trip that would result in America's first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. The story follows Hunt's struggle to leave his young family in order to make the arduous journey by sea in 1606. While most men looked to their own needs, Hunt brought much-needed unity to the frail outpost on the James River that would in time become the United States of America.

The Oregon Trail Find out what it was like for the pioneers who made the daring journey across the Rocky Mountains to settle the Oregon Territory. Hear their stories of bravery, excitement, tragedy, and sorrow from their actual letters and diary entries. Why were they going? What did they bring? What did they have to leave behind? Travel The Oregon Trail as they did across the plains, through the mountains and into a brand new world.

As I get older I find myself watching less and less commercial television. Programs that interest me fifteen years ago or more just doesn’t whole my attention anymore.

 

Chasing Monsters Away

The best part of the holidays is getting together with family. Turkey day was spent with our daughter and her family. They were with us through Saturday and as always it was time well spent. After lunch Thursday my son-in-law B.T., Bryson, and I spent the afternoon touring the shoreline of Beautiful Smith Lake. The fishing on the lake is slow at this time of the year because of the constant drawdown of the lake. The lake level now is 12 feet below full pool.

Friday Pops spent the afternoon with Bryson and Laelyn at two different parks located a few miles from our house. The grandchildren love going to the parks and just being outdoors when they come to visit. 

Gamble Park is their favorite not because of the playground station; the live creek running through the park really gets the imagination going for a six and four-year-old. Feeding the small perch and chasing monsters from the creek by Bryson is more fun than playing a video game at home.

Picking up tiny pieces of fish food to throw in the moving water; the small perch would inhale it!!

This creek exploring just wouldn’t be any fun if you didn’t get your shoes and pants wet; oh how Pops loves to go exploring with these guys!!!

Deciphering a Midge Hatch

When I fish the Sipsey Tailrace I usually notice a midge hatch. The best hatches usually occur in the afternoon. Seeing a hatch on the Sipsey doesn’t always mean one will be successful landing trout fishing the hatch. As most of us know landing trout during a hatch depends on matching the hatch and how you present the pattern to the trout, and sometimes that doesn’t work. I know all of us have been there; where you are watching trout feeding heavy on a midge hatch and we cast everything in the fly box at the feeding frenzy and come up empty.

As most you know I just can’t let this hatch mystery go without doing a little research that hopefully will help all of us out on our next hatch adventure. The following image and explanation below are some of the best examples of hatch feeding I found. Keep in mind the bugs mentioned here are mayflies, caddis flies, emergers and a midge, but the surface action trout image below could be the same regardless of the insects.

Watching trout rise from a vantage point at the water's edge will tell you where to cast. But by taking an even closer look and noting how those trout are rising, you can also see exactly what type of fly to throw at them—especially when there are different insects flying in the air. Here’s what to look for.
1 - The Sip
What you see: A very subtle dimple in the water, and only the nose of the trout appear.
What that means: The fish are either sipping midges or eating spent mayfly spinners.
What to fish: A Rusty Spinner—but no bigger than a size 18.
2 - The Slurp
What you see: More pronounced “beaks,” eating on the surface.
What that means: The fish are dialed in on a hatch—likely mayfly duns.
What to fish: A size 18 Parachute Adams. When the fish are really chopping, try a cripple variation.
3 - The Splash
What you see: A sudden, explosive pop with some splash.
What that means: Trout are on moving targets, like skittering caddisflies.
What to fish: Tie on a caddis pattern, such as a size 16 Lawson’s Caddis, and don’t be afraid to give it a twitch.
4 - The Boil
What you see: Disturbed water but no faces—only a dorsal fin and maybe a tail.
What that means: They’re eating emergers before they reach the surface.
What to fish: A size 20 Flashback Barr Emerger just beneath the film.
The following illustration came from a Field and Stream publication

I stocked up on some hatch patterns on my recent visit to the new Cabala’s in Huntsville Alabama this past Thursday. This store had the largest selection of flies I have seen in any fly shop ever!!! I would also say that Cabala’s has a leg up on the Bass Pro fly shops when it comes to quality fly fishing equipment and accessories.

I’m curious what fly size and pattern would you select to get a hit using images 1, 2, 3 or 4?
   

Hope all you guys have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!!!