Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Saturday, 30 September 2017

Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Naknek River, Alaska - 16-23 Sep trip report

Second that.

Sounds like a great trip with some serious rainbows.

Art

From: Carl Z. <carl.zmola0@gmail.com>
To: tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2017 4:21 PM
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Naknek River, Alaska - 16-23 Sep trip report

Thanks for sharing those photos. It looks like you had an amazing time.

Carl

Carl Zmola

On Fri, Sep 29, 2017 at 9:22 PM, Regan Burmeister <reganeb@mindspring.com> wrote:

I traveled with John Bilotta to Naknek River Camp (www.naknekrivercamp.com) during 16-23 Sep to swing flies for large rainbows. I met up with some of my other fly-fishing buddies, some of whom also turned 50 this year. This trip was a gift from my wife as a 50th birthday present, so a big thank you to my wife. What a present!
We had a terrific fishing trip, everyone caught personal bests using a variety of tactics. Some of my friends gave it a go with two-handed rods and swinging flies and caught big rainbows. My friend Greg caught a 31" rainbow on his switch rod as he began to get the hang of two-hand casting and fishing.
Myself, I caught two 30" rainbows, one 29", one 27", and several +20" trout, a few char, and few salmon. I fished two-handed swung flies exclusively, so very satisfying to catch these large fish using these tactics. John B also fished two-handed exclusively. I watched John bring to hand some large fish and play one monster that ultimately broke off. I know that John brought to hand at least one 31" trout.
My other fishing buddies commented that they thought this was the best fishing trip they had experienced. Many thanks to Jim and Phyllis Johnson of Naknek River Camp for hosting us during this week. They were very welcoming, and all their guides were knowledgeable and helpful and good people. The accomodations were comfortable and clean. The dining was good fare, tasty and filling. The lodge is more dedicated to the fishing rather than high end living, just like their website says, and that made the stay in my mind. I very much want to go back, there were larger trout that the guides could eyeball lying on the river bottom. The guides were talking 34" trout. I think that must mean there is some 36" leviathan in that river. One day, we were chasing large char, and the guides were directing casts to place flies in front of the giant ones. I never did hook up with one of those, but that would exciting to repeat the attempt.
This trip scratched many itches. It had been a goal to catch +30" trout, double digit in lbs, on two-hand rods with the swung fly. I found that my casts improved throughout the trip, allowing proper presentation of the flies. Very satisfying to make casts with heavy skagit heads, heavy sink tips (10 - 15 ft of T-17, T-20), and light to heavy flies (5in long rabbit strip leach with dumbbell eyes), to put that cast in the slot, and have the hook up. 'The tug is the drug' was the mantra, 'Thou shall not trout set' was the commandmant. The trout often tapped the fly a few times as it was swinging, you had to wait for the take, and then strip set. Sometimes the take was immediate. All very exciting.
The lodge includes a boat trip to Brooks Falls to fish the Brooks river for trout holding behind sockeye salmon. Brooks is the place to see brown bears up close and personal. My friends elected to take this trip, and they said it was amazing to see the bears and the fishing was fantastic, mostly bead 'flies' on light fly rods. John B and I opted out of this because we came to swing flies with two-hand rods, and up to that day I had still not caught the fish I was hoping to catch. The lodge fixed us up with a terrific, hardworking guide that knew two-hand fishing and knew how to put us on fish. If you want, you can even choose to take a fly-out to other streams, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon.
I know that John Bilotta is putting a trip together for next year, the week of 22-29 Sep 2018. This should time with more larger trout, more eager to hit the swung fly. During our week, the trout were just beginning to come off the egg bite.
Regan

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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Naknek River, Alaska - 16-23 Sep trip report

Thanks for sharing those photos. It looks like you had an amazing time.

Carl

Carl Zmola

On Fri, Sep 29, 2017 at 9:22 PM, Regan Burmeister <reganeb@mindspring.com> wrote:

I traveled with John Bilotta to Naknek River Camp (www.naknekrivercamp.com) during 16-23 Sep to swing flies for large rainbows. I met up with some of my other fly-fishing buddies, some of whom also turned 50 this year. This trip was a gift from my wife as a 50th birthday present, so a big thank you to my wife. What a present!
We had a terrific fishing trip, everyone caught personal bests using a variety of tactics. Some of my friends gave it a go with two-handed rods and swinging flies and caught big rainbows. My friend Greg caught a 31" rainbow on his switch rod as he began to get the hang of two-hand casting and fishing.
Myself, I caught two 30" rainbows, one 29", one 27", and several +20" trout, a few char, and few salmon. I fished two-handed swung flies exclusively, so very satisfying to catch these large fish using these tactics. John B also fished two-handed exclusively. I watched John bring to hand some large fish and play one monster that ultimately broke off. I know that John brought to hand at least one 31" trout.
My other fishing buddies commented that they thought this was the best fishing trip they had experienced. Many thanks to Jim and Phyllis Johnson of Naknek River Camp for hosting us during this week. They were very welcoming, and all their guides were knowledgeable and helpful and good people. The accomodations were comfortable and clean. The dining was good fare, tasty and filling. The lodge is more dedicated to the fishing rather than high end living, just like their website says, and that made the stay in my mind. I very much want to go back, there were larger trout that the guides could eyeball lying on the river bottom. The guides were talking 34" trout. I think that must mean there is some 36" leviathan in that river. One day, we were chasing large char, and the guides were directing casts to place flies in front of the giant ones. I never did hook up with one of those, but that would exciting to repeat the attempt.
This trip scratched many itches. It had been a goal to catch +30" trout, double digit in lbs, on two-hand rods with the swung fly. I found that my casts improved throughout the trip, allowing proper presentation of the flies. Very satisfying to make casts with heavy skagit heads, heavy sink tips (10 - 15 ft of T-17, T-20), and light to heavy flies (5in long rabbit strip leach with dumbbell eyes), to put that cast in the slot, and have the hook up. 'The tug is the drug' was the mantra, 'Thou shall not trout set' was the commandmant. The trout often tapped the fly a few times as it was swinging, you had to wait for the take, and then strip set. Sometimes the take was immediate. All very exciting.
The lodge includes a boat trip to Brooks Falls to fish the Brooks river for trout holding behind sockeye salmon. Brooks is the place to see brown bears up close and personal. My friends elected to take this trip, and they said it was amazing to see the bears and the fishing was fantastic, mostly bead 'flies' on light fly rods. John B and I opted out of this because we came to swing flies with two-hand rods, and up to that day I had still not caught the fish I was hoping to catch. The lodge fixed us up with a terrific, hardworking guide that knew two-hand fishing and knew how to put us on fish. If you want, you can even choose to take a fly-out to other streams, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon.
I know that John Bilotta is putting a trip together for next year, the week of 22-29 Sep 2018. This should time with more larger trout, more eager to hit the swung fly. During our week, the trout were just beginning to come off the egg bite.
Regan

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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: North Branch of the Potomac Small Mouth

Thank you Andrew. I appreciate you taking the time to provide me some great info. I was looking through the DNR website and found this write up below. Looks like they are and have been trying to produce a high quality SMB fishery. Wondering also if the claim that the largest small mouth in the Potomac are found in the North Branch like they say here is accurate. Never heard anyone else talk about targeting SMB on this particular river.

"Encouraged by improving water quality and evidence of an improving forage base, MDNR Fisheries Service began an effort to reintroduce smallmouth bass to the North Branch in 1993. Smallmouth bass had long since been eliminated upstream of Cumberland by the effects of pollution. The effort was a huge success and smallmouth bass established a reproducing population by 1997.

A 2001 regulation implemented by Fisheries Service established a 25 mile catch and release area for bass from Keyser, West Virginia, to Cumberland. The area supports some of the best smallmouth bass fishing, and the largest smallmouth, to be found anywhere in the Potomac watershed."

On Friday, September 29, 2017 at 5:09:46 PM UTC-4, Andrew R wrote:

Hey Robert,

A few thoughts:

1) How did a smallie get all the way up to Barnum? Craziness.

2) Barnum -> Westernport and Westernport -> McCoole are at least in my experience primarily trout water. The last half mile or so before the McCoole takeout has some bass (as Trent Jones can attest to), but overall those first two sections are more geared towards trout (temps, gradient, etc).

3) McCoole -> Black Oak is much more transitional. The predominant gamefish in that stretch is going to be heavily dependent on water temperatures, time of year, dam releases from Randolph-Jennings, etc.

4) I think your best bet for smallies (and your best bet for not killing trout as bycatch in 70+ degree water) is from Black Oak down to Pinto or even all the way to Cumberland, though I haven't been that far down myself. There's a lot of cool water down there with every conceivable type of SMB habitat from deep riffles and pools for smallies holding in the current and feeding like trout to downed trees and other underwater structure in slower water for ambush takes. We had good luck swinging size 0 to 6 streamers in yellow and white and a few topwater eats on poppers. Even saw smallies "sipping" caddis at the end of the day, a first for all of us.

5) In my opinion at least the entire NB, whether for trout or bass, is way better fished from a raft or a kayak. If you want to wade fish out there, I'd recommend fishing the Savage or the brook trout tributaries above the dam. Can't speak to the Casselman or Yough as I haven't fished them yet. Be aware that from Black Oak down there's a lot of slow frog water you'll have to push through. We floated it last week with Barnum at 260 cfs and had to row through the last almost 3 miles just to get off the water before sundown. Still, a lot of really cool water you can experience with a kayak. We probably got out and wade fished too much for an almost 9 mile float so if you're in a kayak and not wasting time, shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck out there, Western MD is good no matter where you choose to fish.

Tight Lines,

Andrew R

On Friday, September 29, 2017 at 11:40:46 AM UTC-4, Robert B wrote:
Hi guys,
I keep reading about the trophy small mouth in the zero creel section below Westernport to Cumberland. Does anyone have any experience on this river targeting Small Mouth? I could use some help with wading access or kayak rentals, tactics, flys etc. Anyone have info or experiences that they can share? I've fished the NTB at Barnums a few times and hooked a very nice SMB near the dam somehow fishing streamers for trout, but I assume it gets better for SMB the further down river.

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Friday, 29 September 2017

{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Naknek River, Alaska - 16-23 Sep trip report

I traveled with John Bilotta to Naknek River Camp (www.naknekrivercamp.com) during 16-23 Sep to swing flies for large rainbows. I met up with some of my other fly-fishing buddies, some of whom also turned 50 this year. This trip was a gift from my wife as a 50th birthday present, so a big thank you to my wife. What a present!

We had a terrific fishing trip, everyone caught personal bests using a variety of tactics. Some of my friends gave it a go with two-handed rods and swinging flies and caught big rainbows. My friend Greg caught a 31" rainbow on his switch rod as he began to get the hang of two-hand casting and fishing.

Myself, I caught two 30" rainbows, one 29", one 27", and several +20" trout, a few char, and few salmon. I fished two-handed swung flies exclusively, so very satisfying to catch these large fish using these tactics. John B also fished two-handed exclusively. I watched John bring to hand some large fish and play one monster that ultimately broke off. I know that John brought to hand at least one 31" trout.

My other fishing buddies commented that they thought this was the best fishing trip they had experienced. Many thanks to Jim and Phyllis Johnson of Naknek River Camp for hosting us during this week. They were very welcoming, and all their guides were knowledgeable and helpful and good people. The accomodations were comfortable and clean. The dining was good fare, tasty and filling. The lodge is more dedicated to the fishing rather than high end living, just like their website says, and that made the stay in my mind. I very much want to go back, there were larger trout that the guides could eyeball lying on the river bottom. The guides were talking 34" trout. I think that must mean there is some 36" leviathan in that river. One day, we were chasing large char, and the guides were directing casts to place flies in front of the giant ones. I never did hook up with one of those, but that would exciting to repeat the attempt.

This trip scratched many itches. It had been a goal to catch +30" trout, double digit in lbs, on two-hand rods with the swung fly. I found that my casts improved throughout the trip, allowing proper presentation of the flies. Very satisfying to make casts with heavy skagit heads, heavy sink tips (10 - 15 ft of T-17, T-20), and light to heavy flies (5in long rabbit strip leach with dumbbell eyes), to put that cast in the slot, and have the hook up. 'The tug is the drug' was the mantra, 'Thou shall not trout set' was the commandmant. The trout often tapped the fly a few times as it was swinging, you had to wait for the take, and then strip set. Sometimes the take was immediate. All very exciting.

The lodge includes a boat trip to Brooks Falls to fish the Brooks river for trout holding behind sockeye salmon. Brooks is the place to see brown bears up close and personal. My friends elected to take this trip, and they said it was amazing to see the bears and the fishing was fantastic, mostly bead 'flies' on light fly rods. John B and I opted out of this because we came to swing flies with two-hand rods, and up to that day I had still not caught the fish I was hoping to catch. The lodge fixed us up with a terrific, hardworking guide that knew two-hand fishing and knew how to put us on fish. If you want, you can even choose to take a fly-out to other streams, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon.

I know that John Bilotta is putting a trip together for next year, the week of 22-29 Sep 2018. This should time with more larger trout, more eager to hit the swung fly. During our week, the trout were just beginning to come off the egg bite.

Regan

{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Winter fishing

Not usually in FLA, esp. if you're out morning or evening and throwing a 6w. Be sure to get a stripping box, I prefer the folding mesh ones. The most fun imo is walking the beach looking for nervous water or blitzes, as you do up North for stripers and blues on the beach.

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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: North Branch of the Potomac Small Mouth

Hey Robert,

A few thoughts:

1) How did a smallie get all the way up to Barnum? Craziness.

2) Barnum -> Westernport and Westernport -> McCoole are at least in my experience primarily trout water. The last half mile or so before the McCoole takeout has some bass (as Trent Jones can attest to), but overall those first two sections are more geared towards trout (temps, gradient, etc).

3) McCoole -> Black Oak is much more transitional. The predominant gamefish in that stretch is going to be heavily dependent on water temperatures, time of year, dam releases from Randolph-Jennings, etc.

4) I think your best bet for smallies (and your best bet for not killing trout as bycatch in 70+ degree water) is from Black Oak down to Pinto or even all the way to Cumberland, though I haven't been that far down myself. There's a lot of cool water down there with every conceivable type of SMB habitat from deep riffles and pools for smallies holding in the current and feeding like trout to downed trees and other underwater structure in slower water for ambush takes. We had good luck swinging size 0 to 6 streamers in yellow and white and a few topwater eats on poppers. Even saw smallies "sipping" caddis at the end of the day, a first for all of us.

5) In my opinion at least the entire NB, whether for trout or bass, is way better fished from a raft or a kayak. If you want to wade fish out there, I'd recommend fishing the Savage or the brook trout tributaries above the dam. Can't speak to the Casselman or Yough as I haven't fished them yet. Be aware that from Black Oak down there's a lot of slow frog water you'll have to push through. We floated it last week with Barnum at 260 cfs and had to row through the last almost 3 miles just to get off the water before sundown. Still, a lot of really cool water you can experience with a kayak. We probably got out and wade fished too much for an almost 9 mile float so if you're in a kayak and not wasting time, shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck out there, Western MD is good no matter where you choose to fish.

Tight Lines,

Andrew R

On Friday, September 29, 2017 at 11:40:46 AM UTC-4, Robert B wrote:

Hi guys,
I keep reading about the trophy small mouth in the zero creel section below Westernport to Cumberland. Does anyone have any experience on this river targeting Small Mouth? I could use some help with wading access or kayak rentals, tactics, flys etc. Anyone have info or experiences that they can share? I've fished the NTB at Barnums a few times and hooked a very nice SMB near the dam somehow fishing streamers for trout, but I assume it gets better for SMB the further down river.

--
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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Winter fishing

Western NC is a good option for winter fishing. NC has an excellent Delayed Harvest program and most of these streams fish well Nov through January if you like nymphing for rainbows. The NC WRC site has a nice interactive map that makes it easy to peruse all of their stocked waters. I haven't personally fished the Cherokee area, but have heard good things and any waters holding bows should be good options excepting periods of extreme cold and ice over.

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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} microfishing with flies = regular-sized fun

I had a friend once ask me what species of fish minnows turn into when they get older. I think the dace below is attempting something like that with that appetite.

On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 8:31:21 PM UTC-4, Carl wrote:

And this isn't even using a microfishing fly. They make special hooks where the gap is even smaller compared to the shank.

Carl

--
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On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 12:34 PM, TurbineBlade <doubl...@gmail.com> wrote:
I suspect microfishing receives about as little respect as regular fishing does at an average PETA meeting. So anyone wanting to criticize should be well-aware of just how stupid all catch and release fishing really is to most bystanders ;). However, I've found micro to be an absolute blast and wanted to share some experience with it since it is relatively new, fringe, and has no real rules or accepted practices, at least as far as I can tell.

Why it is fun:

- virtually all waters have smaller fish species, even if void of larger-growing species
- virtually no one is doing this, so you're unlikely to be bothered by other people fishing
- you're already weird for wearing a rubber suit, so you might as well become more weird
- gear is not technical
- contrary to what you might think , it is NOT at all easy to catch some of these dudes....really, try it.
- teaches you a lot about streams, even the ones you've fished for years (e.g., which habitats or microhabitats are utilized by different species, fish behavior)
- promotes the same experience/love for nature that any other outdoor activity does
- is no less predatory than any other stalking/fishing activity; possibly is more so
- if you keep native fish in aquariums like I've done for 2 decades, it is a no-brainer

So far I've only caught a handful of species, including blacknose dace, tiny sunfish species, creek chubs, satinfin shiners, and a mosquitofish. Since I'm fishing over water I've kick sampled, I know what species are there and where they tend to be located, so I expect this list to grow. I'm targeting tessellated darters and yellow bullheads soon.

Tackle: So far I've used my Carl Z 6' fiberglass fly rod, which works very well for this kind of fishing. I've also used a 11' "fixed line" pole, and a 6' "fixed line" pole. All 3 work just fine -- an UL spinning rod would also work, and some people prefer that.

Flies: Anything small works, with stuff in the #24 range being ideal. I've mostly used midges behind a larger dry fly as a "bobber". For benthic species, the same midge with a bit of shot works better. I need to get some paint for my split shot so I can see it better.
Note that hook shape is important, with basically the shortest hook point being the best option, if you have them. If you check out tenkarabum, you'll see "tanago" hooks which are basically made for this kind of fishing, and they tend to have very tiny hook points. I've not used them, but plan to soon.

(I may use bait at some point to increase my species and add some variety -- so cover your ears if you don't like that)

Leader/tippet: not critical in my opinion thus far, but I've used 6-7x because it goes through the hook eyes.

I'm happy as a clam going out and targeting mummichogs or creek chubs -- not everyone will be interested in this, and that's fine with me. However, I suspect some number of fly fishermen probably have at least a mild interest in this kind of thing, so here is a topic for anyone searching the forum for "microfishing" in the future.

I did get out and do some regular fishing "somewhere off the Potomac" recently and caught a mess of small LMB (nothing over 12") and hooked my first ever koi, but the fish escaped!!! I was very, very disappointed. Calico one -- probably released by someone.

Note - The golden shiner and yellow bullhead were fly-caught, but not on purpose via microfishing.

TB

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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} North Branch of the Potomac Small Mouth

Hi guys,

I keep reading about the trophy small mouth in the zero creel section below Westernport to Cumberland. Does anyone have any experience on this river targeting Small Mouth? I could use some help with wading access or kayak rentals, tactics, flys etc. Anyone have info or experiences that they can share? I've fished the NTB at Barnums a few times and hooked a very nice SMB near the dam somehow fishing streamers for trout, but I assume it gets better for SMB the further down river.

--
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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Harpers Ferry?

Another great book is : Pursuing River Smallmouth Bass by Ken Penrod

On Sep 29, 2017 9:48 AM, "Kevin B" <kevinbotelersr@gmail.com> wrote:

I have already invested in that book - have used it several times in my attempts to find fishing places this summer. Thanks for the recommendation.

On Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 5:19:30 PM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:
Kevin- Do yourself a favor and invest in this book: Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass: Chain Bridge to Harpers Ferry by Steve Moore

It's got lots of good options to fish between here and Harper's Ferry, and includes some maps of the areas where wading is possible (and perhaps more importantly- the areas where wading is impossible).

I'll second clousers for smallmouth. Hellgramite and crawdad imitations are good on the Potomac, also. Target the faster runs and chutes in between boulders in the Harper's Ferry area and vary your retrieve speed until you figure out what speed they are reacting to. Remember: smallmouth are aggressive ambush predators -they make quick, instinctual reaction strikes.

On Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 4:31:19 PM UTC-4, Vo wrote:
I'd say it's worth your while. Harpers Ferry is not the fishery it once was back in day. But still a good spot. Personally I'm a big fan of Chuck Kraft patterns
You may want to try some CK Baitfish , strip it in a few times then pause and let the fly flutter as if it were a injured and/or dying minnow.Also maybe try a Crittermite pattern try dead drifting it . That's my 2 cents

Vladimir ( Vo )

On Sep 27, 2017 9:14 AM, "Kevin B" <kevinbo...@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm a beginner (and not very good) fly fisherman. I've been fishing on the Potomac above DC several times this summer with little (= small sunfish) success. I've heard that Harpers Ferry is mecca for smallmouth wade fishing. Went up Sunday afternoon with no luck but am thinking about taking off Friday afternoon for one more try at wet wading before the weather cools too much.

Will it be worth my time? Any advice? A guy at White Fly outfitters up there said clousers are their go-to fly.

Any help would be much appreciated.

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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Harpers Ferry?

I have already invested in that book - have used it several times in my attempts to find fishing places this summer. Thanks for the recommendation.

On Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 5:19:30 PM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:

Kevin- Do yourself a favor and invest in this book: Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass: Chain Bridge to Harpers Ferry by Steve Moore

It's got lots of good options to fish between here and Harper's Ferry, and includes some maps of the areas where wading is possible (and perhaps more importantly- the areas where wading is impossible).

I'll second clousers for smallmouth. Hellgramite and crawdad imitations are good on the Potomac, also. Target the faster runs and chutes in between boulders in the Harper's Ferry area and vary your retrieve speed until you figure out what speed they are reacting to. Remember: smallmouth are aggressive ambush predators -they make quick, instinctual reaction strikes.

On Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 4:31:19 PM UTC-4, Vo wrote:
I'd say it's worth your while. Harpers Ferry is not the fishery it once was back in day. But still a good spot. Personally I'm a big fan of Chuck Kraft patterns
You may want to try some CK Baitfish , strip it in a few times then pause and let the fly flutter as if it were a injured and/or dying minnow.Also maybe try a Crittermite pattern try dead drifting it . That's my 2 cents

Vladimir ( Vo )

On Sep 27, 2017 9:14 AM, "Kevin B" <kevinbo...@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm a beginner (and not very good) fly fisherman. I've been fishing on the Potomac above DC several times this summer with little (= small sunfish) success. I've heard that Harpers Ferry is mecca for smallmouth wade fishing. Went up Sunday afternoon with no luck but am thinking about taking off Friday afternoon for one more try at wet wading before the weather cools too much.

Will it be worth my time? Any advice? A guy at White Fly outfitters up there said clousers are their go-to fly.

Any help would be much appreciated.

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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: TPFR hosting Casting for Recovery at October 9 Beer Tie with Iron Vise and Raffle

I may have some books and/or materials to offer up for the rafflle. I'll let you know.

Mark

On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 11:19:22 AM UTC-4, Dalton Terrell wrote:

We are also planning to host a raffle with all proceeds going to CfR and collecting materials for this now. We have some pink steelhead flies in the mix and a few other items, but if you have anything, let me know.

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Thursday, 28 September 2017

Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} microfishing with flies = regular-sized fun

And this isn't even using a microfishing fly. They make special hooks where the gap is even smaller compared to the shank.

Carl

Carl Zmola

On Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 12:34 PM, TurbineBlade <doublebclan@gmail.com> wrote:

I suspect microfishing receives about as little respect as regular fishing does at an average PETA meeting. So anyone wanting to criticize should be well-aware of just how stupid all catch and release fishing really is to most bystanders ;). However, I've found micro to be an absolute blast and wanted to share some experience with it since it is relatively new, fringe, and has no real rules or accepted practices, at least as far as I can tell.

Why it is fun:

- virtually all waters have smaller fish species, even if void of larger-growing species
- virtually no one is doing this, so you're unlikely to be bothered by other people fishing
- you're already weird for wearing a rubber suit, so you might as well become more weird
- gear is not technical
- contrary to what you might think , it is NOT at all easy to catch some of these dudes....really, try it.
- teaches you a lot about streams, even the ones you've fished for years (e.g., which habitats or microhabitats are utilized by different species, fish behavior)
- promotes the same experience/love for nature that any other outdoor activity does
- is no less predatory than any other stalking/fishing activity; possibly is more so
- if you keep native fish in aquariums like I've done for 2 decades, it is a no-brainer

So far I've only caught a handful of species, including blacknose dace, tiny sunfish species, creek chubs, satinfin shiners, and a mosquitofish. Since I'm fishing over water I've kick sampled, I know what species are there and where they tend to be located, so I expect this list to grow. I'm targeting tessellated darters and yellow bullheads soon.

Tackle: So far I've used my Carl Z 6' fiberglass fly rod, which works very well for this kind of fishing. I've also used a 11' "fixed line" pole, and a 6' "fixed line" pole. All 3 work just fine -- an UL spinning rod would also work, and some people prefer that.

Flies: Anything small works, with stuff in the #24 range being ideal. I've mostly used midges behind a larger dry fly as a "bobber". For benthic species, the same midge with a bit of shot works better. I need to get some paint for my split shot so I can see it better.
Note that hook shape is important, with basically the shortest hook point being the best option, if you have them. If you check out tenkarabum, you'll see "tanago" hooks which are basically made for this kind of fishing, and they tend to have very tiny hook points. I've not used them, but plan to soon.

(I may use bait at some point to increase my species and add some variety -- so cover your ears if you don't like that)

Leader/tippet: not critical in my opinion thus far, but I've used 6-7x because it goes through the hook eyes.

I'm happy as a clam going out and targeting mummichogs or creek chubs -- not everyone will be interested in this, and that's fine with me. However, I suspect some number of fly fishermen probably have at least a mild interest in this kind of thing, so here is a topic for anyone searching the forum for "microfishing" in the future.

I did get out and do some regular fishing "somewhere off the Potomac" recently and caught a mess of small LMB (nothing over 12") and hooked my first ever koi, but the fish escaped!!! I was very, very disappointed. Calico one -- probably released by someone.

Note - The golden shiner and yellow bullhead were fly-caught, but not on purpose via microfishing.

TB

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Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Harpers Ferry?

To answer Morgan's question about why Harpers Ferry is not the Fishery it used to be, my best guess is : First the area gets much more fishing pressure then it did 20 plus years go. And too many people are keeping the Smallmouth Bass they catch including poaching. Second assume the intersexing ( not sure if this the correct term ) is having an negative on the population, basically because of pollution there is a percentage of the Smallmouth Bass which are hermaphroditic.

I've been fishing Harpers Ferry since I was in High School . It was definitely a much more productive fishery when I was in High School and College ( University of Maryland ). Not just my experience, others fishing buddies of mine who grew up in this area.
And who have fishing Harpers Ferry as long as I have, if not longer would agree.

On Sep 28, 2017 9:57 AM, "Morgan Cosgrove" <cosgrove.morgan@gmail.com> wrote:

All good points. I will say the biggest fish I've caught this year on the potomac have all been on crawfish/hellgrammites.

Vo - why do you say Harpers Ferry is not the fishery it used to be back in the day?

On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:32:49 AM UTC-4, Rob Snowhite wrote:
That water is going to be crystal clear. Have fun up there. Be sure to fish hellgrammites/black buggers.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 28, 2017, at 8:52 AM, namfos <mark....@gmail.com> wrote:

I'll second ALarge's book recommendation it's available not only softbound, but as a PDF you can keep on your phone/tablet. You might also wish to invest in this map, http://bit.ly/2fBzMWw too. Personally I like fishing the Weverton sector downstream of the 340 bridge.

Mark

On Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 5:19:30 PM UTC-4, ALarge wrote:
Kevin- Do yourself a favor and invest in this book: Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass: Chain Bridge to Harpers Ferry by Steve Moore

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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: TONIGHT! LIMITED TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE! IF4: International Fly Fishing Film Festival by NCC-TU!

Congrats on the success, and glad you raised a good chunk of money for PHW!

Dalton

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{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Good news from Friends of Fletcher's Cove

Fletcher's Cove Update!

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Dear Friends of Fletcher's Cove Supporters,

I would like to share exciting news regarding our partnership with the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Director Tommy Wells has worked closely with Friends of Fletcher's Cove this past summer to take responsibility for the sediment and soil sampling project we have long sought. Our press release issued today provides more detail about this development and you will find it below.

Over the past two years, Friends of Fletcher's Cove has received enthusiastic support from many individuals and organizations out of concern for the loss of public river access at the Cove. Your generous contributions to our fundraising effort caught the attention of officials within the National Park Service and the District Government. When we were unable to secure a federal matching grant last winter to fund our own sampling project, DOEE responded in ways beyond our expectations.

As we move forward toward an anticipated 2019 dredging project, funds raised by Friends of Fletcher's Cove will help make this possible. Contributions to our organization of volunteers apply directly to saving our beloved river access at the Cove. Thank you for your support.

Mike Bailey
Spokesperson
Friends of Fletcher's Cove

For Immediate Release:

Washington DC - September 29, 2017

We are now one step closer to a short-term solution to the ongoing river access problems at Fletcher's Cove.

The District Government's Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) has initiated a project to complete the sediment and soil sampling of the Cove area, due to begin early 2018. Public access to the Potomac River at Fletcher's Cove continues to be significantly impeded by the buildup of sediment, and the sampling project is a necessary prerequisite before dredging can be undertaken.

Friend's of Fletcher's Cove (FFC), a loosely formed advocacy group of concerned citizens, has been working tirelessly to attract attention to the challenges at the Cove, which is one of Washington, DC's only public access sites for the Potomac, attracting over 100,000 citizens annually. In 2015, river access was abruptly shut down due to buckling docks and unsafe conditions brought on by the severe sedimentation. This event prompted the formation of FFC.

This August, DOEE informed FFC that they had secured funding to conduct sediment and soil sampling in and around the Cove. This work will fulfill the first phase of FFC's strategic plan, developed in consultation with the National Park Service. Tommy Wells, the DOEE Director under Mayor Muriel Bowser, was instrumental in securing the funding.

Mike Bailey, the spokesperson for FFC, said "Mr. Wells' determination to preserve public access to the District's waterways, particularly at such an historic location, is the reason our project is moving forward." FFC will continue to advocate for future funding for the next phase to dredge the Cove, while seeking a long-term sustainable solution for the Cove.

More information regarding the effort is available at friendsoffletcherscove.org.

info@friendsoffletcherscove.org.

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Friends of Fletchers Cove · Fletchers Cove · Washington, District of Columbia 20016 · USA

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