Brook trout fly selection for smaller streams

[wildbrown]

Hi guys

First, glad to find this forum - thank you for having me along!

I'm South African, living in Cornwall, England and visiting Chautauqua area of New York very soon. I'm hoping to find some small stream action in the area (for that matter, ANY stream action!), and first off trying to order a bunch of flies that I don't necessarily carry over here.

Any recommendations? And perhaps recommendation of the best option online fly retailer please?

Thanks v much
Aidan

PS Appreciate the opportunity to fish some of your streams, thank you!

 

[eddavidson9]

when is "very soon"? the lake erie tributaries will be seeing some steelhead in not-too-long.

brookies are not terribly selective. bushy dries (especially good floaters for the riffles), any nymphs, streamers wets...they all work well. if you are flying into buffalo, there is Oak Orchard Fly Shop just around the corner from the airport.

good luck!

 

[wildbrown]

Thanks Ed, that's good of you. I'll be there come Sunday for a couple weeks, based around the Mayville area. Was really keen to find a little (or not so little) stream relatively close to me that I can 'daily' on

Can I get into steelhead on a 7ft 3/4? Or is that risking my gear?!? What sort of flies would you suggest if that's worth a flick?

Thanks again - I get in late unfortunately so wont have time to check out that local shop - hoping to get a few of the flies I never fish with (eg wooly buggers!~) sent directly to the address I'mn staying at.

Was also hoping to head into some forests nearby, hopefully to include some fishing too. Allegheny Park comes up pretty close on Google Earth, is that any good?

 

[eddavidson9]

i wouldn't be chasing steelies with a 3/4 but thats OK, i doubt they will be around when you're here.

you can call up oak orchard to see about ordering and shipping or possibly arranging pickup, but as much as anything for conditons and what to expect. also more local tackle shops for conditions, but my understanding is that there aren't many fly shops in the area.

flyshack is a New York based fly shop that does extensive online business too if you want to check out their flies.

i haven't done much fishing out there but in addition to oak orchard and other shops, NYSDEC is a good information resource. here is a link to maps of public fishing areas in western new york, with general descriptions of the streams:
Western New York - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

 

[JeffK]

A good start is the New York DEC website: Western New York Fishing - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

This lists stocked and wild trout streams in western New York - but is no guarantee of conditions. It has been a hot, dry summer but if the latest cool, wet spell holds the trout fishing should pick up.

Probably a little early for steelies and a 7' 3/4 wt is a little light. Steelhead are the size and fight of Atlantic salmon, only you can hook up with 40 or so in a day if they are in. Egg patterns are the ticket, but sometimes the ones lurking by the creek mouth will fall for streamers.

If you are in New York you probably want some local flies. Oak Orchard and Carl Colemans are two well known western NY fly shops. Look them up on the web - they can probably ship (all US shops need the web business). Plus you can e-mail them for info.

Chatauqua Lake and Lake Erie are known for their warmwater fisheries. Maybe you can get a taste of our fish from little sunfish to muskie, a larger, nastier cousin of the pike. Smallmouth bass are a fine native US target for a fly fisherman. Another odd thing maybe carp fishing. Carp are viewed as trash fish in the US that few people fish for. English fishers commonly look at the warm waters of the US as a carp paradise.

 

[wildbrown]

wow, that's really good of you! those PFR's seem great to me! not very much exists over this side that doesn't cost you to fish - fantastic that there's so much free water to explore! I'd have had no idea about that otherwise, so thanks very much!!

I'll check out Flyshack - sound good to me. Would you recommend streamers as well a decent brookie option? Or still to more traditional pheasant tails, copper johns etc when nymphing?

 

[wildbrown]

that's great, thanks for replying Jeff! I've spent a fair bit of time in TX, FL and OK on previous trips, so fallen in love with everything about bass fishing - first love's still small streams for wildies, but few fly moments have been as heart-stopping as having a big bass on the end of one of my little rods. Loved sunfish and bluegill too - you're spoilt for choice really!

will also check out those stores you mentioned - would far rather support local stores or retailers than just finding the cheapest deal online. may just get a couple egg patterns, in case i'm feeling suicidal!! thanks again, really appreciated

 

[JeffK]

Small streamers are a fine option for brook trout. One of the classics is the Mickey Finn in sizes 8 to 12 - brookies seem to have a special attraction to them.

Another option for brookies is old fashioned wets. For the fall a Leadwing Coachman is the traditional isonychia (our big fall mayfly) nymph and a Coachman with it's white wing is good in stained water. The isonychia nymphs swim to shore (they are good swimmers - no need to bounce bottom) and crawl out of the water to hatch. Letting a peacock bodied wet swing towards shore does a good job of simulating the migration. Since they are big bugs you don't need a full blown hatch to interest fish. Two of my favorites from your side of the ocean are Teal, Blue, and Silver and Peter Ross in a 12/14 size range. Our trout don't see many of these, and Americans have lost much of wet fly fishing.

As far as nymphs, for late summer and early fall the Prince nymph is hard to beat. Pheasant tails, Gold Ribbed Hare's ear, and green caddis larvae are our staples. Scuds, worm flies, and eggs aren't pretty - but they catch more than their fair share of fish.

Not as famililiar with Western NY as I should be, but the upper reaches of the Cattaraugus hold wild trout