The search for Rainbows

[flymantis73]

I got in to fly fishing last year and have devoted most of my time to the point Mt. TCA... i have caught 5 Brook Trout so far, but i'm on the hunt for A Rainbow...
any advice or tips on Rainbows would be appreciated.
I've been using sucker spawn patterns & wooly buggers and the Brookies seem to latch on to them, i figured the rainbows would also.

 

[Oliver10]

are you looking for stocked rainbows or are you only looking for wildfish? You could easily get a wild on of each rainbow brown brook in a fternoon just north of 287.

If you want a stocked rainbow just go to KLG and put in the time.

 

[Thursthouse]

I seem to catch the majority of rainbows in faster pocket water while nymphing (not sure if that is a common occurance or just my personal experience).

I won't ask you why you are in desperate search of rainbows...

 

[Rusty Spinner]

The predominant species in the Point Mountain TCA is rainbows. Stick with it and you'll catch them. They will be stocking that water on Friday with more fresh rainbows and possibly some browns mixed in. Based on Division creel surveys, anglers are catching a higher percentage of rainbows than brookies and both of those species dwarf the catch rates of stocked browns. Some of that is simply due to browns being stocked last and waning angler interest that deep into the spring season, but they are also more difficult to catch.

The flies you're using are fine for any species, but add flashback pheasant tail nymphs (with or without beads), hare's ears, caddis pupa, etc. to your arsenal.

 

[Corndog]

Size 16 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph = rainbow trout crack

A few years back, I was taking one out of my fly box to tie it on and a rainbow jumped out of the water and took it out of my hand.

Cdog

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Size 16 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph = rainbow trout crack

A few years back, I was taking one out of my fly box to tie it on and a rainbow jumped out of the water and took it out of my hand.

Cdog

And he landed it!

 

[flymantis73]

I seem to catch the majority of rainbows in faster pocket water while nymphing (not sure if that is a common occurance or just my personal experience).

I won't ask you why you are in desperate search of rainbows...

The predominant species in the Point Mountain TCA is rainbows. Stick with it and you'll catch them. They will be stocking that water on Friday with more fresh rainbows and possibly some browns mixed in. Based on Division creel surveys, anglers are catching a higher percentage of rainbows than brookies and both of those species dwarf the catch rates of stocked browns. Some of that is simply due to browns being stocked last and waning angler interest that deep into the spring season, but they are also more difficult to catch.

The flies you're using are fine for any species, but add flashback pheasant tail nymphs (with or without beads), hare's ears, caddis pupa, etc. to your arsenal.

Wild or stocked is not much of a concern as i'm new to fly fishing, especially Trout. Desperate For Rainbows? not exactly, never hooked / landed one on the fly, i consider it a goal, more than a desperate attempt... :victory:
I will try the pheasant tail, definitely have some in my fly box and i do believe the are 16's.
I'm definitely sticking with Fly fishing though, grew up spin casting for LMB, and a trip to Maine a few years back sparked my interest in Fly Rods, but i consider this my first official year of Fly Fishing, better casting, better Rods/Line tippet rigged up. learning a bit more about Trout and what their diet consists of, also starting to tie some flies this year.

 

[lightenup]

Go to the Gorge..The downstream end...walk a while upstream..fish..swing Iris caddis, or drift pheasant tail..You will catch many rainbows..some are large and feisty....some are slow and dumb....but there are thousands of them.....you can see them all with sunglasses....If you want PM me and I will show you exactly were they are.......

 

[flymantis73]

i usually enter the Gorge from the Califon side (like, make a left at Shannon's then cruise down)
i hiked through most of it last year so i think you're meaning the other side. the Gorge has not been kind to me, but i think thats just because last year i wasn't as hip to the Fly selections for the area.

 

[Corndog]

And he landed it!

Brian, They don't call me "Fast Fingers Doggie" for nothin! I grabbed that BHFBPT just as that bow took it, set the hook, reached around, grabbed my net and dropped that stunned bow into it while she was still airborne.

Cdog

 

[tomfly]

i usually enter the Gorge from the Califon side (like, make a left at Shannon's then cruise down)
i hiked through most of it last year so i think you're meaning the other side. the Gorge has not been kind to me, but i think thats just because last year i wasn't as hip to the Fly selections for the area.

I felt the same way about the gorge for a long time. I caught fish but never produced more then a few fish on each outing. Until I started fishing the areas that most guys walk by to get to the more pronounced polls. I have found this approach to be very productive. I also fish from the north parking and love the water on the upper end. Fish that ankle to knee deep water. You will be surprised how many fish that water does hold. Especially in mid spring to early June with a small elk hair caddis pattern.

 

[flymantis73]

I felt the same way about the gorge for a long time. I caught fish but never produced more then a few fish on each outing. .

this seems to happen to me at the Musky i cast a pattern and it gets nailed maybe after 1 or 2 casts, I'll land that one, then a second, maybe a strike after that or a hook up/ self release, then they just stop, it's like those fish go back and say SHIT! FLymantis is here swim down stream! SWIM DOWN STREAM!! my logical standpoint on it is, i'm getting there just before they stop feeding for the morning, was there all day sunday the week after the opening, Trout, Hookup / release, then skunkville, even with a hatch that look like snow flurries ( i did tie a dry on that i had and thought matched the hatch) we'll see. not sure if i can hit it this weekend, but definitely the following one, i'm itching to get up to flatbrook too, i've never fished BFB.

 

[tomfly]

this seems to happen to me at the Musky i cast a pattern and it gets nailed maybe after 1 or 2 casts, I'll land that one, then a second, maybe a strike after that or a hook up/ self release, then they just stop, it's like those fish go back and say SHIT! FLymantis is here swim down stream! SWIM DOWN STREAM!! my logical standpoint on it is, i'm getting there just before they stop feeding for the morning, was there all day sunday the week after the opening, Trout, Hookup / release, then skunkville, even with a hatch that look like snow flurries ( i did tie a dry on that i had and thought matched the hatch) we'll see. not sure if i can hit it this weekend, but definitely the following one, i'm itching to get up to flatbrook too, i've never fished BFB.

I don’t necessarily look for tout actively feeding on the surface. What I do is observe the water I am about to fish. I look for those little eddies and distortions in the flow. That is where I will target the cast. Most times that is where a fish will usually be holding. If one is holding in that eddy or that small seam between the currents. He will be eager to take the fly.

 

[Pete]

Just keep fishing the NJ stocked streams.

In NJ, they tend to stock brookies pre-season and early season.
They're easier to catch for the "opening day crowd", and like colder water.

As the season progresses, and the water warms, they switch to the more temperature tolerant Rainbows and Browns.
They don't need to be so easy to catch, because the opening day crowd has gone back to their video games, (or whatever they do instead of fishing).

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Just keep fishing the NJ stocked streams.

In NJ, they tend to stock brookies pre-season and early season.
They're easier to catch for the "opening day crowd", and like colder water.

As the season progresses, and the water warms, they switch to the more temperature tolerant Rainbows and Browns.
They don't need to be so easy to catch, because the opening day crowd has gone back to their video games, (or whatever they do instead of fishing).

As an interesting aside, NJ Division of F&W is learning through creel surveys that rainbows far outweight brookies when it comes to ease of catching. In other words, if the goal of stocked fish is purely to allow catching (whether creeled or returned to fight again), then rainbows are the early season answer and not brookies as had always been believed. Top that with our state already having plenty of wild/native brookies with little, naturally reproducing rainbows in most waters, and you may see a shift to more bows over brookies out of Pequest in the future. Makes sense from that standpoint of stocking a species (rainbows) that won't reproduce in most NJ waters instead of stocking non-native strains of brookies over native strains. Browns reproduce just fine in most waters as we all know, and they are also caught with less frequency per fish stocked than the other two species are.

 

[Greased Line Swinger]

And here I thought wild brookies were the dumbest. I've caught wild brookies while stripping in a dry fly upstream.

 

[Thursthouse]

And here I thought wild brookies were the dumbest. I've caught wild brookies while stripping in a dry fly upstream.

I just caught my first wild trout recently and they were brookies caught on a dry fly - so I would politely disagree with you and continue to believe that I have become a very good angler.

 

[Greased Line Swinger]

A very good angler indeed. Just not as good as the guy that can catch wild brookies while stripping dry fly against the current.

 

[flymantis73]

this is all interesting.
hopefully i get out to the TCA Sunday and see what's poppin'
after being the king of Skunkville last year and coming back and getting at least one landed Brookie, on my three trips this year, i feel like i'm heading in the right direction. at least i have a better idea of what flies to cast now.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Wild brookies eat just about anything, but stocked brookies apparently like to swim more than to eat. It is our state, stocked brookies that take the worm/fly/power bait/spinner far less often than our state stocked rainbows. I thought that was interesting myself.

And now back to the TU staff party because the Western Conservation staff just arrived and with cool (not to mention cold) beers from the Left Coast....hey, someone has to drink them, better me than most of you less experienced beer drinkers.

:beer1::beer::drunk:

 

[flymantis73]

Wild brookies eat just about anything, but stocked brookies apparently like to swim more than to eat. It is our state, stocked brookies that take the worm/fly/power bait/spinner far less often than our state stocked rainbows. I thought that was interesting myself.

And now back to the TU staff party because the Western Conservation staff just arrived and with cool (not to mention cold) beers from the Left Coast....hey, someone has to drink them, better me than most of you less experienced beer drinkers.

:beer1::beer::drunk:

They are almost like glorified sunnies eh? :fish:

Excuse the mild Death Grip , I assure you she (?) was released unharmed, i had her in the current until strong and wiggly, when i let go, took off like a trout outta hell.

this guy slammed my sucker spawn like Mike Tyson slamming Trevor Berbeck.... right in the snout too.

 

[flymantis73]

Point moutain was kind enough today...
my first Rainbow on the fly.

 

[Barleywine]

Congratulations Flymantis! Is that a bit of a red San Juan worm sticking out of that bow's mouth?

Now start the quest for a wild rainbow. You're in deep; don't turn back.

 

[flymantis73]

yes it is a san juan , i'm sure it was a bead less one. i fished a flashback pheasant tail, a pheasant tail, brown woolly, olive wolly (got a strike on that one) but the worm did the trick, i tied on a longer beaded worm, it didn't produce.
a wild bow would be excellent. i sure have gained as opposed to being flat out skunked last year when i started fly fishing, i'm a bit more tuned into what the trout are feeding on up there.
I'd also like to hook a brown trout before the year is out too, the rainbow yesterday though was nice, and it makes me feel validated as a fly fisherman, stocked or not, and i know reading around the inter webs, the san juan has it's naysayers, but it worked for me, so it's a welcome addition to the fly box.
i gotta say, this rainbow barley gave any indication of striking the fly, i was wading to my left as i felt i may have snagged the bottom, then pulling on the rod, i saw the fish come closed to the surface, and that beautiful pinkish red came into view it brought a smile to my face, goal achieved. my camera did this fishes color little justice, it was more colorful than it appears in the photo.
Some one had caught a nice 16incher a few weeks back where i have been hooking my Brookies, in the spot i usually hit on the musky, he got a nice fight out of it too.

 

[Thursthouse]

yes it is a san juan , i'm sure it was a bead less one. i fished a flashback pheasant tail, a pheasant tail, brown woolly, olive wolly (got a strike on that one) but the worm did the trick, i tied on a longer beaded worm, it didn't produce.
a wild bow would be excellent. i sure have gained as opposed to being flat out skunked last year when i started fly fishing, i'm a bit more tuned into what the trout are feeding on up there.
I'd also like to hook a brown trout before the year is out too, the rainbow yesterday though was nice, and it makes me feel validated as a fly fisherman, stocked or not, and i know reading around the inter webs, the san juan has it's naysayers, but it worked for me, so it's a welcome addition to the fly box.
i gotta say, this rainbow barley gave any indication of striking the fly, i was wading to my left as i felt i may have snagged the bottom, then pulling on the rod, i saw the fish come closed to the surface, and that beautiful pinkish red came into view it brought a smile to my face, goal achieved. my camera did this fishes color little justice, it was more colorful than it appears in the photo.
Some one had caught a nice 16incher a few weeks back where i have been hooking my Brookies, in the spot i usually hit on the musky, he got a nice fight out of it too.

Congrats! The pictures never do the fish justice - which just adds to the bewilderment of the non-fly fisherman in our lives about our obsession.</SPAN>

 

[Rusty Spinner]

If you want a wild bow, the Musky is not your river. We only have stocked bows in the Musky. Try the SBR for starters. Browns are numerous now in the Musky since the last two stockings of the Spring were of that species. PM me if you want a spot to chase browns nearby.