Sbr - Klg 5.25.08

[AKSkim]

Hit the South Branch of the Raritan early today.

As I approached Hoffman's Bridge, this was the scene at the parking area.​

Notice the way the green Ford Explorer is parked... O'l triple space, A NEWBIE to KLG!

My next stop while looking for a place to wet my line was...

Never fished this spot along River Road, so I got out to have a look..

Not a bad little hole. Well just after I took this photo a spin caster who had been working the pool stepped out of the bushes. The type of rod didn't bother me it was what he had in his other hand. A container holding corn. A CHUMMER.. !

Which got me to thinking.. is it proper and ethical to fish an egg pattern down stream of a chummer???



Just kidding.

Then I found some nice spots to fish up stream of Califon.

The canopy above kept the sun from directly hitting the stream, nice small pools and riffles... figured I'd be there a while enjoying a Sunday morning out on the SBR.

That wasn't to be. Bucky and Melvin showed up with their spinning rods.

Please note that there is a wide open stream here... and look at how close they are. Buffoons with rods.

So I headed on into the Gorge. Warm spring morning in the Gorge.. doesn't get any better that this.

I found a promising place.... ALONE!

Fished it for a while then put on a midge pattern.

This was the first guy to fall victim to this little fly.

Please note, the author is getting some what better with the fish photos.

Decided to take a break on or about 1330, and this was the view from Hoffman's Bridge. It was lined with fly fishers in the morning and now empty.

Course I came on here at NEFF and posted about Bucky and Melvin, which Petie-Po promptly too offense to it and move the thread to a secrete location that only a couple of people can see.

Course that was after I responded to his post. Petie-Po... aka: Little Brave Thorn

1800 headed back out, and the view at that time.

Monument Rock.. I should look up how that broze place should (properly) be cleaned. Hate to see such tributes go into disrepair.




This little guy took such a beating and made my morning. I have since retired it. Don't ask me the name... I forget.
TMC 2487BL hook, Sulphur quill, peacock herl.



Fishing Hoffman's this one brought me my only fish of the evening. My third or fourth cast towards the bank, after that Zilch...

 

[onemorecast]

The gorge was crowded yesterday with families out for a stroll. Lots of dogs, too. Including one family who decided to allow their dog to chase sticks, less than 30 feet from me. :devious:

There were very few anglers on the water, compared to Friday. I got a gorgeous brown from the pool below the trestle, then some other fish above town.

One thing though - a lot of women fishing yesterday!

 

[BatesCreek48]

Thanks for the pic's and story line. Started my morning perfectly.

 

[sonny]

Superb report, can not wait to peak into one of your "journalls" down the road. One question-those midge,etc. imitations, were they fished deep with added weight or high in the film? I'm always looking for new tricks.

 

[vince45]

Hit the South Branch of the Raritan early today.

As I approached Hoffman's Bridge, this was the scene at the parking area.​

Notice the way the green Ford Explorer is parked... O'l triple space, A NEWBIE to KLG!

My next stop while looking for a place to wet my line was...

Never fished this spot along River Road, so I got out to have a look..

Not a bad little hole. Well just after I took this photo a spin caster who had been working the pool stepped out of the bushes. The type of rod didn't bother me it was what he had in his other hand. A container holding corn. A CHUMMER.. !

Which got me to thinking.. is it proper and ethical to fish an egg pattern down stream of a chummer???

Just kidding.

Then I found some nice spots to fish up stream of Califon.

The canopy above kept the sun from directly hitting the stream, nice small pools and riffles... figured I'd be there a while enjoying a Sunday morning out on the SBR.

That wasn't to be. Bucky and Melvin showed up with their spinning rods.

Please note that there is a wide open stream here... and look at how close they are. Buffoons with rods.

So I headed on into the Gorge. Warm spring morning in the Gorge.. doesn't get any better that this.

I found a promising place.... ALONE!

Fished it for a while then put on a midge pattern.

This was the first guy to fall victim to this little fly.

Please note, the author is getting some what better with the fish photos.

Decided to take a break on or about 1330, and this was the view from Hoffman's Bridge. It was lined with fly fishers in the morning and now empty.

Course I came on here at NEFF and posted about Bucky and Melvin, which Petie-Po promptly too offense to it and move the thread to a secrete location that only a couple of people can see.

Course that was after I responded to his post. Petie-Po... aka: Little Brave Thorn

1800 headed back out, and the view at that time.

Monument Rock.. I should look up how that broze place should (properly) be cleaned. Hate to see such tributes go into disrepair.

This little guy took such a beating and made my morning. I have since retired it. Don't ask me the name... I forget.
TMC 2487BL hook, Sulphur quill, peacock herl.

Fishing Hoffman's this one brought me my only fish of the evening. My third or fourth cast towards the bank, after that Zilch...

nice pictures i plan to try some of the flies you posted

 

[vince45]

nice pictures,.. i plan to pull out the old vice and some some of those flies you posted ..Vince

 

[AKSkim]

those midge,etc. imitations, were they fished deep with added weight or high in the film? I'm always looking for new tricks.

Sonny:

The midge, I used a B split shot to get it down.




The location where I was fishing the water funnels into a straight run for a short distance before it opens out into a large pool. Because of the speed of the water, I placed the split shot about a foot above the fly, using a quarter-down cast. Every now and then I could feel it tick the bottom.

I started close to the bank making a few casts using a single (handed) spey cast, had no back cast area to speak of, then stripped off a little line and made a few more casts.

The single spey cast, when the line is trailing down stream, start with the rod tip low, pick up to about shoulder level, keeping your rod tip paralle to the water, bring around to your hand is just about even your shoulder, then straight up. This will form a small "D" loop behind the rod loading it. Then a quick stready motion forward and then a quick stop of the rod tip high. The line will shoot out with very little effort.

So little effort in casting, a fly fisher from Yardley, PA stopped and we talked, I gave him a few flies (including the midge I was using) and never stopped fishing the entire time, except when I was giving him the different flies.

I didn't use a strike indication at all yesteday. I am trying to fish nymphs, wet flies, midges, and emergers without one. One thing that I am learning is not to let the fly get behind the leading edge of the line down stream. I surmise a trout could take the fly long before I would even realized it and spit it, with or without a strike indicator. So I am forcing myself to concentrate on the drift, line control, and mending. Keeping a tight line as much as possible.

The emerger pattern, was in the film with a greased line, without any weight.


Vince:

Glad to hear you are going to get the vise out and tie some up. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to PM and I will do my best to help.

Good luck.

AK Skim

 

[AKSkim]

... you didn't think about this one AK.

Well you are correct sir, I didn't even consider leaving a note.

However, I did consider briefly, parallel parking right along side him... but only briefly. Some people don't have any sense of humour at all.

He would have had to turn his SUV into a tank to get out of there.

As always, taking a common line from Buckwheat, I gave him "a pass on that one."

AK Skim

 

[dcabarle]

I viewed your original post while down the shore. After viewing, I went on the beach and noticed a few bait guys set up on the sand. One guy really caught my attention. He had this setup unlike any other that I've ever seen and I got to thinking... How about marketing these things just for guys who like to stand in the middle of a place like the gorge with their baitcaster setups.

The way I see it, they can stand right on Hoffman's bridge, pick where in the river they wanna fish, and... Ready, Aim, FIRE!!!!!!!

So here you have it... This thing is like a cannon. I watch the guy shoot it 2-3 times. It covers about 3 football fields, and the wind was blowing towards us!

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE!

 

[onemorecast]

Sonny:

The midge, I used a B split shot to get it down.

I took your midge suggestion to heart this afternoon and fished a green disco midge in the lower Gorge, as a dropper to a hares ear. Nailed a couple brookies on it and then a pig rainbow grabbed it and promptly wrapped me around a boulder! Where's the fuming, spitting mad icon? Oh, here it is. :rant:


I also caught this pretty little guy. Wish I hadn't cast that shadow over his tail - it was trimmed with a beautiful blood red. He took a little gray flashback nymph. This is one of the prettiest wild brown's I've ever caught. Yeah, I know his colors aren't blazing, so he doesn't match the typical definition of "prettiest" like those West Branch hogs do, but he's beautiful because of his simplicity.

 

[FishingForTurds]

I dont do too much work in Long Valley, but I was going out to look at a job and I happened to be driving along the SBR and noticed a giant fish feeder.. what the hell is that about?

 

[gadfly]

Were you on Bartley Road when you saw it? Thats private water owned by a club called Anglers' Anonymous. All the club's feed. I think they stock more fish than the stream can possibly support. Feeding them keeps the fish from spreading out up and down the river.

 

[FishingForTurds]

I thought all water was public.. is it legal to feed them so they dont migrate? What kind of fisherman are these people? Do they fish with the same stuff that is in the feeder 5 minutes before it is set to go off?I think that is worse than guys with spinning rods on the bfb

 

[klg neighbor]

AK - nice report...one of the few from you I truly enjoy.

Next time when those spin fishers start crowding you, smile and say "Hey, I'm new at casting this thing and never where my fly may go." Then, send the fly whizzing past their head......Naw, only kidding.

Again, nice report and photos!

 

[gadfly]

Look on the bright side. If you fish up or downstream from one of those private stretches, you may catch one of their stocked brutes that has wandered off of the reservation. I caught a real nice brownie one time at the lower end of KLG that I think came up from the club water below.

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[dcabarle]

Gee Wiz... The original post was made 16 years ago! That's insane!