Round Valley in the fall

[cntrpin_head]

I am planning to fish Round Valley in the fall and was wondering what is a good fly pattern to use or technique. Ive never fly actually fished in a lake before. I use to fish it from the shore when I used bait and it was good fishing but would like to attempt it from my drift boat on a fly this fall.

Any tips and advise would be appreciated. Also if anyones local and up for an trip over there send me a pm.

Thanks
Craig

 

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Deep water my friend. Very hard to fly fish from shore.

 

[cntrpin_head]

Deep water my friend. Very hard to fly fish from shore.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear but I'm looking to fly fish from a boat near the shore in the fall when the fish come in close. I know there out deep now but come end of Oct and November they come in shallow and that's when I want to go for them.

 

[JeffK]

A drift boat may be good - they seem to cruise just past the casting ability of the shore guys. In October I think they have a false spawning run and cruise around by the launch locating for their home stream. Later, they cruise in patterns - need to fish a lot or have buddies to find the patterns. I found that with the clear water in Round Valley they come shallow in either drizzly weather or right at dawn and dusk. With the water going up and down the shore develops at lot of benchs. I've found they cruise along the lower edge of the steps. Figure out the steps and move along them.

A bugger is probably as good as anything. Use a sinking head to get it deep. Even shallow in RV means a sinking line or head. The younger trout feed a lot on scuds near the weedbeds. I've never had luck with scud patterns - maybe you can figure it out.

The local regulars are in the Round Valley Trout Association. I would suggest you contact those guys or go to a meeting to really learn what's going on.

 

[skipper3245]

Deep water my friend. Very hard to fly fish from shore.

Not correct what so ever. Before I had any boats I fished this lake from shore all the time and did well. In the summer not so much, but starting around now untill you get ice, you can catch them all over the place on the shores. I even caught a few lakers in November on a fly rod. Good patterns. Look up pig pen leach, home invader, crystal bugger. Anything fishy really but those three are my go to lake flies. In the fall I do olive/brownish with some flash and winter more black/blue

 

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Good to know Skipp. My experience was probably more summer.

Hard for me to drive there as my car just keeps going to the south branch...

 

[A Polinger]

I fish Round Valley a lot from shore, a boat and a kayak. A woolly bugger is black, olive, and white i find kills them in the lake. I but a bead or a cone on them just to get them down a little.

AP

 

[Super]

If you havn't FF'd Round Valley during the spawn in late October/early November, you're missing out on something unique and potentially amazing.

 

[Lonewolve]

isn't there any creeks or brooks that feed Round Valley? if so and you have trout, you may have a run.

 

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Isn't round valley fed by penstock?

 

[FIN-ITE 34]

I think everything flows OUT of RVR at the two dams and that water is pumped into RVS from SRR.

 

[Lonewolve]

huh? wha the? and this means? what with the abbreviations.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

No streams leading in, the water is pumped in from the South Branch Raritan as mentioned.

 

[Lonewolve]

pumped?
whys that isnt that ridiculous...must cost a ton to do that.

 

[Trout Guy]

pumped?
whys that isnt that ridiculous...must cost a ton to do that.

I think they call that a Polish hydro electric dam..

 

[thrashers.wheat]

I'd wait in getting to RV until they reopen the park. My dumbass went there yesterday during the storm to give you a report but was shit outta luck to find the park still closed from the hurricane.

 

[JeffK]

Round Valley is a water supply reservoir and is part of the NJ Water Authority system that uses Spruce Run, the Delaware R via the D&R canal, and RV to supply much of central NJ. The D&R canal and Spruce Run are the prime sources since they are gravity fed while RV is a back-up since they have to pay to pump the water uphill. That is why Spruce Run R dries up every year and RV has less fluctuation. Since Central NJ gets a lot of drinking water from the Delaware (via D&R canal feeder starting at Bull's Island) Central NJ is a player in the water politics of the upper Delaware. NJ needs our share of the Delaware. RV had a very stable pool from its beginning until the early 2000's when the prolonged drought caused a steady drop in the RV level. But that's why they pump water uphill in wet times - as a backup for drought times. Most of the steps date back to those days.

As far as fishing, ever since the alewife population collapsed (from a nutient collapse leading to a plankton collapse) the shore fishing has become much harder IMHO. Less bait/clearer water has pushed the fish out further. Prior to the collapse I generally had steady action in RV from Thanksgiving to April, when I would switch to stream fishing more. Now I have to work for a few fish and prefer to stream fish all winter. This happened in the Finger lakes too - but the water clarity there was the result of too many Zebra and quagga mussels and not a nutrient deficiency. However, the clearer water/ loss of smelt changed things for the worse for the shore angler. Still good fishing, but the patterns have changed in ways generally favoring the boat anglers.

As far as ice goes, in the last 10 years most years have been ice free. Ice still forms in a cold winter, but cold winters are rarer.

 

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

JeffK - they did an alewife transplant from Hopatcong, did that help a population rebound? Or is there still a base nutrient problem?

 

[JeffK]

I don't think it took - if there isn't food it's tough to bring them back. The state did a study of adding nutrients but there were two big problems. First, it would be very expensive since RV is a big body of water and it would take tons of fertilizer. The other thing is it is very hard to convince the powers that be to add anything to a drinking water supply.

 

[skipper3245]

Shore fishing from RV is actually very good these days. On sunny days its a bit slow but if you can get a cloudy day its freakin awesome

 

[Oliver10]

Thinking about doing this Sunday morning for a few hours. Can I use my 10wt saltwater set up with a sinking tip and just taper down my tippet to a reasonable 3x and fish buggers from the shore?

 

[Trout Nazi]

Thinking about doing this Sunday morning for a few hours. Can I use my 10wt saltwater set up with a sinking tip and just taper down my tippet to a reasonable 3x and fish buggers from the shore?

Sunday is going to cold and sunny because the cold front will have just come through, your better off going before then. A 10wt is a bit of over-kill, use a 7 or an 8. You can even use a 6, your not casting big flies.

 

[Oliver10]

Sunday is going to cold and sunny because the cold front will have just come through, your better off going before then. A 10wt is a bit of over-kill, use a 7 or an 8. You can even use a 6, your not casting big flies.

I have a 4wt and an 8wt but they are floating lines. I have a job that often takes 6 days a week so Sunday I the only time I will get. I will try and go very early. As to the wooly bugger fast or slow retrive.

 

[Trout Nazi]

I have a 4wt and an 8wt but they are floating lines. I have a job that often takes 6 days a week so Sunday I the only time I will get. I will try and go very early. As to the wooly bugger fast or slow retrive.

You may be able to get away with a floating line and bead head. Lakers can be found closer to the surface, especially if there is sub-surface structure, this time of year. However, bright light puts them down, so you need to go early in the AM. If its sunny, you'll probably be done by 8:30-9. As for slow or fast, you'll just need to vary your retrieve until you find what works.

 

[Oliver10]

You may be able to get away with a floating line and bead head. Lakers can be found closer to the surface, especially if there is sub-surface structure, this time of year. However, bright light puts them down, so you need to go early in the AM. If its sunny, you'll probably be done by 8:30-9. As for slow or fast, you'll just need to vary your retrieve until you find what works.

Thanks i will report back

 

[Oliver10]

Thanks i will report back

I am taking a day Friday and will be out all day in the rain hopefully I will be the only one out there. I will probably round valley and then the gorge.

 

[Super]

Has anyone replying ever fished Round Valley before? I've never seen a thread with so much bad advice.

 

[dcabarle]

If you havn't FF'd Round Valley during the spawn in late October/early November, you're missing out on something unique and potentially amazing.

I've never seen a thread with so much bad advice.

You're a funny guy.

So how is the RRTU doing? The last I remember, there was some talk about working with the boy scout troops in the area. How did that go?

 

[Trout Nazi]

Has anyone replying ever fished Round Valley before? I've never seen a thread with so much bad advice.

Your right. The best fishing is right after a cold front passes through, and the brighter the sun, the better.

 

[dcabarle]

Has anyone replying ever fished Round Valley before? I've never seen a thread with so much bad advice.

What happened? The boss find out you're posting on NEFF and put a gag order on you!