D&R canal

[DJ]

Ok, given the cost of gas........ I'v taken to local warm water (stony brook, N/S branch raritan, Millstone) to fix my flyfishing jones. So, sunday I started a new adventure (millstone next.... water too high)......... fly fishing the D&R from a pontoon. First time out and I learned one very valuable lesson.......... 1) NEVER FORGET YOUR KICK FINS!!!!!!! Otherwise you are at the mercy of the current making presentation kinda tough! 2) the canals current is a little faster than it looks from the shore. I was tossing some poppers/sneakypetes on an 8wt. Figured that is the correct match for throwing poppers/deer hairs and for brining bass and pickeral through the water weeds. Lots of weeds, no slime and about 3-4 hits! My guess is without the paddles and drag chain to slow me I was moving a little too fast. Fist time out, three strikes no hookups in about 2-1/2 hours. It was fun! I learned alot and I will be better next time. I think next time I'll take a six weight and get some of those bream. I have fished using conventional gear and was rarely skunked. Generally, I catch vey few bream or robins in the canal, but those I catch are big..... hence the 6 wieght w/fightin butt....... the bass/bream tweener rods. A saltwater rod that's send bass streamers flying yet manageble for finesing those finicky big bream. I absolitely love fly fishing for larger bream!!! Catching those bulls pushing 3/4 pound with the bright redbreasts or coppernoses with the big hump is incredible!!!!! Anyone else float/fly the canal or millstone?

 

[jklett]

I grew up in the town of Millstone, so I grew up fishing the canal and the river. We've fished from just about anything that can float down the canal, and the current IS much faster than it looks. I was flyfishing out of a dinghy down there for a while until I gave it to my nephew. Not too many spots to make a backcast from shore on the river or the canal(at least not in the Millstone area) so I haven't been there much lately. Now I have to finish building my skiff so I can get back on the water.

There are almost never any situations that call for much more than a 30' cast if you're from a boat and with a 6wt you can cast poppers and streamers up to 1/0 that distance. That 6wt should have more than enough backbone to muscle fish out from the weeds, I'd be more worried about popping the tippet. If you're gonna be shore bound though,an 8wt will boom those bugs all the way across without any effort. I scared the daylights out of a jogger on the towpath once while messing with my 9wt and a shooting head. If you think fish get spooked when you line them, you should see what that'll do to a person!