KLG- River Report

[Simms]

Got to the Gorge around 130 today and to my suprise, not ONE car at the middle lot or all along the road. Maybe I was the only idiot thinking about fishing? Oh well, it worked out good, UNTIL, I tied my last fly on and a group of skallywags came in and parked. You could tell they were they were "meat hunters" as the licenses were pinned to the back of their Camo John Deere hats. They got out, ponchos on, put some rooster tails on and went to town, ripping lips, noses and a$$holes! They headed up stream, while I decided to try the nice deep run RIGHT in front of the middle lot. THiking this hole was raped and pillaged, like it normally is, I was only planning on taking a cast or two when a nice holdover brown took my RS2 on the lift! Then, about 5 minutes later a nice brookie took my "hogans chubby cousin"!

I proceeded to head up stream, TOTALLY forgetting the yahoos went that way! I fished all my holes I could access easily due to my leg cast, but to no avail. I went up to where your only about 200 yards from the top lot, and hooked a fiesty little native! Rs2 AGAIN Well, as I got out of the river, the meat hunters passed by me, telling me they had a combinded total of 34! (2 ppl) That could be a contributing factor my holes were empty or just scared to death lol

So I headed down past the middle lot, to the next bend and hooked a nice brookie on FBPT on the upswing! So, I headed back to the bend at the middle lot to give it a whirl. Nothing, so I switched to a black ghost and snapped two off! Darn! Forgot to change my 2lb tippet after I diced off the size 20 rs2! oops! Decided Id call it a day while I had time to change before the rain came again!

The rain was on and off all day, but when it was "on", it was ON! Thanks to my Simms G4 Guide jacket and L2 Waders, I stayed dry and toasty! Couldn't ask for a better product!

BWO's were all over the place, as were size 16 black stones. Saw no rises, but they could have been disguised by the pitter patter of rain on the surface.

It was not so much the total number of fish these guys caught, it was just they literally RACED to every hole to try to clean them out, which made me a bit upset. Greed is all it is. Thank GOD this is a trophy stretch and during the season its only one fish over 15''! If not, KLG would be cleaned quicker than a thanksgiving day dinner plate! Spoke to a gentlemen at Shannons and he despises the spin fishermen. I dont mind it, as long as they are polite and respect others. However, it doesn't always work out this way.

All in all, A GREAT DAY! Dont let the rain discourage you! Was about 125cfs when I got there and Im sure close to 150 when I left, however can't be sure as I have not checked USGS yet. Gonna be cold tomorow and high, but youll see me out there Wednesday! I didn't take any pics, as I did not want to waterlog my camera! lol Next time! Tight Lines!

 

[Burtbords149]

Great report Simms

Am I the ONLY person not seeing olives at the Gorge....I saw tons of stones, and midges with olive bodies...maybe people are calling them BWO, but I'm yet to see a mayfly.

 

[jamiep]

Got to the Gorge around 130 today and to my suprise, not ONE car at the middle lot or all along the road. Maybe I was the only idiot thinking about fishing? Oh well, it worked out good, UNTIL, I tied my last fly on and a group of skallywags came in and parked. You could tell they were they were "meat hunters" as the licenses were pinned to the back of their Camo John Deere hats. They got out, ponchos on, put some rooster tails on and went to town, ripping lips, noses and a$$holes! They headed up stream, while I decided to try the nice deep run RIGHT in front of the middle lot. THiking this hole was raped and pillaged, like it normally is, I was only planning on taking a cast or two when a nice holdover brown took my RS2 on the lift! Then, about 5 minutes later a nice brookie took my "hogans chubby cousin"!

I proceeded to head up stream, TOTALLY forgetting the yahoos went that way! I fished all my holes I could access easily due to my leg cast, but to no avail. I went up to where your only about 200 yards from the top lot, and hooked a fiesty little native! Rs2 AGAIN Well, as I got out of the river, the meat hunters passed by me, telling me they had a combinded total of 34! (2 ppl) That could be a contributing factor my holes were empty or just scared to death lol

So I headed down past the middle lot, to the next bend and hooked a nice brookie on FBPT on the upswing! So, I headed back to the bend at the middle lot to give it a whirl. Nothing, so I switched to a black ghost and snapped two off! Darn! Forgot to change my 2lb tippet after I diced off the size 20 rs2! oops! Decided Id call it a day while I had time to change before the rain came again!

The rain was on and off all day, but when it was "on", it was ON! Thanks to my Simms G4 Guide jacket and L2 Waders, I stayed dry and toasty! Couldn't ask for a better product!

BWO's were all over the place, as were size 16 black stones. Saw no rises, but they could have been disguised by the pitter patter of rain on the surface.

It was not so much the total number of fish these guys caught, it was just they literally RACED to every hole to try to clean them out, which made me a bit upset. Greed is all it is. Thank GOD this is a trophy stretch and during the season its only one fish over 15''! If not, KLG would be cleaned quicker than a thanksgiving day dinner plate! Spoke to a gentlemen at Shannons and he despises the spin fishermen. I dont mind it, as long as they are polite and respect others. However, it doesn't always work out this way.

All in all, A GREAT DAY! Dont let the rain discourage you! Was about 125cfs when I got there and Im sure close to 150 when I left, however can't be sure as I have not checked USGS yet. Gonna be cold tomorow and high, but youll see me out there Wednesday! I didn't take any pics, as I did not want to waterlog my camera! lol Next time! Tight Lines!

Nice report simms.
Dont you just love the way they tag um and bag um .
Well they may not be bagging them but the should becuase There poor mouths get ripped ta fu-ck

 

[Simms]

Burt,

I snagged a few and put them into my vile to take them home to examine. They are def BWO's... Black stones were also extremely prevelant. I turned over a few rocks in the riffs but didn't see anything worthwhile. A few stick caddis, and small stones.

Jamie, sure does irk ya bit, seeing those beautiful specimens getting yanked in on a winch with an ounce spinner hangin out there mouths. Then again, it is public water. Can't do much about it except hope they dont come next time

 

[jamiep]

. Can't do much about it except hope they dont come next time

True.
Theres always a neck punch hehe

 

[Twism]

Note to self, get some RS2s!!!! Sounds like a good day, fishing in the rain is always fun.

 

[skipper3245]

Its not always spin fisherman that are the shitheads. Ive seen this guy at BFB tca with a fly rod smackin fish on the head and stuffin them. Saw him do it to two fish, nothing over 12 inches. But for the most part I do tend to see more spin guys keepin fish. Its not illegal, but this aint the madison river with 4000 fish per mile of water. Your right about the thanksgiving dinner because other than the TCA's, NJ gets wiped out fast.

 

[Simms]

My FAVORiTE time to fish the Big Flatbrook is HIGH and off color! Love the gorge a bit high, but still pretty clear. It was on the rise the whole time I was there!

size 16 RS2'a DID NOT work for me, just 18 and 20's. You would think something with a brain the size of a pea wouldn't be able to tell, but geesh, they sure did!

Skip, your right, its not illegal, however people do abuse it. And by abuse I mean keeping your limit EVERY time your out. If anyone knows the BFB, Warners Hole seems to be the location of the "meat hunter" fly fishermen. Seen a guy down there 3 days in a row whackin the nuts out of them, and feeling his creel at the same time. Dont get me wrong, i like to smoke a few trout here and there.

They need to follow the steps of the deer regulation. They need to make a trout stamp MANDATORY, and charge a fee PER fish. This would in essence cut down on the garden hackle warriors and discourage them for good.

 

[skipper3245]

Note to self, get some RS2s!!!! Sounds like a good day, fishing in the rain is always fun.

Simms will be up all night tying those suckers. He loves them more than I do it seems like.

 

[Burtbords149]

Its not always spin fisherman that are the shitheads. Ive seen this guy at BFB tca with a fly rod smackin fish on the head and stuffin them. Saw him do it to two fish, nothing over 12 inches. But for the most part I do tend to see more spin guys keepin fish. Its not illegal, but this aint the madison river with 4000 fish per mile of water. Your right about the thanksgiving dinner because other than the TCA's, NJ gets wiped out fast.

Not true, this is a common misconception among trout fisherman, and this is why the special regulation areas are so over crowded all the time. Do some hiking and you can find tons of open water (unregulated) with plenty of trout. On some streams they may not hold over due to heat but don't think the baiters took them all....a good amount of fish always seem to elude the meat hunters....even on rivers like the Ramapo....it's the heat that wipes them out.

 

[Simms]

Burt,

I will agree with you. I fish the BFB in the winter, both in the "fly only" and "bait" section and always catch fish. However rivers like the 'kill seem to get wiped CLEAN, with the heat being a major factor there as it really does not have well oxygenated water. Meant hunters do lower the fish population, however your right, so does the summer heat...

But hey, we wouldn't have walk far to catch fish if they weren't being taken home and eaten! hehe

 

[Burtbords149]

Burt,

I will agree with you. I fish the BFB in the winter, both in the "fly only" and "bait" section and always catch fish. However rivers like the 'kill seem to get wiped CLEAN, with the heat being a major factor there as it really does not have well oxygenated water. Meant hunters do lower the fish population, however your right, so does the summer heat...

But hey, we wouldn't have walk far to catch fish if they weren't being taken home and eaten! hehe

Beaverkill? Not so sure if that gets wiped clean as it seems to hold over fish and produce large wild fish. I've caught large wild fish there so it can't get wiped out by heat....or else they wouldn't make it from season to season.

In many of the rivers fished by mega baiters, the wild-fish population is a major concern, these wild fish tend to elude the meat hunter crowd well enough. Look at rivers before the advent of catch and release, the fish still survived to tell the story....although it would be a great help if everyone practiced C&R.

 

[Corndog]

Beaverkill? Not so sure if that gets wiped clean as it seems to hold over fish and produce large wild fish. I've caught large wild fish there so it can't get wiped out by heat....or else they wouldn't make it from season to season.

In many of the rivers fished by mega baiters, the wild-fish population is a major concern, these wild fish tend to elude the meat hunter crowd well enough. Look at rivers before the advent of catch and release, the fish still survived to tell the story....although it would be a great help if everyone practiced C&R.

Burt,

He must mean some other "kill". Like you said, there are plenty of trout thriving far from the parking lots on many of our NJ streams. Fortunately, those wanting fish for dinner don't like to hike to catch their fish.

If someone here wants get away from the crowds and fish for skiddish, picky, dare I say intelligent trout, there are many holdovers and wilds out there. For me, finding them is half the fun. I know next time I go back they will still be there.

Sad to say, but the stocked streams are always going have the meat hunters. I ran into a guy at Werner's Pool about a month ago with a stringer of trout that said, "I'm outa work and I gotta feed the family." Unfortunately, that's the mindset of many a fly fisherman out there.

I would encourage anyone who is tired of streams that are busy to do some searching. There are plenty of wild streams and under utilized streams here in the northeast where both solitude and trout can be had.

Simms, I fish the BFB regularly. We should hook up sometime.

Cdog

 

[Simms]

Hey guys,

I meant the Paulenskill, or as I like to call it, the mud hole.

cdog, that would be great! Once the season gets into full swing and the season goes back to regular regulations on the flatbrook, I fish it 2-3 times a week. Im sure we have bumped into eachother!

 

[Corndog]

Hey guys,

I meant the Paulenskill, or as I like to call it, the mud hole.

cdog, that would be great! Once the season gets into full swing and the season goes back to regular regulations on the flatbrook, I fish it 2-3 times a week. Im sure we have bumped into eachother!

I thought you were refering to the Paulinskill. Where do you primarily fish it? Upstream here in Sussex Co or down in Warren Co.

I got a feeling we have met. Probably gave each other dirty looks cause we wanted to fish the same spot. lol

Cdog

 

[Simms]

I mostly fish the Sussex County side of the Flatbrook. However, I do also like to fish the mouth of it. An array of fish can be caught there.

Did well on the LFB this past season as well.